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What to do with Semi-invasive Shrubs

14 years ago

This is a mature woodland with many tall trees. But it is thin in middle layer, the small trees and shrubs. I've cut down some of the invasive species, such as honeysuckle shrubs and some others. But I'm not sure if I need to cut down some of the semi-invasive ones, such as barberry, etc. There are some, but not too many. We do have tons of birs feeding on the trees, shrubs and wild raspberries.

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Comments (2)

Iris GW
14 years ago
One thing to consider about exotic plants that are not invasive is that they support very little insect life. Caterpillars don't hatch on them because native butterflies by and large lay eggs on native plants. Leaving these in place is similar to having "plastic" plants when it comes to insects.

And when insects can't feed on them, the insect population declines in that area and so does the bird population (birds need insects to raise their young).

So that is one consideration.
kjbarr
14 years ago
Deer ticks like japanese barberry so if that's what you have, assuming you have deer, it might be a good one to get rid of.
We removed ours for this reason.

http://today.uconn.edu/blog/2012/02/controlling-japanese-barberry-helps-stop-spread-of-tick-borne-diseases/
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