garlic mustard

Garlic mustard pulls paying off in Leamington

By essexcountynature|2020-06-07T00:26:59-04:00June 7th, 2020|Environmental projects, The Egret Article|

By Peggy Hurst

On Saturday, May 2, Gerry Waldron and I met at the Heinz Woodlot, a.k.a. Carolina Woods, in Leamington to continue our annual battle with garlic mustard.

It was a lovely bug-free, rain-free morning. It was evident immediately that our efforts in past years are succeeding. The garlic mustard that remains is on the edges, along the garbage-strewn fence beside the school, the north edge, and along the fences dividing the woodlot from the residential areas to the east and south, where leaves and old hydrangeas have been dumped.

It’s funny how our native plants can’t germinate under six inches of leaves but some garlic mustard can. It’s funny how the people living adjacent to this treasure find it easier to haul their garden waste into the woodlot to dump and to lift their leaves over the backyard fence. This community has free leaf pickup, a service paid for through their property taxes. Residents just have to rake them into the street; no bagging needed. Funny.

Trout lilies in bloom in 2019 at the Heinz Woodlot, also known as Carolina Woods, in Leamington, Ont. Photo by Peggy Hurst

Still, there are still large areas of uncontaminated native plants happily germinating, blooming and coming up after the winter. So far, only the east and south edges of the park are contaminated with yard waste. The west edge has a trail, where garlic mustard encroaching from the municipal drain is the only invader.

Bloodroot in bloom in 2019 at the Heinz Woodlot, also known as Carolina Woods, in Leamington, Ont. Photo by Peggy Hurst

Gerry and I pulled for two hours and managed to clear the north, east and south edges of the woodlot.

A discarded bong found during the May 2, 2020, garlic mustard pull. Photo by Peggy Hurst

We found huge patches of bloodroot , mayapple, wild leeks and skunk cabbage. There are still no deer, so there are Michigan lilies. Any trilliums were stolen years ago.

We found a 15-inch bong that I brought home to plant something in.

We were surprised to find a healthy population of eastern moles. These have not been recorded in this area. Love that sandy soil.

We also saw five eastern garter snakes finding some warmth.

Sunday, May 3, Carl Maiolani spent nearly two hours clearing the west edge of the woodlot.

Next year, we may be able to start removing garlic mustard along the municipal drain and widening our mustard-free zone.

Perhaps in a couple of years, we can just meet there for a nice walk; who knows?

Garlic Mustard Pull

Come one, come all. May 7th will be a lovely day for a little exercise and a lot of good when you join me to pull out the Garlic Mustard that
threatens the native plants in the Heinz Woodlot. Last year, Patricia McGorman, Henry Driedger, and Linda and Ernie Kennette joined my sister, Linda Code and I, and we made a difference! We filled many garbage bags, did a little bending and stretching, and admired the plants coming up in areas where last year there was nothing but Garlic Mustard. The thing about Garlic Mustard, you have to do this for a few years to win the battle. Every year we will have less to remove, and we may even get a chance to skip a year. The seed remains viable for at least 7 years. Its a biennial, which means it makes a rosette the first year and seeds the second. That also means if we have a warm early spring, we can pull out some of next years plants as well. There is a corner we missed last year that I plan to tackle personally, but the woodlot is small and we should be able to, with a little of your help, cover the whole thing. Garlic mustard comes up before the native plants, and makes a chemical that impairs the ability of the good guys to germinate. If we don’t pull it, it will eventually become the only ground cover. That is not a pretty sight. The E.C.F.N.C. worked very hard to protect this green space, please don’t let our labours, and raffles, and door to door fundraising be for naught. We start at 10, park behind the old Zellers (turn left (east) just before the Canadian Tire) on Erie Street south in Leamington. If it is drizzly, I will still be pulling. If it is raining, I will be out there the 15th. Come one, come all. Give your mother a bag of Garlic Mustard for Mother’s Day. Yes, you can eat it!
For additional details or better directions, email me at or call 519-839-4635.