A local naturalist column considers three non-native invasive plants flourishing across the upper Sonoma Valley this season: dandelions, yellow star thistle and poison hemlock. It notes a bumper dandelion crop stretching from the Valley floor to Hood Mountain, aided by rain, sun and a shift away from chemical spraying toward mowing and hand-weeding. The piece weighs the plants' benefits to pollinators against yellow star thistle's harm to pastures, wildlife and horses.
Read the full story: Helen-Teri Shore: The Weeds We Love to Hate — Sonoma Valley Sun, Jul 25.
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