| <div class="ck-content"><p>So you've been watching stilt grass cover road sides, creek sides, your property, your neighbor's property, the understory of just about every preserve and park you visit. Well, now's the time to do something about it! See, the most important thing in controlling invasives is to stop or reduce seed production. And stilt grass is about to go to seed.</p><p>Which makes now, anytime now, anytime in September, as soon as you can do it, the time to pull stilt grass. Hey, and it's fun for the entire family! Even little kids can pull it up, and feel great about doing something for the planet and their non-human friends.</p><p>I know - you are now thinking to yourself: “What difference can I really make? There will still be lots of stilt grass nearby producing seeds that will get blown over the area I cleared.”</p><p>Well, friends, I am here to tell: you <span style="color:hsl(0,75%,60%);"><strong>STOP THINKING THAT WAY!</strong></span></p><p>When it comes to invasives, what it comes down to is: either nothing matters or<i> everything matters</i>. You can probably guess what I think: everything we do matters. Every single time you remove an invasive, you are helping. Will it solve the problem entirely? No. Will you necessarily see the program? Probably, but maybe not. For sure, though, when you pull a bunch of stilt grass you are stopping the production of 1000s of seeds. How can that be bad?</p><p>I hired a bunch of UNC students to come to my property to pull stilt grass. There's a lot of it, I am serious about getting rid of it, and I have discovered that at 65, my elbows and back simply can't do it alone. Oh, the joy of young backs! Here's a before picture</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1vfgIVscCtGQWUzjr226fAPPkwoywkket" alt="A yard full of stilt grass" width="600" height="400"></div><p>And after an hour of work….</p><div class="raw-html-embed"><img src="https://drive.google.com/thumbnail?id=1njHiTKxn9De7gfbluaWIHjIEXNDjtsJz" alt="Much less stilt grass" width="600" height="400"></div><p>This is the second year I've been removing trailer loads of stilt grass and I can tell you: you will see the difference in just one year. It will grow in less densely. It will be even easier to pull the next year. Do that for 2 or 3 years and wow you will be reminded: Humans are the biggest cause of invasives, but humans can also (and <i>should be</i>) a big part of the solution.</p><p>On September 9th, we are holding the first Great Stilt Grass Pull at Brumley South. Pull stilt grass with lots of your fellow planet healers! Bring the kids! I just ordered gloves for kids. Details below, sign up at <a href="https://triangleland.volunteerhub.com/vv2/?eventGroupId=95336209c34b4e82b0f15b9739bb94c4">Triangle Land Conservancy.</a> </p><p>But wherever you are, don't hesitate to take 10 or 30 minutes and have at it. Clear an area of stilt grass. Make room for native grasses and flowers. Relaim the native ecosystems that thrived in and near your homes for millions of years. </p></div> |