Ep 107. Mile-a-Minute Weed and Butterfly Plants

In this episode, I share a story of an inundation of Mile-a-Minute Weed in Sarah's garden that turns into a garden filled with Deer Resistant Butterfly Plants. 

We chat about safe ways to get rid of Mile-a-Minute Weeds and a delicious lineup of host and nectar plants to attract butterflies that you'll adore too.

Related Stories and Helpful Links 

Mile-a-Minute Weed Remedies

Deer Resistant Butterfly Plants

Treasured Tuliptrees

Native Plants, especially Oaks, are Essential

 For more information about the weevil to remediate Mile-a-Minute Weed: https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/pdf/mileaminute.pdf

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I'd love to hear about your garden and nature stories. And your thoughts about topics for future podcast episodes. You can email me at AskMaryStone@gmail.com. Thanks so much for tuning in.

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Mary Stone, Columnist & Garden Designer
     AskMaryStone.com

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 Welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries.

 It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from Mother Nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So, let's jump in, in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about.

Thanks for tuning in, Mary Stone 
Garden Dilemmas? AskMaryStone.com
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Transcript

Ep 107 Mile-a-Minute Weed and Butterfly Magnets

Sat, May 06, 2023 8:57AM • 11:08

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

plants, butterflies, native, garden, weed, trees, nectar plants, dilemmas, mile, berries, minute, host, lineup, oaks, new jersey, insects, roots, leaves, list, dilemmas, mary stone, garden, nature, inspiration

SPEAKERS

Mary Stone

Mary Stone  00:00

Hello, fellow lovers of all things green. I'm Mary Stone, and welcome to Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries. It's not only about gardens; it's about nature's inspirations, about grasping the glories of the world around us, gathering what we learned from mother nature, and carrying these lessons into our garden of life. So let's jump in in the spirit of learning from each other. We have lots to talk about. 

Mary Stone  00:23

Hello there, it's Mary Stone, and welcome to the screen porch where I'm looking upon pollen just flying all around me. So if I start sneezing, you'll know why. But indeed, spring is bursting open in bloom and it's fun to see all the early lime green. Isn't it interesting how leaves are so tender lime green in early spring and darken up as time goes on? It's an interesting observation. Thanks to those that reach back about last week's chat Rejuvenation Pruning Lifts Hearts. It seems many of you have the courage now to give your overgrown shrubs a very good haircut. It's always nice to have a new hairdo, isn't it? 

Mary Stone  01:06

I had the joy last week of visiting with Mark and Chandra, clients of mine and Columbia, New Jersey, and they're so enthusiastic about their gardens. Last spring, we planted some native trees along their property line adjacent to a wild area where I believe there are some wetlands. And we broadcast some wildflower seeds, which was their idea; many took root despite an inundation of mile-a-minute weeds. And it reminded me of a story several years back about another mile-a-minute dilemma that turned into a magnet for butterflies. And it starts like this. 

Mary Stone  01:43

Hello fellow listeners and readers. Sarah of Hope, New Jersey, was shy about providing photos before our landscape review and recommendation meeting, primarily because she fell behind in her garden maintenance—something I share in common during the summer heat. Sarah's mile-a-minute weed is especially running rampid. No need to be embarrassed, I wrote back. The purpose of my visit is to help create a strategy to attack garden projects that feel overwhelming, including the weeds. What a lovely property Sarah has, with a naturalized buffer surrounding a beautiful sloping backyard. Sadly, mile-a-minute weed is smothering much of it. It's the first time I've seen such a massive invasion of the light green vine that grows as much as six inches a day and 25 feet a season. No kidding it has earned its name. It's also known as devil's tail ter thumb, as it resembles the native Halberdleaf tearthumb, as well as the Arrowleaf tearthumb. But the pea-sized blue fruits and the almost perfect triangular leaves are distinctive of mile-a-minute. 

Mary Stone  02:51

It hangs like thick draperies on trees and shrubs, which can kill them quickly as it shades its host from being able to photosynthesize. Folks compare it to the kudzu dilemma that suffocates trees in warmer climates. Mile-a-minute came from transport from Eastern Asia in the late 1800s to the 1930s. It arrived in our neck of the woods in nursery plants delivered to York, Pennsylvania. Each plant produces thousands of berries that can remain viable and water for nine days floating merrily merrily down the streams. The almost perfect triangular leave stand out though the white flowers are insignificant and turn into green berries in mid-July. It's when the berries ripen into a reflective blue hue and birds and other critters flock, which is how mile-a-minute spreads rapidly by way of their excrements like so many other invasive plants. Like the one we spoke about last week, the Barberry that just has been running amok in the woods drives us all crazy. 

Mary Stone  03:52

The weeds are shallow-rooted and easy to pull, which is better to do sooner than later. Otherwise, it's hard to get to the origin of the plant, which is the case of Sarah's invasion. However, I suggested she keep yanking using thick gloves to protect her from the prickly parts until she gets to the roots. The good news is it's an annual. And if you don't allow the berries to ripen, you can stay ahead of the dilemma or, in Sarah's case, begin to gain control of it. While herbicides may have a place in the eradication, weeding, continually mowing, or allowing your goats and sheep to graze is the most effective. 

