[MAIPC] [Maipc-brd] Fwd: Garlic Mustard scarce this season, in 2018?

Mon May 7 05:56:20 PDT 2018

   John Ambler near Lancaster, PA has commented the same to me. I do not feel this past winter was any colder than last. Perhaps the timing of the snow during the last 2 years had an effect - more in March both years than earlier in the winter, disrupting the germination and growth of the plants? (It was weird tromping through snow in March instead of observing skunk cabbage, crocus and galanthus.)
 I know that here near Hawk Mountain, PA the normal slow leafing out of native shrubs and trees has happened in a rush over the last several days. On a local trail the full flowering of bloodroot and Dutchmans breeches was offset by only a couple days instead of a week or more - the thousands of bloodroot in one area was incredible as I was lucky enough to hit it at the peak.
  To finish, it was really weird to be walking trails in a forest in full sun and 85 degrees this spring and then bundling up two days later. Perhaps this had an effect?
                                               Richard Gardner

    On Monday, May 7, 2018, 8:21:51 AM EDT, Servis, Robert <Robert.Servis at montgomeryparks.org> wrote:  

I worked with a group of about 90 high School Sophmores, for a few hours, and we pulled Many bags this year, but not nearly as much as the year before in the same locations.  I’m sure our efforts have been having an impact, but I did feel from the beginning of the event that there was not nearly as much.  in one area that was completely wall to wall garlic mustard last year we found less than 10 plants!

However, at the same time there are woods by my house that have a ground cover of first year garlic mustard rosettes mixed with some second year stalks, but they are visible for up to 50yards or more without even going into the woods.

I think that the seeds have survived the winter and are doing well (unfortunately), but it doesn’t surprise me to hear many folks are feeling like they are less abundant this year.  I know this doesn’t provide any scientific insight but it is interesting to see/hear these observations as I have also felt this way at times this season.  If anything at this point, I feel like I am seeing fewer second year stalks and the rosettes which were tiny 1-2weeks ago are becoming more obvious (at least in my area).  

Thanks for the good discussion topic!

From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> On Behalf OfMark Frey
Sent: Saturday, May 05, 2018 2:00 PM
To: frazmo <frazmo at gmail.com>
Cc: c.schreter at comcast.net; MAIPC Listserve <maipc at lists.maipc.org>; MAIPC Board <maipc-brd at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] [Maipc-brd] Fwd: Garlic Mustard scarce this season, in 2018?

I have seen typically dense stands of rosettes in the DC metro area this season so I don't think it was cold enough to kill at least around here. And, based on my research in Ohio, focused on garlic mustard with winter temperatures into the teens, garlic mustard overwintered just fine. Today I led a volunteer group and we pulled 21 garbage bags full of second year plants, so there is still plenty around! And, it is definitely not too early for healthy rosettes. Seedlings emerge in ~February so they have had about 10 weeks to develop.

Vicky Nuzzo and Bernd Blossey (and others) have put forward the idea that garlic mustard has gone through a decline in density in some areas. I don't recall if they were saying that decline is only in areas with long invasion histories or in other areas too. I think They talked about it at a MA-IPC event in Pennsylvania in about 2001 (at the Morris Arb?).

Mark Frey

On Fri, May 4, 2018 at 10:12 PM, frazmo <frazmo at gmail.com> wrote:

Ms. Schreter wrote the following to the MAIPC info email:

To MAIPC,, Have you noticed that Garlic Mustard seems scarce this season? Everywhere?

Consider the possibility that Garlic Mustard is scarce in 2018, all over. In areas previously cleared or not. I’m thinking the frigid winter destroyed most of the 1styear or overwintering Garlic Mustard leaves, except on plants located in very protected spots. Here in Baltimore City on May 3, 2018, some few scattered 2ndyear plants are in flower. I am pulling the occasional plant that stands <15” tall. Oddly, I also see some nearby patches looking like 1styear rosettes, like a ground cover. Too soon for that. Maybe they are the 2ndyear plants/roots, sending new stalks up from scratch.

I invite your reaction to this novel observation -- and interpretation. Thank you for any wisdom. 

Carol Schreter, Baltimore Bird Club Conservation Chair

1905 Dixon Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21209
(410) 664-5151

#  #  #

Regarding this, of course we all know that Garlic Mustard is a biennial and that at this time of year we should be seeing both first- and second-year plants. And I will not discount that the weather may have impacted some of the plants. However, I remember a presentation on GM provided by an academic colleague at a MAIPC (then MA-EPPC) conference a few years ago (perhaps as many as 10-14 years?). She explained something that surprised and impressed me and stayed with me -- that GM populations are likely to go through alternating 2-year cycles of peaks and troughs of abundance. Her explanation made a lot of sense at the time and I wish I could replay it... :( . I hope someone else may remember better than I and be able to provide a link to more info. Suffice it to say, don't let GM fool you. Alternating boom years and more subdued years may just be part of its normal behavior. Cheers,

Steve Young, Arlington VA

On Fri, May 4, 2018 at 5:39 PM, Jenn Truong <jenn.b.truong at gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Carol,

One of our board members noted that he has not seen much of a difference and he's out in the field quite a bit around DC and MD.

On the other hand, I don't get out in the field much at all any more (sadly). But what little I have seen from hiking around on weekends on my own does seem (anecdotally) to be less. But I'm not sure I can venture as far as to say I think it may be the frigid winter we've had. We've had worse winters when it didn't seem to have much of any effect on the Garlic Mustard. In my case, I'd like to think the areas I've visited are getting lots of great staff and volunteer control efforts that are staring to bear some success, since I tend to visit a lot of the same areas year after year and see diminished return with each year. =)

Jenn Truong
Technology Officer

MAIPC Board of Directors

Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council

info at maip.org |www.maipc.org

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Carol Schreter <c.schreter at comcast.net>
Date: Thu, May 3, 2018 at 12:52 PM
Subject: Garlic Mustard scarce this season, in 2018?
To: info at maipc.org

To MAIPC,, Have you noticed that Garlic Mustard seems scarce this season? Everywhere?

Consider the possibility that Garlic Mustard is scarce in 2018, all over. In areas previously cleared or not. I’m thinking the frigid winter destroyed most of the 1styear or overwintering Garlic Mustard leaves, except on plants located in very protected spots. Here in Baltimore City on May 3, 2018, some few scattered 2ndyear plants are in flower. I am pulling the occasional plant that stands <15” tall. Oddly, I also see some nearby patches looking like 1styear rosettes, like a ground cover. Too soon for that. Maybe they are the 2ndyear plants/roots, sending new stalks up from scratch.

I invite your reaction to this novel observation -- and interpretation. Thank you for any wisdom. 

Carol Schreter, Baltimore Bird Club Conservation Chair

1905 Dixon Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21209
(410) 664-5151

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