A PSA: Pull this weed

I like weeds. Weeds grow where no one intended. Many of them grow where no one thought they could, in a pavement crack, in the crotch of a tree, in sand, in gravel, out of a brick wall. Weeds are where nature scoffs at man's attempt to quell life.

Weeds thrive in humanity's wake. By definition, they are the plants that succeed in the conditions created by civilization. Sometimes, however, this effect is destructive, and desirable plants suffer, disappear, and even go extinct.

Most weeds are successful because they are pioneer plants that take advantage of recently cleared ground, in bright sunlight in the space where a tree has fallen or a forest has burned, or on the spare soil on new lava or exposed stone. They grow and die, and other, taller plants grow in, and the weeds are unable to grow in the shade that the taller plants create. Unless the weed is garlic mustard.

Garlic mustard can grow in the deep shade of a forest. And when it does, it grows in thick groups that often allow no other plant species. Studies suggest that garlic mustard produces a chemical that kills soil fungi that are beneficial to other plants, stacking the deck against competitors. This is scary for fans of native wildflowers, especially orchids, which have obligate symbiosis with soil fungi. It's not yet clear if garlic mustard will also kill mushroom producing fungi, but it seems likely.

If you are somewhere other than Europe (where garlic mustard is native) and you see the weed pictured above, please pull it out. You will need to pull it carefully and thoroughly to get the long taproot out (see below). If you leave the root behind, the plant will regrow. If you are in North America, this plant should be up, and in most places it will be producing its four petaled white flowers--probably the first wildflowers of the year. (http://urbpan.livejournal.com/262586.html) Pull it out, and resist the temptation to compost it, at least for a little while. The plant will grow from your compost heap and reproduce. To stop it, it has to be thrown away, in the garbage. You can pull it, and place it in a trash bag, and after two or three weeks without light it will die, and then it can be composted.

It can also be eaten. The leaves smell and taste garlicky, and I've heard good things about garlic mustard pesto. Eat it, dispose of it, compost it, but please, if you see it, pull it.

3:00 snapshot, #89.

Out with the old fencing (on the right) in with the new (on the left).

Disgusting substance of the day: Mosquito larva infested water that I dropped my phone into.