Teasel tussle continues in Long Grove
The ground war against invasive teasel in Long Grove will resume in the spring.
Backed with a $10,000 grant from the village, the Long Grove Park District for a third consecutive year is leading the campaign against the intruder.
"It was just taking over our roadsides," said park district Commissioner Jan Healy, the point person in the teasel tussle.
"I didn't know what teasel was four years ago," she added. "Now I know everything about it, because it's part of my responsibilities as part of the board."
You may not know its name, but the tall, spiny plant is hard to miss. Teasel loves sun and is a staple along roadsides, open spaces and where the ground is disturbed, like construction sites.
Last year, the park district sent letters to homeowner association presidents on how to address teasel on their properties as part of an ongoing teasel-fighting public relations effort.
This is the third year the park district has hired professional help but was on the offensive before that through a mix of contractors, interns and volunteers, Healy said. State and county road rights of way, including along routes 22, 53 and 83 and Aptakisic, Cuba, Diamond Lake, Gilmer, Long Grove and Old McHenry roads, were targeted.
This year's grant will be used to spot and treat teasel along state, county and village roads.
"It's all about keeping the ecosystem balanced and making sure we have native plants," Healy said.
Persistence is key because teasel can drop thousands of seeds, overtake landscapes and crowd out native plants if left to its own devices.
A prime example is along the ramp entering Route 53 from Lake-Cook Road, which is out of the park district's jurisdiction, Healy added.
"It's probably about six feet tall and brown," she said. "It's dead through the winter, but once the snow melts, you'll see all the seeds that have germinated into rosettes."
While the seed bank has been diminished, there is seed in the ground and new seed brought in by mowing equipment, wind and other means. Teasel is a tough opponent.
"Those rosettes form such a solid core, they cover the entire ground where they're growing," said Jim Anderson, director of natural resources for the Lake County Forest Preserve District. "They create their own habitat and just keep coming."
Anderson said the forest district recently approved a contract to control teasel at the Buffalo Creek Forest Preserve, which is between Checker and Lake-Cook roads near Long Grove.
"This is another effort to go after that population and get it under control," Anderson said.
Anderson applauded the park district effort. So did Village President Bill Jacob.
"We appreciate what they're doing," he said. "When you think about our scenic corridors, that plant can take them over."