Bloomington Neighbors Nurturing Nature - BNNN

08/30/2026

The courtyard at JFK highschool is really coming to life. This is what it looked like today before we repainted the eagle statue

08/15/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1FHbuNwPhj/?mibextid=wwXIfr

New University of Minnesota research shows that removing invasive buckthorn and sowing native grasses and wildflowers as early as possible can significantly improve control of common buckthorn.
The findings were published in Forest Ecology and Management.
Researchers from the Cover It Up! Project, part of the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center, have previously shown that seeding native grasses and wildflowers can effectively limit buckthorn returning from seed, but a major question remained: do managers need to remove buckthorn resprouts immediately, or can they wait a few years and still get the same benefits of native seeding? To test this, the researchers compared forest understories where herbicide was used to control resprouts soon after initial management against those where herbicide was delayed a few years.
They found:
-After initial buckthorn removal, treatment the following year with a leaf application of the herbicide fosamine ammonium (Krenite) is an effective way to kill many plants.
-Following up with a second application two years later nearly removes all buckthorn.
-Waiting multiple years before the first follow-up treatment is less effective at killing buckthorn.
-Adding native plants after the first treatment helps suppress buckthorn by competing with their seedlings. This method is especially effective in areas without a dense tree canopy.
These results demonstrate that seeding native species immediately after management is more effective than waiting until fall or winter, which is when most buckthorn management typically occurs.
“This work shows how treating resprouts with herbicide and seeding early on in management is key to successful restoration efforts,” said Mike Schuster, a researcher in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.
The research team is now testing different methods, rates and seed mixes for restoring native wildflowers and grasses in forest understories and measuring other benefits of this type of management.
University of Minnesota News

08/04/2026

Great day at Girard Lake Park clearing another buckthorn and honeysuckle smothering mess!! Sadly found the remnants of a young oak that got smothered out by the closed canopy.
Fall is around the corner, and we are looking forward to cooler buckthorn busting. Hope to see you in September!!

08/02/2026

Looking to be a great day to enjoy Girard Lake Park and do some buckthorn and honeysuckle removal and dead hedge piling. We will be there today between 1:00pm and 4:00pm. Gloves encouraged, tools provided.

07/17/2026

07/02/2026

Thank you to the City of Bloomington for your help. Your staff did a wonderful job on this video showing our mission and progress

06/20/2026

More before and after from today

06/20/2026

We're at Olson Middle School planting native plants until 4pm today