In deep with yellow iris

Yellow flag iris sounds like a lovely garden flower. In reality, it is a competitive plant that takes over native shoreline vegetation. Last week, a five-person crew worked alongside the University of Wisconsin Lake Superior Research Institute to tackle the invasive iris in St. Croix Lake.

The crew used loppers and draw knives to cut the base of the plant, then bagged the vegetation in the boat. Volunteers with pontoons collected the bags and took them to a boat launch where the City of Salon Springs had a loader and dump truck to dispose of the bags.

This was the first time the Lake Superior Research Institute has tried removing yellow flag iris, which made for a unique and challenging project for our crew.

You can read more about this project here.