Meeting House/Bird Homestead Volunteer Grounds Work Project

On Saturday, May 21, the Committee to Save the Bird Homestead will sponsor a work project on the Meeting House and Bird Homestead grounds for interested volunteers. Starting at 10:00 am, the group will work to remove garlic mustard and mugwort by pulling them out by hand.  These are herbaceous (non-woody) invasive plants that crowd out native species in the Rye area.  Naturalist Alison Beall, Curator Emerita of Marshlands Conservancy, will supervise the project.  Although undesirable, because of their rapidly spreading habit displacing native growth, both garlic mustard and mugwort have some usefulness. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is edible and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) can be used as a moth repellent for wool clothing and blankets. Participants may take home bunches of the removed plants, if they would like to experiment with them.  Participants should dress in outdoor work clothes, including work gloves.