Garlic mustard is a land-based invasive species and once established can be tough to get rid of.
DNR plant conservationist Kelly Kearns says Garlic mustard can significantly alter the composition of entire forests. ..
"...it grows as a biennial. The first year it germanates and creates this rosette that stays green over the winter. It's still growing well into fall and early in the spring before anything else can grow, it's alreay growing...."
She says as of now, the invader is not as big of a problem to the Northwoods as it is in other parts of the state. She says with some vigilance it can be kept out of most places...
"....learning how to identify it then pullling every single plant when you find an infestation, then returning later in the year and in future years is the best way to keep it from spreading....."
Kearns says garlic mustard is easily identifiable in the spring. As soon as warm weather hits, it sends up a flowering stalk, usually about 2 1/2 feet tall. She says it branches out, bearing many small four-petaled white flowers. Identification can be verified by crushing the leaves that smell of garlic. Once in place, the plant spreads quickly and dominates all native plants.
More information on Garlic mustard is available on the DNR website by putting the plant's name in the search box.
