Si Pak Tani

by Irene Shonle It is heartening to see so many people being committed stewards of their land who are working to eradicate the noxious weeds on their property.  Thank you to everyone who is participating!  A word of caution -  it is possible to be a little too enthusiastic. This happens when someone pulls or treats the wrong plant – a plant that has the misfortune of looking like a noxious weed. These look-alike plants are often native, and can provide good habitat for pollinators, or at the very least, will occupy space that otherwise could be invaded by a noxious weed, so it’s best to learn how to distinguish which is which. Some of the most common mistaken identities up here are: Golden banner/yellow toadflax, Pineapple weed/scentless chamomile, Cutleaf daisy/oxeye daisy  Fireweed/purple loosestrife. Golden banner is a native plant – it blooms in the spring, and has solid yellow flowers, and three-lobed (trifoliate) leaves. Yellow toadflax blooms in the secon...

This time of the year, flower gardens throughout the area are in full bloom with all kinds of beautiful foliage.   Some of those flowers are annuals, some perennials.   Some are from seed, others grown from bedding plants, and others gifts from friends or neighbors.   Some are natives, some are introduced, and more importantly, some are actually noxious weeds. A noxious weed is any weed that has been determined by the State of Colorado to negatively impact or threaten our native or agricultural ecosystems.   Typically a plant that was introduced from Europe, Asia, or Africa, these weeds have abilities to out-compete our native plants, meaning they spread unchecked throughout our landscape.   Unfortunately, many of these plants are still being planted in yards and gardens throughout our area, and are sold by nurseries or seed companies and purchased by unsuspecting homeowners who are looking for spreading, low maintenance plants with attractive flowers.   W...

Musk thistle Consider the warm dry winter that’s just ended and how with a bit of Spring moisture, weeds will soon make their annual appearance in your garden and surrounding landscape.   Whether you’re a local veteran of yearly weed battles; a new resident from out-of-state or someone who’s just ‘moved up the hill’ from the more urban surroundings of the Metro area, facing weeds in the foothills can be daunting!     As if gardening at altitude isn’t challenging enough, the dandelions and diffuse grassy clumps of lower elevations are for the rookies.   You’ve just entered the big leagues of weed wrangling!   Consequently, this is a good time to dust off your garden tools and read up while we highlight steps on wrangling popular local offenders.   Let’s review the basics from weed identification to eradication and control.    Additionally, as foothills residents, we shouldn’t forget that there are many state agencies that can help with the identif...