SERVING HENDRICKS COUNTY SINCE 1847
Page A-6
The Republican
Voices
Exploring Hendricks County
CORRECTION
Due to the software problem that led us to have to re-assemble the paper and caused a delay in printing last week’s issue, credit for the article titled, “Here We Grow Again” in this space was not attributed. It was written by Philip Gulley, and was first published in The Indianapolis Monthly, used with permission of author. Our apologies to our readers and to Mr. Gulley
By Jackie Horn
Non-native Asian busy honeysuckle moves into woods and roadsides and takes over. At Sodalis Nature Park, the invasive rings the parking lot and chokes the woods. ____________________________________________________
Non-native Asian bush honeysuckle.
Plant Invasion The weather so far this autumn has been, well, “falllike”...rainy one day, sunny and warm (or hot) the next. John and I have enjoyed biking along the Vandalia Trail between Amo and Coatesville. We’ve puttered around McCloud and strolled in Sodalis. The trees are getting a bit of color and the asters are dying back. The berries on the honeysuckle are thick. . . and there’s the problem. Most of the honeysuckle we see in Indiana are non-native, invasive species. When I say “invasive,” I mean they have taken over the woods and roadsides. Asian honeysuckles were introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s from Japan, China, Korea, Turkey, and Russia. (One source says it was brought over as early as 1806 to Long Island, New York.) The plants, vining and shrub varieties, were used in landscaping because they have pretty flowers that smell amazing. The white, cream or pink blossoms attract hummingbirds, bees, and other The easiest method to dispollinators. They are very tinguish native honeysuckle hardy and can survive bit- from the invasive Asian varietter cold winters as well as ies is to break a branch. The non-native species branches sweltering summers. The are hollow. Asian honeysuckle leaf out earlier and stay green longer than the native varieties. In the late summer, they produce a bright red, glossy berry that attracts birds. That sounds great! So what happened? Why shouldn’t I like this plant? Asian honeysuckles grow fast! Not satisfied with their little spot in the garden, they wanted more space. They jumped the garden fence and escaped into the wild. Once out of reach of gardeners’ pruners, the Asian honeysuckle varieties have exploded. They are now labeled as invasive in all but seven states (Arkansa, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota) including Hawaii and Puerto Rico! Asian honeysuckles have unfair advantages over our native plants. They don’t have
MASTERING THE HOUSE Tim Paino
Owner/Inspector Heartland HouseMaster
useful tips for homeowners
Fall Check List Along with the change of seasons comes those task that should be done to prepare us for what is ahead. Like it or not, with every page of the calendar turns we get one day closer to winter and colder weather. Here is a short list of tasks we should have on our To-Do List: ❏ Furnace Check-up – It is strongly recommended we have our furnace checked and tuned up. Prior to the heating season to help it perform at its best and avoid winter breakdowns. ❏ Clear a Path – Nothing should be touching the outer envelope of the home. Trees and bushes rubbing the roof or side walls should be trimmed back to prevent damage during winter storms. Wood piles and anything else should be pulled away from the home to prevent outdoor creatures from nesting next to our homes and allow moisture to dry. ❏ Caulking – Check all construction material transitions to assure all cracks are filled. Windows, doors, brick to wood siding all should be weather tight. ❏ Paint Touch-Up – Now is the time to protect any exposed wood to prevent damage over the winter. If you don’t have time for a complete paint job, at least touch-up with a protective coat. ❏ Seal Driveways & Walks – The freeze and thaw during the winter not only causes those potholes on the roads, but it will damage our walks and driveway. If you don’t have time to seal the entire driveway, at least caulk the cracks.
Thursday, October 21, 2021
any natural controls to keep them in check. The weather doesn’t stop them. There are no bugs or diseases to slow them down. The Asian bush varieties, (Amur, Tartarian, Morrow) fill in the area under trees in yards and woodlands and line roadways and trails. (When I say “bush,” these are not the shrubs planted around a house. They grow up to 15-feet tall!) With their thick foliage, they shade out the wildflowers. Soon there is only bare dirt under all the bushes. Honeysuckle roots are shallow and do nothing to hold the ground in place. When it rains, there’s nothing to stop the soil from eroding. Not only do the soil nutrients wash away, the sediment can also pollute nearby waterways. Honeysuckles have toxins that ‘poison’ the soil. Trees’ seeds can’t germinate and produce new saplings so the woods are not renewed and slowly die. Wildlife isn’t crazy for the Asian honeysuckle. Deer don’t like to eat the plant like they do native plants. This offers the non-natives an additional advantage. They’re safe from being eaten while their competition is being munched. Birds will eat the fruit, which is high in carbohydrates, but it’s not as nutritional as native berries. Asian bush honeysuckles don’t provide adequate protection for animals and birds. The “naked” ground underneath the shrub allows snakes and other predators better access to burrows and nests. The foliage also harbors ticks which carry disease. Land conservatives, park and natural resource departments, and property owners are constantly battling invasive species. Honeysuckle is just one of their targets. Autumn olive, garlic mustard, and even kudzu are just among a few on the Hit List. These agencies are always recruiting volunteers for Weed Wrangles. As an everyday citizen, what can you do to help? Number One: Don’t buy or get starts from plants banned under the Terrestrial Plant Rule as illegal to “sell, gift, barter, exchange, distribute, transport, or introduce.” (See the official list on the DNR webpage.) Take it one step more and check on the invasive status of plants before you purchase them for your landscaping. Callery pear and burning bush are two that don’t appear on the Official List but are incredibly invasive. To be a real