Mary Stone  04:30

Biological controls are underway using a weevil that feeds on the plants. And I researched this further because it was not that long ago that it was approved in the state of New Jersey. It's been approved in other states previously, but I learned that the weevil was found in China before being introduced here in 2004. They feed on the plant, and the portions of the stems above the feeding areas are killed, thereby reducing the seed production, so it makes a lot of sense. But I just have to wonder, since it is not native here, what's going to come of it? Is it going to become invasive too? Something to think about,  I'll put a link in the show notes for more information about the weevil if of interest. 

Mary Stone  05:13

I had to chuckle when I Googled remedies of good riddance. A fellow began his video demonstration by shooting into a tree smothered by the vine (Not a bright idea),  before pulling it out by the roots (Great idea). Then he splayed out the trails of vines and sprayed the heck out of it with Roundup. Talk about overkill, and I put that in capital letters. You know I do not like Roundup, which is illegal in most parts of the world. Hopefully, he wasn't serious as, obviously, once you yank it by the roots, the plant is a goner. Just wrap it up and throw it out. If it hasn't gone to seed, to the compost is fine. Otherwise, a brown bag in the trash is best to quarantine the berries from taking over the world. Garden Dilemmas, Ask Mary Stone.com. 

Mary Stone  06:01

There's a sequel to this story, as Sarah proudly sent me photos of the clearout of her front garden and an area where she plans a butterfly garden. She asked if there was a list of native deer-resistant butterfly plants she could consider. And there are, and so I think we have some time I'm going to share some of that list. 

Mary Stone  06:21

Native plants are often easier to grow, and most importantly, insects and animals rely on them, especially birds. For example, an oak tree can support over 500 species of moths and butterflies, amongst other insects. In contrast to the Bradford pear, a common ornamental non-native tree that's running amok, by the way, supports fewer than 100. The more insects, the more bird food is available. A beautiful thing. We spoke about essential oaks in Episode 35. You may wish to tune in to which features my friend (I'm going to call my friend), Doug Tallamy, who I've met in person. He has a wonderful book that's become a go-to Bringing Nature Home. And then he has the more recent book, The Nature of Oaks. Both are terrific, I must say. The Native Plant Society of New Jersey publishes host plants that provide a habitat for butter larvae, which is the caterpillars that feed on and indicate which species they attract. So it's really a nifty chart. They also publish a list of native nectar plants. The plants are also native to many other areas, so you can check with your local Native Plant Society to see what's native to yours. 

Mary Stone  07:30

In the spirit of Sarah's request, I cross-referenced the butterfly plants with deer-resistant native plants and created the following lineup of beauties. And this is where the Show Note link will help you because reading lists can get tedious, but I will read through them, so bear with me. 

Mary Stone  07:46

Tree hosts include birches, eastern red cedar American Holly, oaks, pines, paw paw, and redbud. Once leaves rise above browsing level, other native trees like Sassafras and my beloved tulip trees we spoke about in a previous episode, I'll put a link in the show notes. Hickories and walnuts are deer-resistant too. Shrub hosts include Dogwoods, Meadowsweets, Arrowood, Black haw Viburnum, Chokeberries, NJ Tea, known as Redroot, and Spicebush. The latter two are nectar plants as well. Hosts native grasses include Little Bluestem panic grasses, which is panicum, and sedges, which is Carex - one of the plants I love to use as a ground cover. Is this list sounding delicious to you? It is to your butterflies. 

Mary Stone  08:35

There are many deer-resistant native nectar plants, such as bee balm, which folks call bergamot. I call it the Monarda, the botanical name, blazing stars coneflower, golden rod, hyssop, ironweed, tickseed, phlox, and sneezeweed. My favorite, especially in its late summer and early fall glory, is Joe Pye weed (eupatorium) with his mop-like bursts of pinkish mauve fluff rising four to seven feet high. They literally dance in the breeze flowing from side to side. It's one of my favorites. Perhaps you're wondering why butterfly bush is not on the list. Not only is it not native, but caterpillars don't feed on the plant, and many consider it invasive. However, there are newer varieties that are not invasive, so I don't totally throw butterfly bushes under the bus because it is fun to watch the dance when they feed on them. But again, caterpillars don't so best to find the host plants that do. Doug Tallamy writes that "to have butterflies, we need to make butterflies" and cites that milkweeds are the must-have host and nectar plants. By planting an assortment such as butterfly weed, common milkweed, and swamp milkweed, you'll attract many species of butterflies from June through September. Moreover, along with the floral show, you get brand-new butterflies. So, dig in and help make more butterflies. Sorry Deer, we'll stick with deer-resistant plants. Garden Dilemmas? Ask Mary Stone.com.

Mary Stone  10:09

I hope you enjoyed the lineup. I cannot wait because I'm going to develop part of my field this way as well. So thanks so much for coming by. I always enjoy our time together. I hope you have as well, and if so, I would so appreciate more five-star ratings if you feel so inclined because, for some magical reason, when we have more of those, more will find us because it shows up in the lineup earlier. I'm not sure how that works. But anyway, thanks again. See you next time on the screen porch. 

Mary Stone  10:38

You can follow Garden Dilemmas on Facebook or online at Garden dilemmas.com and on Instagram at hashtag Mary Elaine Stone. Garden Dilemmas, Delights, and Discoveries is produced by Alex Bartling. Thanks for coming by. I look forward to chatting again from my screen porch. And always remember to embrace the unexpected in this garden of life. Have a great day.