Stay at Home Weed Pull – Clearing the way for native plants!

What is it? Before the Stay at Home order, Davidson Lands Conservancy (DLC) and the Town of Davidson planned to host a second community event at Beaty Park to further remove invasive plant species, in partnership with Weed Wrangle®,  a program that helps manage invasive plant species in yards and public spaces. In order to keep momentum in eradicating invasive plants, DLC challenges residents to be part of the solution – remove the invasive plants in your yard!

Why is this important? Invasive plants are from locations outside North Carolina and they tend to take over and out-compete native plants. Native NC plants evolved to coexist here with our wildlife and they provide critical habitat and valuable food resources for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Invasive plants have few natural enemies in the form of animals to eat them or diseases to control their spread. And birds and other animals spread their seeds from your yard into natural areas or other yards, leading to a monoculture where invasive plants dominate the landscape and crowd out a diversity of native plants.

What can you do? We can all help from home beginning in your own yard! Common invasive plants you may find in your yard include English ivy, Vinca (periwinkle), honeysuckle, stilt grass, bamboo, multiflora rose, autumn olive, privet, and more!  Click HERE for a comprehensive list of invasive plants.

Invasive plants are masters at spreading seed and proliferating.  The invasive plants in your yard will soon be your neighbors’ problem as well as their neighbors’ problem.  It takes a village to reduce the number and lessen the impact of invasive plants, so please help out by clearing your property of invasives – spread the word, not the invasive plant seeds! 

DLC would LOVE if you would send us photos of your own yard invasive pull – action shots and before-and-after photos may be featured in our June newsletter! Email photos to: [email protected] or post on our FB page davidsonlandsconservancy@protectland or Instagram @davidsonlands.

And be on the lookout for an upcoming Davidson resident guide to invasive plants – coming soon from DLC!