Mugwort threatens pollinator garden planted along the Empire State Trail in New Paltz

Mugwort, an herb used in Chinese and naturopathic medicine to aid in digestion, promote circulation and to relieve headaches, among other benefits, is also an invasive species in New Paltz. Evidently, it grows much faster here than the residents are willing to brew it into tea. Board members of the Gardens for Nutrition had to give up portions of valuable riverside land after someone planted it in a plot there many years ago, and now it’s threatening a pollinator garden planted along the Empire State Trail on Route 299 near Mobil. Those same volunteers want to get back in there and see if they can eradicate the plant, and Supervisor Neil Bettez believes there’s still hope for the bank of flowering plants that would support local pollinators while also avoiding the need for mowing. Council members approved completing the necessary paperwork to get approval from state transportation officials for those volunteers to get their hands dirty.