walking along the woodland trail near my home adjacent to Black Hill Regional Park , a profusion of purply blue berries stopped me in my tracks . What were those gorgeous fruits ? As I looked around , however , I saw that the vine was not the jewel it at first appeared to be . Its tentacles were literally strangling the trees on which it climbed .
I learned its name : porcelain berry . Another search led me to a Montgomery County Parks ’ program that trains volunteers to help control porcelain berry and other invasives in the park system . Eager to learn , I signed up , and had the good fortune to meet the wise , wonderful woman Carole Bergmann . A forest ecologist , Carole founded the Weed Warriors program in 1999 , training and managing the efforts of volunteers who learn to identify and appropriately remove invasive plants from parklands . Armed with folding saws and loppers , we were trained and empowered to seek out non-native invasives and help manage them .
I was hooked , but also daunted . So many invasives , so seemingly Sisyphean a task . With work days planned for fellow Weed Warriors , however , the job seemed more doable , and my impatient self could see results more quickly . I was also introduced to many wonderful natural areas in Montgomery County , hiking with fellow Weed Warriors and marveling at the beauty of the woodlands and meadows , and learning to see more deeply into what was there .
Eager to learn more , I read the works of Doug Tallamy , a professor of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware . His New York Times article from 2008 ,
Papa bluebird feeds a hungry youngster . While many adult birds eat seeds and berries , baby birds need soft , squishy caterpillars . And lots of them ! Which plants support these digestible , nutritious moth and butterfly larva ? Native oaks , cherries , and willows are by far the hosts with the most , supporting not only bird food aka caterpillars , but also bees and other wildlife .
keystone plants promise more butterflies
These plants can host from 60 up to 500 different species of caterpillars
Cherry ( Prunus ) Oak ( Quercus ) Willow ( Salix )
Goldenrod ( Solidago ) Aster ( Aster ) Sunflower ( Helianthus ) be sure to Choose plants native to your area
plenty I summer growing 2023 23