To the Editor:

A few weeks ago, four of us pulled 10 large bags of mile-a-minute, a highly invasive plant, from the grounds at Dickinson Park. True to its name, this plant grows rapidly. A single vine can grow up to six inches per day. The plants produce a thick tangle of vines over herbaceous and woody plants, blocking sunlight and eventually killing any covered plants.  

Homeowners should know how to identify this vine which has pale green triangular leaves and a distinctive circular, cup-shaped structure on the stem.  Berries form in summer, green at first and eventually bluish in color.

It is best to remove vines before berries turn blue, but pulling vines can be done at any time as long as vines are disposed of properly. Vines should be placed in bags and taken to the transfer station on Ethan Allan Drive which has a receptacle for invasive plants.  Also, all findings of mile-a-minute should be reported to Land Use, 203-270-4276.

Yours truly,

Mary Gaudet-Wilson

12 Whippoorwill Hill Road, Newtown          September 2, 2014