Plant Superhero, choose native plants. Many native varieties that are just as lovely and much better behaved. There’s even native honeysuckle. It has pretty flowers and smells marvelous. Its blooms are brilliant red and coral and also attract pollinators. They’re hardy and produce berries for the birds… and it belongs here. Several Weed Wrangles in our communities are coming up this Fall if you’re interested in helping out. ▪ October 23 Sodalis Nature Park, Plainfield ▪ November 6 Williams Park, Brownsburg ▪ November 20 Gibbs Park, Plainfield ▪ December 11 Williams Park, Brownsburg For more details, check out the website at: https://hendrickscountyimc.wordpress.com ❏ Weather Stripping – Check both your doors and windows to make sure the weather stripping is still intact and pliable. Over time the rubber dries out and may need replaced to make a good seal between the window and frame. ❏ Exterior Faucets – Unhook all hoses to prevent water from being held in the fixture which can freeze and burst the pipes. ❏ Crawlspace – One last tour of the crawlspace to make sure the sump pump is working, vents are closed, insulation is around the exterior walls and the door is properly closed. ❏ Fireplace – If you still burn wood, consider having the flu checked for any creosol build-up. Don’t be one of those 25,000 chimney fires that happens in the US each winter. ❏ Clear the Gutters – once most of the leaves have fallen, clean the gutters. If the gutters don’t flow properly, you can get ice damming which can cause melting ice and snow to back-up and damage the inside of our homes. Water is our enemy, we want it moving away from the home, both in the summer and winter. A little work now and you can sit back and relax on those long winter nights. Start checking it off your list. _____________________________________________
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Our Readers Write Dear Editor; Thanks for the report on Rally Master Tim Macsay’s efforts organizing and executing the Seventh Annual Hendricks County Museum Road Rally October 6th. My wife and I participated for the third consecutive year and it was a great time. The Great Chocolate Caper theme was a fun idea, and the prizes of miniature chocolate Corvettes were much appreciated. When I read [in The Republican, of course!] that the rally would be limited to 30 cars this year, we pre-registered right away to be sure we were “in.” As much fun as it is and the fact that participation has been growing exponentially, I was surprised to see that the limit of 30 cars was not reached this year. Folks should look forward to next years’ event. Less enjoyable was the unsigned Page A-6 editorial, “Here We Grow Again.” The author should have been identified. [Editor- See correction above this letter.] He or she makes valid points about Danville’s growth, but disparaging President Trump in the discussion of dying small towns elsewhere, suggesting that dying small towns are characterized by, “shuttered storefronts, weed-choked sidewalks, tattered Trump flags, and failing schools,” is ridiculous. The Indiana Secretary of State’s Official 2020 Election Results report that Donald Trump and Mike Pence received 60.8% of the votes cast in Hendricks County, over 5% greater than their state-wide margin of 57%. Since Hendricks County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, the author suggesting that Trump supporters live in dying small towns occupied by uneducated rubes from “failing schools” is not factual. After finishing the Great Chocolate Caper Road Rally, my wife and I drove over to the Parke County Covered Bridge Festival Saturday for the afternoon. We noted many pro-Trump signs along U.S. 36, none of them tattered, and a plethora of pro-Trump materials offered for sale at the various booths in Mansfield. The author’s energies would be better spent helping solve Danville’s horrific east-west traffic flow, rather than mischaracterizing as backwater occupants of dying smalltowns, people who voted for secure borders, energy independence, a respect for life from conception to natural death, and a sound economy fueled by free enterprise... rather than inflation-inducing, economy-stagnating government hand-outs from the gaggle of hackneyed, otherwise unemployable career politicians who seized control of our country’s governance back in January. Nonetheless, The Hendricks County Republican has become more interesting under its new ownership, and we look forward to each week’s issue. As soon as someone is in the office to take our credit card number to renew our subscription for next year, we’ll be happy to tender it. Sincerely, Bob Palma Brownsburg _____________________________________________
A Squirrel About Town By Archy I was telling Archy about the plans for the new pre-Halloween event on the square on October 29. Then I asked if the squirrel community observed the holiday. “Interesting you should ask,” the squirrel answered. “We’ve been discussing it at the Squirrel Salon. The young squirrels do engage in “trick-or-tree” - they approach neighborhood nests with a knock-knock joke. If the nest occupant finds it amusing, they hand out nuts wrapped in autumn leaves.” Sounded pleasant enough to me. I asked what the Squirrel Salon members had in mind. “We’ve discussed organizing some positive vandalism,” he said. “Nothing harmful or permanent, things that would only provoke better behavor.” I asked for examples. “We were thinking about taking a page from Candy Chang, the artist who uses public spaces to uncover the complexity of the inner life,” he explained. “For example, we considered using non-permanent markers on stop signs.” “And do what?” I ventured, cautiously. “Add words, of course,” Archy said. “Our most popular phrase to add under ‘STOP’ would be ‘...AND THINK.’ “About what?” I asked. “That’s the beauty of brevity,” the squirrel replied. “The human mind will fill that in. Some might be thinking about something they did that caused hurt feelings. Others might be encouraged to think more kindly and not to cause hurt to others. A verbal Rorshach test, you might say.” I started to see a point to the proposal. “Another thought was to put messages on the sidewalk, like Ms. Chang does. To write, ‘Why aren’t you looking up?’ or ‘Be couragous today.’ We’ve started a list,”Archy said. Sometimes the squirrel community scares me. But in a good way.
