Zhanna Yermakov, Natural Areas Manager at the Chicago Park District sent this alert last week:
…we have found leafy spurge at Ronan. It’s a very aggressive weed that is difficult to eradicate because the seeds are viable in the soil for 8 years and it resprouts very well and more aggressive when it is handpulled. No mechanical controls have been proven effective. We are trying to figure out what chemical method to use best and will treat it ASAP. It will likely come back year after year and we’ll need to keep an eye out for it from now on. If you see any patches, please let us know. Thanks.
If anyone finds anyone wants to have a look for this, and finds it, let me know and i’ll pass it on to zhanna. thanks!
UPDATE… just looked it up here. this is really nasty. reproduces from seeds and roots. the latter can get to 15 feet deep. can grow as dense as 1800 stems per square yard.
I walked through for the first time in many weeks last week. I did not notice it on any walks but will look for it. A distinct spurge flower. But I assume it would have ceased blooming by now. Yes?
not sure about the blooming, mary. but it sounds like we might yet learn more about spotting this one than we ever wanted!
I actually have seen rather large chunks of spurge every time i walk down there. I will pay more attention to their location, and bring a camera with me next time.
thanks, carey. that’d be great. with notes on where you find it?
i owe you and email, too. coming soon. sorry for the delay!
We will be removing the flowering heads and spraying the spurge with Milestone this week. We’ll be monitoring it regularly to see if any more appears and how well the treatment works.