Hi Tweeters,

Stuart MacKay says:

(stuff deleted)

>Good numbers of wildfowl graze around the area, if grass can get
>established, perhaps the ducks and geese might graze any tiny loosetrife
>plants and keep it in check - pure speculation, of course.

Since its establishment at Jericho Pk. in Vancouver BC, purple loosestrife
grows lushly in areas heavily grazed by wintering flocks of wigeon, resident
& migrant Mallards, and a handful of teal. Maybe its their broccoli :-)

Someone noted that the loosestrife in certain areas, all around willow trees
looked "burned, wilted, with holes in the leaves", and couldn't decide
whether it was caused by a bio-agent released in the area, or the result of
chemical warfare by the willows, which apparently release acids into the
soil around their roots (for more on this in popular form, suggest reading
David Bodanis' The Secret Garden; not quite as good as his The Secret House,
but still worthwhile. You'll never look on a serene, lovely garden with the
same eyes).

>The ultimate objective of all this is to open up the ponds, producing more
>shoreline for shorebirds passing through - loosestrife is only the excuse -
>selfishness in the extreme :-)

But at the rate the rest of us are gobbling up shoreline, *any* shoreline
freed up may be useful to them, an altruistic effect of an avocational motive.

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
michael_price at mindlink.bc.ca