Friends of the Shiawassee River

• The Garlic Mustard has aggressively colonized in many of our local woodlots and because it is such a prolific seeder, it can produce thousands of seeds that can persist in the soil for several years.

• It is also is highly tolerant to shade and can quickly take over a forests understory pushing out certain native specie.

• The Garlic mustard out numbers many of the native vegetation because it begins growing earlier in the year than many of our native wildflowers, such as spring beauty, wild ginger, bloodroot, and trillium which share the same habitat.

• Native plants are quickly ’pushed’ out of our woodlots as garlic mustard invades and stresses the wildlife that depends on the once abundant native species. 
  

The Friends organize workdays which focus on the removal of invasive species such as the Garlic Mustard, found in and along the river.

These workdays help prevent the Garlic Mustard from taking over the river's natural ecosystems and pushing out our native species.  
Anyone who is interested in helping the FOSR stop the Garlic Mustard from invading the Shiawassee River is encouraged to participate. Learn how to become a volunteer.

For more information about river workdays visit our invasive species workdays page or check out our calendar for more information such as dates, times and meeting locations for upcoming workdays.