Saturday's Weed Away work party at Picnic Point was a great success - if only for the beautiful weather, but far more than just that!

Fourteen volunteers, many of them recently graduated Snohomish Sound Stewards, spent four hours ripping out invasive ivy from an area of the park where the native understory is struggling to hold it's ground. After several years of work, however, there is quite a bit of nootka rose, thimbleberry, and salmonberry growing back in on its own- that's just what we like to see!

Towards the end of the event, volunteers Jack Lockhart and Don Fraser discovered a downed ivy 'tree'. This is what happens when ivy grows so thick and heavy up a native tree that it pulls the tree down. This kills the tree, but as you can see the ivy continues to grow just fine. This ivy plant was still covered in berries from last fall!

It was a hot, sunny day, but working under the cool canopy of native trees, we were able to remove a quarter ton of ivy, root and all, during our four hour work party! Way to go volunteers!

By Keeley O'Connell, People For Puget Sound