Berkley Environmental Advisory Committee

08/24/2026

Mark your calendars for our fall native plant sale! 🌱

08/07/2026

This hardy Michigan native offers dependable blooms, supports local wildlife, and handles challenging conditions with less fuss than traditional lilacs.

07/28/2026

Good information

⚠️ Many invasive plants were originally sold as attractive landscaping choices. Once they escape yards, they can spread into forests, fields and waterways, where they crowd out native plants.

🌸 Bradford pear: Cultivated trees can cross-pollinate and produce thorny wild offspring. Remove young seedlings before they become established.

🌿 Tree-of-heaven: Spreads through seeds and aggressive underground roots. Cutting it alone may trigger many new shoots, so correct control is important.

🍁 Norway maple: Recognizable by the milky sap from a broken leaf stalk. Its dense shade can prevent native woodland plants from growing beneath it.

🔴 Burning bush: Birds carry its berries into natural areas. Look for bright-red fall foliage and corky “wings” along the stems.

🌱 Japanese barberry: Its thorny branches form dense patches that restrict native growth. Birds help spread its small red berries.

🌼 Chinese privet: Produces clusters of white flowers followed by dark berries. It can quickly create thick, difficult-to-cross shrub colonies.

🌳 English ivy: Spreads across the ground and climbs trees. Mature vines add weight, block light and can hide damage or disease on the trunk.

🌾 Japanese honeysuckle: The fragrant flowers change from white to yellow. Its fast-growing vines can cover young trees and shrubs.

💜 Asian wisteria: Chinese and Japanese wisteria can grow into extremely heavy vines. Do not confuse them with the less aggressive native American wisteria.

🎋 Japanese knotweed: Even small pieces of stem or root may grow into new plants. Avoid mowing it or placing cut pieces in ordinary compost.

🪻 Purple loosestrife: Escapes into wetlands and produces large amounts of seed. Its tall purple flower spikes can replace diverse native wetland vegetation.

💛 Yellow flag iris: Often escapes ornamental ponds and spreads through seeds and underground rhizomes. Never dump pond plants into natural waterways.

06/19/2026

His humiliating defeat in Iran has sealed the deal

05/24/2026

If you want shrubs that can handle the pressure and still look great, these native Michigan options are well worth a closer look.

05/23/2026

Hello Berkley Residents and friends. I'm sorry to notify you that Berkley's e-recycling day, scheduled for Saturday from 10 to 2, has been canceled due to weather concerns. Our next e-recycling event will be this fall.

You can take your e-junk to the SOCRRA facility by scheduling an appointment on their website. Appointments are much easier to obtain now than in the past.

05/22/2026

Berkley residents and friends: I’m sorry to report that the e-recycling event scheduled for tomorrow May 23 at the Community Center has been cancelled due to weather concerns. Another e-recycling event will be held this fall.

We encourage residents to continue to drop off electronic wastes at the SOCRRA facility located on Coolidge north of 13 Mile. An appointment is necessary and can be made on the SOCRRA website. Appointments are much easier to obtain now than in the past.

Have a safe and sustainable Memorial Day weekend!

05/20/2026

Mark your calendars! Our spring native plant sale is coming soon. We hope to see you there 💚

05/02/2026

🔎🔎🔎

Planning on a hike sometime soon? Check out our handy-dandy spring wildflower guide!

The PDF link to download it and print a copy is in the comments. Happy exploring — and remember to not pick any flowers you might find! 🫶

04/21/2026