NOW'S THE TIME TO ELIMINATE BUCKTHORN

BIUCKTHORN: A  THORNY, TALL SHRUB OR SMALL TREE WITH CHERRY-LIKE BARK...

...LEAVES STILL GREEN NOW, BEARING LOTS OF FRUIT...

...BERRIES THE SIZE OF PIN CHERRIES, BLUE-BLACK, BITTER TASTING, WITH THREE SEEDS

 Friday, 9:00 AM.  46 degrees F on at the ferry dock, 39 on the back porch.  Wind W, with occasional light gusts.  The sky is clear, the humidity a high 91%.  Rain is no longer in the forecast, replaced by sunny skies and seasonally mild temperatures for the next seven days.  Perfect weather.
   Glossy, or European, buckthorn, Rhamnus frangula (synonym Frangula alnus) in the Buckthorn Family (Rhamnaceae) is a Eurasian invasive species that can rapidly takes over areas of native woodland.  It is a real threat, and should be eliminated when possible.  Now is a good time to identify and destroy it, as its leaves are still green, and ts ripe fruit prominent.

   Its still-green leaves are entire, without lobes or teeth, and are mostly alternate, with prominent veination, and a glossy appearance.  The young bark is cherry-like, brown and shinny, with abundant lenticels. The inner bark of the twigs is yellow. The abundant pea-sized berries are blue-black, and have three small seeds clustered together, each with one flat side.  The berries are extremely bitter.  The terminal branches are sharply pointed, thus the name buckthorn. 

   Buckthorn seedlings and saplings pull easily, but larger plants must be dug out, or cut back and stumps and branches treated with strong herbicide.  The berries cannot be allowed to fall to the ground, where they will germinate readily next spring.  The branches with berries cannot just be fed into a wood chipper, as the seeds are not harmed thereby.  About the only safe things to do with the berries is to bury them deeply, compost them until they germinate and then die, or put them in a plastic bag and in the garbage.

VOTE ON TUESDAY TO DRAIN THE WASHINGTON, DC, SWAMP