Rea Orthner Wrobel, Nederland. I really enjoy seeing our native flowers blooming. But I also get disheartened when I see our noxious weeds blooming. In mid-May, I was surprised to see Myrtle Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) blooming in my Nederland office yard as well as on a bike ride at Betasso Preserve. This List A Noxious Weed is a low growing perennial with fleshy, blue-green alternate leaves and yellow flowers. It exudes a milky white latex that is poisonous and was first introduced to North America as an ornamental. This plant has completely taken over the Wasatch foothills in Utah. Until very recently it was even sold as a water-wise plant in nurseries. It’s also a problem in the Boulder foothills, however Boulder has taken care to try to eradicate this plant, so it’s not as big an issue here yet. 

Over in Utah, Myrtle spurge is considered to be an “eco-nightmare” because it readily escapes residential yards, spreads into adjacent open space, and forms thick monocultures that crowd out native plants, destabilize soils and undermine biodiversity. While things may be too late for our neighbors on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, it’s not too late here. 

If you see this plant, please eradicate it! Pulling can be effective, but make sure to wear pants and long sleeves, as well as protective eyewear as you pull, to shield yourself from the plant’s caustic sap. Bag up spurge and throw it in the garbage. DO NOT compost at this may spread the seeds to other areas. Finally, be committed! Follow-up treatments are important. The weed will likely need to be pulled for a few years before it is completely gone. See the Nederland Noxious Weed Management Plan (http://nederlandco.org/noxious-weeds/) for info on Nederland’s other noxious weeds.

(Originally published in the August 13, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)