Be aware of noxious weeds in Union County

Thistle, hemlock and spurge. All are a part of Union County’s destruction of noxious weeds notice.

The Union County board of supervisors approved a public notice for noxious weeds during last week’s regular meeting on Wednesday. The notice outlines the schedule of which weeds should be cut or destroyed, recommending property owners to destroy the weeds on or before the specific day. A list of all primary noxious weeds outlined by Iowa Code is included in each public notice.

Noxious weeds are weeds which are considered damaging to the local agricultural environment, which makes their maintenance a priority for preserving land. Penalties for failing to comply are imposed at $20 per day, or the weeds will be destroyed and the costs assessed back to the owner.

Schedule for completing the destruction of noxious weeds is as follows:

May 15 - musk thistle, perennial pepper grass

June 2 - leafy spurge, poison hemlock

June 20 - Canadian thistle, Russian knapweed

July 1 - palmer amaranth (burn on location only)

July 16 - multi-flora rose and teasel

A total list of noxious weeds described in the Code of Iowa include:

- Quack grass, perennial sow thistle, Canada thistle, bull thistle, European morning glory/field bindweed, horse nettle, leafy spurge, perennial pepper-grass, Russian knapweed, buckthorn, musk thistle and palmer amaranth.

In other Union County news...

Two grading agreements were approved during last week’s board meeting. The first covers ditching along the fence line of a section of Nighthawk Avenue. The second covers ditching along a section of Velvet Avenue.