You may already have heard about Asian Mile-a-Minute Vine, (MAM), which was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania, and is rapidly moving north, smothering fields, meadows, and woodland edges. An annual that can grow six inches a day, it blankets everything, blocking other plants’ light. Only tall trees may survive.

The invasion front is south of us, but three populations have been found in Litchfield County. The only way to stop this serious threat to New England's agriculture and environment is to prevent the spread of seeds.

In 2007, Mad Gardeners, a 17-year-old regional organization of over 500 dedicated professional and amateur gardeners, initiated an early detection/rapid response program to stop MAM in its tracks in Litchfield County. Among the accomplishments:

1. Hired student interns to search for and remove thousands of MAM plants in New Milford, Bridgewater, and Roxbury before plants and seeds spread to nearby towns. Inspected, with the help of interns and volunteers, over 100 properties in the area of the three Litchfield County MAM populations, destroying plants and substantially reducing seed production. Early season pulling and constant surveillance almost eliminated seed production in areas where MAM was discovered before July 2007.

2. Launched a public awareness and MAM elimination campaign in northern Fairfield and Litchfield Counties. Worked with towns, environmental and agricultural organizations, state legislators and agencies, and volunteers.

3. Tested, with State Weed Specialist Todd Mervosh, the effectiveness of a range of control methods, including herbicide application.

BUT we can't wait. This invasion needs to be stopped NOW. We need your help. Our experts tell us we need to raise $40,000 to accomplish what we’ve outlined and turn the tables on MAM before it puts out more seeds. Please help us reach our goal.

We are the only organization stepping up to tackle this problem.

We have no continuing source of funding. Our 2007 program was a success, but we need your help to continue to monitor the old sites and attack newly reported sites. We need $70,000 in 2008 to continue our work and turn the tables on MAM before it produces a new crop of seeds.

Please help us reach our goal. The time to attack this invader is NOW.

Please send a tax-deductible contribution check payable to Mad Gardeners’ Invasive Species Fund to Angela Dimmitt, Mad Gardeners, PO Box 146, Sherman, CT 06784.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Nelson, Chairperson, Invasive Species Advisory Committee, Mad Gardeners Inc.

MILE-A-MINUTE VINE: NOT IN MY BACK YARD! NOT IN YOUR BACK YARD!

Douglas Tallamy, entomologist and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, describes how Mile-a-Minute Vine took over his property in Pennsylvania.

“...I watched dispersal in action on our own 10 acres in the span of three short years. The first year, I found a dozen or so mile-a-minute seedlings and pulled them all out with little effort. The next year, about 50 seedlings gave it a try on our property, but I got those in time as well. The third year, trillions of baby mile-e-minutes had sprouted everywhere; not just under bird perches but throughout the woods and fields. My wife and I pulled them up by the wagonload, but by summer's end the ones we missed formed a dense continuous mat of vines that covered all of the vegetation within 10 feet of the ground. Zillions of new berries were produced, and I am doomed to fight mile-a-minute for the rest of my days.”

—from Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, by Douglas Tallamy, Timber Press, 2007