I always love this time of year when plants start to spring out of the ground. I take great relish in observing the hairy purple pasque flower, dainty white field pennycress, purple larkspur, and the fuzzy caterpillar catkins on aspen trees.

Competing with all those natives, and especially in the Town of Nederland, you will also see the mounded glossy green rosettes of scentless chamomile (Tripleurospermum inodorum) and the dissected leaf rosettes of diffuse and spotted knapweeds (Centaurea diffusa, C. stoebe). These plants are some of Nederland’s most pervasive noxious weed species.

These nasty buggers will compete with natives for light, soil moisture, and nutrients reducing the diversity and quantity of native plants, threatening rare plants and animals and their habitats, and can even alter ecosystem processes and functions. While native weeds do have their place in stabilizing soil and creating conditions for long-lived plants to thrive, noxious weeds are not from here and lack any natural predators or diseases to keep populations in check.

A “noxious weed” is a legal and regulatory definition for a non-native, invasive, ecologically damaging plant that did not exist in the United States prior to human settlement. Colorado’s native grasses and wildflowers evolved over millions of years to fill unique ecological niches, and insects and diseases keep them in balance.

The invasive noxious weeds were originally imported to the United States for their ornamental beauty, aggressive growth habits, xeriscape potential, or reseeding capabilities. However, the very aggressive growth traits which made these plants desirable for a garden or landscape have enabled them to thrive outside cultivated areas and become fierce competitors with our native vegetation. Lacking environmental controls and natural predators, they have escaped cultivation and become aggressive invaders of wildlands, open space, housing subdivisions, municipal areas, private property, and roadsides.

Some people believe that nature will “heal itself” and that as new plants come in, a new, more “resilient” ecosystem will be born. While it is true that weeds can cause a plant community shift, it is usually into a far more depauperate (less biodiverse) one.

The idea that the planet will heal itself is not much more than wishful thinking. Humans created the problem. Therefore, it is our duty to try to mitigate some of our effects. It’s called stewardship.

Spring is a great time to control noxious weeds as they are generally smaller and can be easily pulled or tilled, especially when soils are moist. Repeated pulling or light tilling of the ground will likely be needed. Then seed your site with a native grass or wildflower mix to compete with new emerging seedlings.

Another noxious weed to be on the lookout for is myrtle spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites). This early bloomer is a low growing perennial with fleshy, blue-green alternate leaves and yellow flowers. It exudes a milky white latex that is poisonous. It is one of the most high priority noxious weeds to be eradicated in Nederland. If you see this plant, please eradicate it!

See the Nederland Noxious Weed Management Plan (http://nederlandco.org/noxious-weeds/) for more info on Nederland’s noxious weeds. Did you know? Nederland residents can dispose of noxious weeds free of charge in paper compostable bags at the forestry products sort yard across from the transfer station on Ridge Road. You can purchase 30 gallon compostable bags at Ace Hardware.

Rea Orthner owns Peak Ecological Services LLC (Peak Eco). For more information check out https://www.peakecological.com/