June is designated as Native Plant Appreciation Month. In observance, the Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Middlesex County is offering two free seminars that will help residents care for their plants and identify and eliminate the invasive species that can threaten them.
The first seminar, “Invasive Species in Central Jersey,” is scheduled from 10 a.m. to noon June 10 at the EARTH Center, located in Davidson’s Mill Pond Park, 42 Riva Ave., South Brunswick. This seminar will discuss how invasive plants, insects and animals, not native to a given area, can cause harm to local ecosystems, human health and the economy. Learn how to identify these plants and how removing, or choosing not to plant them in the first place, will help make way for valuable, native flora and fauna.
The second seminar, “Plant This, Not That!” is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. on June 14, also at the EARTH Center. Learn what native plant species can be added to a home landscape, in lieu of more common plants that homeowners may not know are invasive.
The workshops are free but registration is required by June 8 by calling 732-398-5262.
For more information, visit www.middlesexcountynj.gov and search “extension”.
