Summer 2026 Restoration Efforts

Since 2016, the Office of Land Stewardship has waged a battle in Skiles Test Nature Park against one of the most harmful invasive plants in Indiana—the Asian bush honeysuckle. This decade-long assault has taken place throughout the western section of the park.

In February of this year, the few remaining large honeysuckle shrubs in the northwest corner of the park were cut and treated, thereby completing the large scale clearing of these invasives from all parcels west of the Skiles Test Trail. But that’s not the end of the story.

Asian bush honeysuckle is prevalent throughout the urban landscape and does not go down without a serious fight. And so, the battle will continue this summer when Eco Logic restoration professionals return to treat sprouting shrubs and other nonnative invasive species with a follow-up herbicide that is sprayed directly on the leaves of targeted plants. This targeted work will begin in the northwest corner of the park and move further south as time allows.

Daisy fleabanes are blooming where bush honeysuckle once grew. These native wildflowers attract pollinators with their bright flowers.

In the fall, Eco Logic senior ecologist Kevin Tungesvick will review all the parcels of parkland west of the Skiles Test Trail and recommend places to hand-seed native grasses and grass-like plants in 2027. Native grasses are equipped with deep root systems and above-ground growth that stabilizes and covers bare soil, preventing erosion and discouraging the reestablishment of invasive plants. As an added benefit, these grasses provide habitat and nesting material for insects and birds, and their seeds become a late-season food source for wildlife.

According to Jacob Brinkman, Land Stewardship manager for Indianapolis DPW, the west side of the park will require ongoing maintenance in the coming years. In the future, some resources may be directed at problem areas on the east side of the paved trail.