Volunteers Needed to Remove Invasive Plants from Falls Church Ecosystem

For the last eight years volunteers have helped remove invasive plants from the parks in Falls Church City to preserve native plants.

Saturday, the Falls Church Habitat Restoration team will be out in Cherry Hill Park getting rid of English ivy and bamboo. Melissa Teates, project group leader, said the ivy is bad for the trees and not good to have around.

“We’re trying to get rid of plants that are harmful to the trees and plant flowers that butterflies can lay their eggs on,” Teates said. “We’re trying to restore a natural ecology.”

The group has seven dates between March and November for volunteers help preserve the ecosystem in the city:

• March 9, Cherry Hill Park, 10 a.m. – noon
• April 27, Crossman Park, 10 a.m. – noon
• May 5, Native plant sale pickup, Cherry Hill Park, noon – 2 p.m.
• May 18, Cavalier Trail Park, 10 a.m. – noon
• Sept. 21, Cherry Hill Park, 10 a.m. – noon
• Oct. 12, Crossman Park, 10 a.m. – noon
• Nov. 16, Berman Park, 10 a.m. – noon

For more information about the project, email Teates at melanite@verizon.net.