Steve Mortillo, natural resources management lead for Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Parks, left, is joined by intern Savannah Spannaus, second from left, volunteer Ryan Willard, of Barnard, second from right, and Kyle Burton, science communication steward, right, in pulling a patch of the invasive plant garlic mustard at Blow Me Down Farm in Cornish, N.H., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Garlic mustard can out-compete native plant species by changing soil chemistry, and they are trying to keep it from taking over the area. “We could spend four hours today, or 100 hours two years from now,” said Steve Mortillo of the exponential spread of the plant. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. valley news — James M. Patterson

Steve Mortillo, natural resources management lead for Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller and Saint-Gaudens National Historic Parks, holds a two-year-old flowering stem of garlic mustard pulled from a roadside at Blow-Me-Down Farm in Cornish, N.H., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Mortillo said that to be efficient with time, the invasive biennial should be removed in its second year when it flowers and is easy to pull before producing seed. First year plants form a low dense carpet on the ground in which plants actually compete with each other. "The problem is so large in scope we coupld never manage it without the public's help," said Mortillo, who saw low volunteer turnout to the work session. "Be aware of what's growing on your private lands and unmanaged public lands," he added. (Valley News - James M. Patterson) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. James M. Patterson