Presentation on Invasive Garden Plants to be Held Feb. 12

WEST CAPE MAY – Join Pat Sutton Feb. 12, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. at West Cape May Borough Hall for a presentation on Battling Invasive Plants in our Gardens, Yards, and Communities. This program is presented by the joint Environmental Commissions of Cape May, West Cape May, Cape May Point and Lower Township.  It is a free event and open to the public. West Cape May Borough Hall is located at 732 Broadway, West Cape May, NJ. Please call (609) 884-1005 for more information.
Many people are surprised to learn that plants they’d assumed were native are in fact non-native, problem plants.  Many gardeners are unaware of the far-reaching damage they can do when they plant invasives like Periwinkle (Vinca), English Ivy, and bamboo.  In a very short time these plants might invade the neighbor’s yard, properties across the street and down the street, and even nearby preserves.  The invasion of non-natives has taken a big toll on butterflies and moths (that need native plants to lay their eggs on) and insect-eating birds looking for butterfly and moth caterpillars.  Sadly, most nurseries contribute heavily to this problem by offering for sale many known culprits, plants that are outlawed in surrounding states and plants that the State of New Jersey is spending enormous amounts of money to control and remove from natural areas.  Purple Loosestrife is just one example.  Most shoppers assume that nurseries are acting responsibly, but the wise gardener needs to be educated to recognize invasives because the nursery trade has a deep-rooted love affair with exotic plants.  This program will address key invasive plants, help you learn how to identify them, offer suggestions on how to control or remove them if they find their way into your garden, and showcase lovely native alternatives.  Pat Sutton, longtime champion of native plants beneficial to wildlife, will teach this program and share first-hand experience battling invasives at her home, workplace, and in community areas.
Pat Sutton has keenly studied the natural world for over 30 years, first as the naturalist at the Cape May Point State Park in the 1970s and 1980s and then for 21 years as the naturalist and program director at the Cape May Bird Observatory (1986 to 2007).  She and her husband (Clay Sutton) wrote the landmark book, Birds and Birding at Cape May (Stackpole Books, 2006), the in-depth result of their efforts over many years documenting and protecting the migration and the Cape May area that they so love.  Other books by Pat and Clay include How to Spot Butterflies (1999), How to Spot Hawks & Eagles (1996), and How to Spot an Owl (1994).  Today Pat is a free-lance writer, photographer, naturalist, educator, lecturer, tour leader, and wildlife garden consultant.  Sutton’s own wildlife garden is a “teaching garden” featured in programs and workshops she teaches.  For more information go to Pat and Clay’s website: www.patandclaysutton.com