Dog-strangling vine control in the Butterfly Meadow
In 2005, we had the north end of the Butterfly Meadow mowed in July for the third year in a row. Mowing has little effect on dog-strangling vine (DSV), but we were trying to keep the plants from going to seed and spreading further.
The mowed vegetation in the foreground here is almost entirely DSV. A week after mowing, it is growing vigorously. In the background the oldest section of the butterfly meadow is visible.
View of the same area as above, but looking east to west across the north end of the meadow. In the foreground of this photo, you can see some grass. The rest of the plants are DSV growing back a week after mowing.
In spring 2006, we received a generous grant through the Evergreen Foundation's Common Grounds program. Our local Home Depot gave us a gift certificate for $1000. Some of those funds were used to rent a rototiller to plow up the DSV and turf to prepare the area for planting. Two areas were tilled: a square at the north end of the Butterfly Meadow and a circle around another location where DSV had been dug out and trees planted a few years earlier.
Volunteers Andrew and Rob rototilling the north square in April 2006.
Rototilling finished.
We were surprised to find that the rototilling had damaged DSV more than we expected. Very few plants grew in the rototilled areas. Over the summer, we planted a number of wildflowers and native grasses, including, black-eyed susan, goldenrod, vervain, flat-topped aster, hairy beardtongue, pearly everlasting, and others.
We used a mixture of mature plants, transplanted from other sites, and young plants grown from seed the previous winter.
A manitoba maple tree growing next to the trail had to be cut down as it was beginning to shade the meadow. We used the branches to create a brushpile for wildlife, but put a layer of landscape cloth and newspapers under it to prevent swallowort from growing through the branches.
We also put newspapers around a nearby walnut tree as we could not rototill this area without damaging the tree roots.
We built a split rail fence around the north edge of the plot for two reasons: we wanted basking spots for butterflies - both wood and stone; and a fence defined and protected the new planting. At the right of the stone pile, you can just see the trunk of the manitoba maple, which was left and incorporated into the fence.
By October, the north plot was looking rather bare as leaves fell and stems of the new plants died back for winter.
But by the following year, the plants were thriving. This photo, taken in July 2009, shows vervain, queen anne's lace, wild parsnip, mullein, black-eyed susans, and others. Some of these were planted, others arrived as seeds from adjacent fields. The only "problem" plant is DSV, which continues to invade, although not nearly as extensively as before this bed was replanted.
Display showing some of the butterflies that visit our meadow along with information about how to create a butterfly meadow.
In May 2008, we expanded the meadow further by rototilling the centre of the field west of the existing meadow.
This new area was more extensive than what we had tackled in previous years.
It was planted mainly with seedling from our own nursery - golden alexanders, fireweed, black-eyed susans, beardtongue, vervain, and other species.
Most of the plants survived and multiplied in 2009 and are filling the area.
In 2009, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada helped us by rototilling still another section between but a bit south of the older parts of the meadow. This area was left bare until 2010, when the soil was worked and sifted, then planted with wildflowers.
DSV work bees, July 2011
Although rototilling is quite effective in killing mature DSV plants, the technique doesn't remove seeds from the soil. Within a couple of years, large DSV plants begin to reappear and have to be pulled by hand to avoid damaging all the "good" plants now growing in the meadow.
Sunday, July 10, first work bee
Our first DSV work bee of the season was a huge success! About 25 people came out, some regular volunteers, including most of the TISG group, and a number who were volunteering with us for the first time. Our main target area was in the Butterfly Meadow, between the tarp and the rail fence to the north. This is a large patch, with a lot of DSV mingling with many other plants that belong in the meadow.
The group worked very hard, most people being there from 9 a.m. to about 1 p.m., with a mid-morning break at the Interpretation Centre. The area was pretty much cleared of DSV, taken out entirely by pulling, which is proving to be the most efficient way to remove DSV that is growing among other plants. Many large garbage bags and 5-gallon pails were filled, then carted by wheelbarrow to the sumac stand growing on the south side of the ravine. The understory of this extensive stand is almost entirely DSV; vines reaching up into the trees were torn down before armloads of pulled DSV from the meadow were tossed on top as a thick mulch.
 
Sunday, July 17, second work bee
The second work bee was as successful as the first. Again about two dozen people - including eight from last Sunday - braved the scorching heat to continue working in the butterfly meadow. Diane Lepage, coordinator of the Wednesday evening butterfly meadow group, was able to come and help direct the work. She's very pleased with the results, as great strides have been made in removing DSV from the meadow. The group focused on the area east of that worked on last week and on the south end of the meadow. Some pulled DSV was dumped as mulch among the sumacs along the ravine, as we did last week, and some was piled at the south end for removal by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
A number of people were first time volunteers at FWG; many were young people, an encouraging sign. The heat was such that people were arriving and leaving at all hours, most coming for 9 a.m., but some later during our break at the Interpretation Centre. Many worked for an hour or two and some stayed the full four hours. Any amount of time people spent working in that heat was much appreciated! It is difficult to estimate the amount of DSV pulled, but again a number of bags and wheelbarrow loads were removed for disposal.
 
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