Stiltgrass Hides Hazards

 

Now is the time to address your stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum). Stiltgrass is a Category 1 invasive plant that was brought to the US as packing material when porcelain was shipped from Asia around 1919. It is an annual and can be controlled by removing it before it flowers; in Georgia that is usually in September. Deer do not eat it so you’re on your own.

Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum); notice the small
silver stripe down the center of the blade.

My new house has a large floodplain area next to the creek. The stiltgrass is abundant there. I whacked it last fall and have been doing so already this summer. It is easy to do with a battery-powered weedwhacker, and I can leave the debris on the ground since it hasn’t flowered. I noticed that clearing it revealed a number of hazards, not to mention that stiltgrass can help breed mosquitos.

• Holes in the ground that can become homes for yellow jackets. I fill these in.
• Leaves that hold water in the shade below and help breed more mosquitos.
• Trash that holds water – I found old glass bottles, plastic bottles, aluminum cans. All of these can help breed mosquitos as well.
• Other invasive seedlings/weeds – I have found beefsteak plant (Perilla frutescens), mulberry weed (Fatoua villosa), mock strawberry (Potentilla indica), Japanese hawkweed (Youngia japonica) growing with it. All of these could have flowered and made seeds if left alone.

Stiltgrass is also easily pulled by hand because the roots are not very strong. Pull the biggest ones first! Once I weedwhack most of it, I hand-pull the stragglers as well as the plants in less dense areas. In the morning, it is part of my stroll through the woods before it gets too hot. If the plants haven’t flowered, you can just throw them on the ground after pulling. If they have flowered, bag what you pull.

In addition to hiding hazards, stiltgrass can smother young native seedlings that are trying to germinate or grow. 

A section showing where I whacked it;
I should have done it sooner.

I expect that I'll need to repeat this for several more years, hopefully seeing less of it each year as the seedbank is reduced. I'll add more native perennials such as ferns, sedges, and wet-tolerant shrubs (I've got some spicebush (Lindera benzoin) waiting to be planted). I'm going to enjoy bringing this space back to a more productive woodland.

August 2026 Moment in Nature

Some moments are painful! This is the caterpillar of the Io (eye-oh) moth and those spikes can deliver a powerful sting. This is a large native moth and you can read more about it here (great pictures too).

I was on a group ramble/hike and we stopped to look at a plant and the caterpillar fell down from above and landed on my calf. My pants were a thin material and I could almost immediately feel a light sting. A friend helped get it off with a stick and we put it back in the vegetated area. [I had no lasting effects from the brush with it.]

These moths are generalists and eat the foliage of many of the native trees that we'd already identified on the hike. I had never seen the caterpillar before so this was actually a great #momentinnature for me.

August is a great month to see caterpillars in nature. Here is a blog I did about finding caterpillars in 2018 (and it has links to two earlier posts so you may find those interesting too). Get out there and find your moment!

They’re Back! Monarchs Return to Georgia

 

Monarchs are now passing through Georgia as part of the fall migration. They don’t just pass through – females may lay eggs here to create another generation, likely the generation that will overwinter. Keep an eye on your milkweed to see if caterpillars show up! Monarch caterpillars are milkweed specialists and the female will only use milkweed for her eggs. Need help figuring out native milkweeds? Here's a good resource for Georgia residents.

Monarch resting on milkweed leaf

The adults passing through also need abundant sources of nectar to fuel their trip. Having summer and early fall flowers in your garden will help them (as well as other pollinators). Milkweed flowers are not required for adult Monarch butterflies as they are generalist when it comes to nectar sources; milkweed flowers are appreciated and pollinated by other insects such as bees and wasps. If you need ideas for fall flowering plants in North Georgia, check out my previous blog here.

American bumblebee on Echinacea

Rudbeckia fulgida and bee

I found two Monarch butterflies this week at my community garden in Hoschton. It is a garden specifically created to attract and support butterflies and is located on a vacant lot owned by the city. Volunteers and the city helped create the planting area and residents adopted plots. We were encouraged to plant native milkweed and native flowering plants. This effort was modeled after a similar garden in a nearby neighborhood that has spurred residents to create beautiful plots.

Asclepias incarnata with wasp

Asclepias tuberosa with bee

The Oak Street Park sign at the garden