Invasive Species: Garlic Mustard
One of the most visible invasive species right now is garlic mustard. It is all around my tree line. It’s easily recognizable by its tall white blooms and scalloped leaves. If you have any doubts, just crush any part of the plant and sniff – it smells like garlic or just awful.
Garlic mustard was introduced in the 1800s for culinary purposes. It is edible with a mustardy taste. Unfortunately, not only does it crowd out native plants that host our butterflies, it is also toxic to our native butterfly caterpillars.
Goal: Use Seek to verify your identification of garlic mustard then pull & bag as many garlic mustard plants as you can find. Weigh your bag & post the weight of the garlic mustard you pulled and take a picture. Who can pull the most garlic mustard? Families may work as a team.
Fair Entries:
- Educational Poster – How to Identify Garlic Mustard; Why Garlic Mustard Should be Removed; Effect of Garlic Mustard on Native Butterflies, …
- Photo Series – 1st year garlic mustard plant, garlic mustard in bloom and your pile of pulled garlic mustard
- Invasive Plant Collection – Start an invasive species collection by collecting and pressing a flower and garlic mustard leaf. What other invasive plants can you find? You can also make your invasive plant collection with just pictures.
- Electronic Educational Item – PowerPoint, Webpage, Quizlet, Kahoot, an easy Scratch game or …. I can host it on the 4-H GOES Website or teach you how to create your own website
- Make a Flower Press – If you scroll down this link, you can find some flower press plans
Resources:
- Maryland Common Invasive Plants Easy ID Cards
- Garlic Mustard
- Natural Resource Department Plant Collection Page with links to resources about drying plants
- And a Microwave Flower Press I covet😊
Have Fun
