On September 13, Indy Parks and our service learning team removed several invasive species from Eagle Creek Park.
The two we found in most abundance were privet hedge and burning bush. Both were landscaping plants that escaped into natural habitats. These plants have the ability to colonize fast and quickly create a monoculture in an otherwise diverse woodland.
The day started at the ornithology center, heading north along the walking trail in the morning and south in the afternoon. We found and removed small groups of bush honeysuckle and autumn olive. We also took some time to thin a stand of maples along the trail. We discussed how invasive species work to outcompete native plants causing imbalances in natural populations. We also demonstrated how the shallow root systems are insufficient to stabilize slopes and exacerbate erosion in most cases. These kinds of imbalances can then cause more issues locally and globally.
