Above: Knotweed appears to love this spring’s sun and rain. Drivers may not be loving the overgrowth. (photo by Alan Bezanson)
Southborough’s Alan Bezanson reached out with a warning for me to share with other readers. He is concerned about the dangers for Deerfoot Road pedestrians/fishers and the drivers that don’t want to hit them.
The issue is an invasive plant that is thriving this spring.
Bezanson wrote:
It’s a jungle out here. The knotweed on the Deerfoot Bridge obscures people from the view of drivers. This is a favorite fishing spot and I have seen kids leap backwards into the road without looking when they hook a fish. You have to be very wary driving here, especially in two-way traffic. From time to time some citizen like me cuts it back because it cannot be uprooted from this spot. The more you cut it the faster it grows. It’s not like this is new problem. It would be to Southborough’s advantage to get this sorted out with DCR and get rid of this patch once and for all. Here’s a UMass note on what’s not to love about knotweed.
As one invasive species spurns another…..
All true, Al and Carl. I’ve had some luck suppressing knotweed growth/regrowth in both my and managed properties. Happy to help the town remove and manage this growth as a nearby resident and concerned citizen! Anyone else in?
Thanks, Lawrence, for the offer. This is DCR’s realm. I contacted them yesterday afternoon, got an immediate reply that they would send a work crew ASAP and i saw that today at mid-morning it was cleared.
That’s great news.