On Saturday, July 12, 2025, the Quonnie Gardens & Landscapes committee hosted an Invasive Species Identification Walk along Old West Beach Road in Quonochontaug. This event followed the July 10th Kate Hardesty presentation on Tackling Invasive Plants (link to event recap HERE) at the Quonnie Grange and enabled community members to see many invasive plants common to Quonnie up close and in person.
Prior to the walk, we placed several dozen flags that indicated the 15 most common invasives in our area. On the day of the walk, we reviewed many of the concepts learned from Kate Hardesty before leading a group of approximately 25 people along Old West Beach Road. We stopped at several locations pointing out various invasive plants, noting features to differentiate them from other invasive and/or native plants, and answering questions from our group. The flags were left for a week after the event in the hope that walkers and bikers would take advantage of a self-guided tour.
We also informed people about the Seek by iNaturalist app to help them identify invasive plants (as well as other plants, insects, and animals) on their own properties.
After the walk, we led the group to a section of Dowd Drive where neighbors that are also members of QG&L worked together to clear an area of invasive plants that were crowding out existing native plants. This area showcased how the removal of invasive plants can help native plants grow to their potential and thrive. We ended the event at one of our members’ homes to view her beautiful garden and share some homemade ginger fennel tea and cookies!
Here are some pictures from the event:
Photo credit: Suzanne Marinaro