Trail Maintainer Alert

Okay, so what's to see here?  Some stones and a scrappy plant?  Those of you who participate in trail work sessions may recognize the context of this photo as a bit of stone fill for a low spot on the trail.  But the real message is in the scrappy plant.  This is a lone opportunist sprout of Japanese stiltgrass, that invader of natural areas which you see along so many trails in the park.  It comes from a seed which was carried here from another site on boots or fill material, and is a demonstration of how all the stiltgrass has achieved its invasion.  If this insignificant bit of plant life is not exterminated, it will produce hundreds of seeds, creating an ever-expanding population of stiltgrass at this site.  If hikers, trail monitors and trail maintainers are vigilant and uproot such opportunists, this new infestation can be avoided.

---