The Garlic Mustard Hunt Begins!!

Kicking off an entire month of hunting Garlic Mustard!

Grand Prairie Friends really needs your help!  Our limited staff have many commitments in 2023 based on grant awards and we are asking our volunteers to tackle Garlic Mustard in April in group and individual hunts.

Garlic Mustard is a constant threat at Warbler Ridge and other natural areas in central Illinois.  It spreads its seeds in the wind and gains a foothold in forests by emerging earlier in spring than many native plants. By the time native species are ready to grow, garlic mustard has blocked their sunlight and outcompeted them for moisture and nutrients.

Group Hunt

If this is your first time to hunt and pull Garlic Mustard or you prefer to do it with a group, join us on April 8 from 9-11 am.   We'll meet at the Red Shack on Daileyville Rd and teach you what to do.

Hunt on Your Own

If you have experience and prefer to hunt by yourself or with a couple of friends on a good weather day, we will support you by providing the supplies you need in our garlic mustard stations.   Place filled bags by the garlic mustard stations  If you are unable to get your bag to a station, place it in a GPF parking lot.

Location of Garlic Mustard Stations (available April 1):

• Red Shack patio at 17161 Daileyville Rd, Charleston, IL
• Warbler Crossing house porch at 17487 Bypass Rd, Charleston IL

Content of Garlic Mustard Stations:

• Updated map on top showing areas to hunt
• Inside you'll find 13-gal plastic bags, identification guides, and extra maps

Communication:

We can keep our map current if you let volunteer@grandprairiefriends.org know where and when you hunted. 

Hunt Map

Progress:

We will update the hunt map on Facebook regularly so that our "team hunt" is effective and you can see the progress we are making.

Questions:

volunteer@grandprairiefriends.org