Stewardship Project Targets Invasive Plants at Wheatland Field

At Wheatland Field in Topsfield, Greenbelt’s Stewardship team is engaged in a long-term effort to remove black swallow-wort, an aggressive invasive vine that threatens native plants and pollinators. Protected by Greenbelt in 2002, the 2.7-acre property is managed to support rich biodiversity and wildlife habitat.

Invasive plant management at Wheatland Field began in 2021 and will continue as part of a long-term effort to reduce black swallow-wort by 80% over the next two years. This work supports monarch butterflies and native pollinators, which are impacted when the vine displaces native milkweed and other host plants.

Because black swallow-wort is notoriously difficult to control, Greenbelt works with professional invasive plant specialists to ensure effective management. While seasonal removal of seed pods helps limit its spread, ongoing expert care will be essential to restoring Wheatland Field’s ecological health.

Greenbelt’s Stewardship team recently completed another habitat restoration project at the John J. Donovan Reservation in Hamilton, where they removed invasive plants from stone walls in the upper fields. The goal of this project was to revitalize valuable grassland habitat for declining bird species such as bobolinks, meadowlarks, and grasshopper sparrows.