Engadine Teens Pull Plants at Cut River Bridge
Garlic Mustard Targeted

Volunteers who worked to eradicate the invasive plants at Cut River include (front) Jazmin Rodriguez; (back row, from left) Mallory Ramelis, Brad Visser, Michael Bennett, Stepfanie Shaulis, Matthew Ocko, and Michael Ramelis.

Youth and helpers of the Engadine 4-H teen club pulled invasive garlic mustard plants at the Cut River Bridge Saturday, July 9.

Garlic mustard is an aggressive, invasive weed from Europe that is just beginning to show up in the Upper Peninsula. To prevent it from inhibiting the growth of other plants, including the federally endangered Michigan monkey flower, the rarest wildflower at the site, the volunteers worked to remove all the garlic mustard plants they could. They filled 10 heavy garbage bags with garlic mustard plants that they carefully pulled.

Because Michigan is the world’s only site of the Michigan monkey flower, herbicides are not used near the endangered plant populations.

The Engadine 4-H club is led by Vista volunteer Paula Ramelis and was advised by Linda Swartz, Hiawatha National Forest botanist. The Cut River Inn provided lunches to the crew, Glen’s Market in St. Ignace donated trash bags, and Vallier’s Market in Naubinway donated drinking water.

Those who see garlic mustard growing in Mackinac or Chippewa counties are asked to report the location to the office of the Hiawatha National Forest in St. Ignace (906) 643-7900, or Sault Ste. Marie (906) 635-9154.

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) has heart-shaped leaves with coarse saw-tooth edges. Young leaves give off a garlic odor when crushed, and are edible. Flowers appear in June and are white with four petals in the shape of a cross. Long, thin seed pods ripen in July and August, and a vigorous plant can produce thousands of seeds. Unlike most weeds, garlic mustard can dominate shady hardwood sites, and can crowd out spring-blooming wildflowers and young tree reproduction.