ng invasive plants in their landscapes so that they can make change. Starting with the most prevalent invasive trees in the watershed — glossy privet (Ligustrum lucidum) and chinaberry — Tyllick wants hikers to learn to recognize exotic invasives, the native plants they compete with and what they can do to restore a more nearly natural landscape. Photo by Mick Byrne.
His smartphone has even come in handy to educate a park’s grounds manager that invasive species were indeed a problem in his park. “I pulled out my iPhone, went to texasinvasives.org, and showed him. That solid mass of pinpoints was hard to refute, so I got permission to remove some chinaberries that weekend. It was a place to start, and I'll work many more projects over the coming months.”
Tyllick is committed, but realizing he can’t work alone influenced his decision to establish a Meetup group, Keep Walnut Creek Wild, in which he organizes hikes to show people what invasive plants are doing to the parks and greenbelts along this urban creek. The group is also removing trash from the creek area.
The hikes have averaged 20 hikers, which Tyllick considers a good start. “My goal is to show people what this is all about so they can understand and change their own landscapes. As for me, I now regret ever having planted a Chinese pistache.”
Upcoming Invaders of Texas Workshops
The Invaders of Texas program will host the following workshops this month.Central Texas Master Gardeners
Brady, TX - March 18th – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Master Gardeners of Blanco County
Johnson City, TX - March 22nd – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Jesse H. Jones Park & Nature Center
Humble, TX - March 29th – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Visit www.texasinvasives.org for information about upcoming workshops and facts about invasive species.