Woods Keeper

Invasive Plant Removal by hand.

Working carefully and efficiently, Woods Keeper aims to preserve existing native plant species in addition to the native seed bank that’s just waiting for some sunlight and a little room to grow.

09/01/2026

It’s been a very hot but very rewarding summer in Deepdene Park! It certainly helps that we have the benefit of this majestic canopy to keep us cool. Spicebush berries are ripening a brilliant red, Joe Pye is blooming a perfect pink, and invasive autumn clematis is announcing its presence with showy white flowers. Also white, but very tiny, are the flowers of native jumpseed - not to be confused with native lopseed whose seed spikes look strikingly like those of invasive chaff flower.

Woods Keeper teams have been hard at work building on last year’s progress against invasive annuals like stiltgrass, beefsteak plant, mulberry w**d, dayflower, and more. We’re happy to report overall numbers of these summer growers are way down this year compared to last. Also way down is the invasive chaff flower population! While some small pockets still persist, we’ve made huge strides in keeping this plant out of the trail corridor where the extremely viable seeds can stick to walkers and pets.

All of this progress is a result of diligent work by OLPA Staff, Birds GA habitat crew, and the Woods Keeper team. None of this work is possible without Olmsted Linear Park Alliance and their supporters who have been stewarding this special forest for decades.

Birds Georgia Olmsted Linear Park Alliance

08/06/2026

Now blooming near the Outdoor Classroom in Chastain Park

(1 & 2) Cranefly orchid (Tuliparia discolor) - Pollinated by nocturnal moths, this easy-to-miss native sends up a single flower stalk after its single leaf dies back.

(3) Could there BE anymore different types of St. John’s wort? With over 30 different species native to Georgia, this is one is Spotted St.John’s wort (Hypericum punctatum) and can be spotted near the small bridge.

(4 & 5) Yellow Passionflower (Passiflora lutea) - Unlike its larger and louder purple cousin (P. incarnata), this elegant and delicate vine is much more tolerant of shadier conditions. Yes, we took down the Joro’s spider web. No, we did not smash the Joro spider.

(6) Nobody purples like the purple Tall Ironw**d (Vernonia gigantea) 💜 Let the campaign begin to make ironw**d the 2027 Georgia Native Plant of the Year.

While the ironw**d was planted by CPC, the rest of these native beauties came up naturally after our restoration work! All of this is made possible by Chastain Park Conservancy and their supporters.

07/15/2026

A very busy June saw Woods Keeper perform a variety of tasks in Grant Park. We worked to uncover the curb along the inside park path above Constitution Springs and we tidied up the stairway leading up to Cherokee Ave while removing many invasive plants along the way. We worked around the pond to cut back and thin out vegetation, improving views and giving the dock area some breathing room. While removing invasive chaff flower and porcelain berry, we chelsea chopped many of the wildflowers so that they will still bloom but not block the view of the pond. It’s looking really good and will only get prettier as fall approaches.

Overall, we removed approximately 18 cubic yards of invasive plants and other cuttings, including:
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata expialidocious)
Chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica)
Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
White mulberry (Morus alba)
Lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata)

Along the way we preserved native plants like
Swamp milkw**d (Asclepias incarnata)
Velvet Panicum (Dichanthelium scoparium), new to us and we love it!

Blooming in the new native garden:
Bluestem goldenrod (Solidago caesia)
Alumroot (Heuchera americana)

Summer’s only just begun and we’re looking forward to getting back out there! If you see us working in the park please say hello, we’d love to tell you all about what we’re up to. Thank you to Grant Park Conservancy and their supporters for making this work possible.

07/09/2026

Woods Keeper at Chastain Park - July 2026 Update:
In the Northwoods things are looking great! Recently, we’ve worked hard to remove and suppress invasive annuals like dayflower and stiltgrass. We’re seeing great results from the native seeds we planted last fall and winter following our removal work of ivy and other evergreen invasive plants.

The Outdoor Classroom area is looking awesome! It’s so amazing to see how this area has evolved over the past 4 years. It truly is turning into a beautiful pocket native preserve. What used to be an area dominated by invasive plants is now a space featuring over 75 different species of native plants! Many occur naturally, and many were introduced by Chastain Park Conservancy and Woods Keeper. Keep an eye out in late summer for a trio of sunflower, blue mistflower, and goldenrod blooming in mass just on the other side of the small bridge if you’re coming down from the Legion building.

The Palisades are looking good with minimal amounts of kudzu along the creek bank. This area is now thickening with beautiful native deertongue grass, which is a big improvement over the past couple of years.

If you see us working in the park please feel free to stop and say hello! Thanks to Chastain Park Conservancy and their supporters for making this work possible.

06/25/2026

This Saturday! Proud to be participating for the fourth year in a row at the BeecaturGA Pollinator Festival! There will be a ton of awesome vendors — learn about bees, butterflies, native plants and more. Free face painting for the kids. Monk’s Meadery for the adults.

You think you know nature? At our table we’ll have wildlife trivia to win native plants and seeds. See you at Harmony Park!

06/17/2026

‼️Notice ‼️ We are seeing that invasive stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is flowering *now* in some areas of Atlanta. This is very early compared to what we’ve observed in recent years where flowering occurred in late August/September. This could be related to the spring drought.

We assume that seed from this annual grass will not be far behind. While we usually begin active management in June anyways, we are now acting with a sense of urgency to target stiltgrass in areas where it is a priority — before seeds are viable.

An effective strategy to manage stiltgrass is to start at the highest point of the population and kill it before it goes to seed. Repeat in subsequent years. But that’s easier said than done because it’s so prolific and travels with our waterways. Once someone said, “It’s better to get all of a small amount than most of a large amount.” Mowing it can reduce the amount of seed but even the shortest stalks can still reproduce.

For such a delicate grass, it presents many challenges! Very soon we will share early results of experiments using a cool-season native seed mix that was applied directly after stiltgrass removal. Exciting stuff! But in the meantime, pick your battles thoughtfully, and go get after it! Now is the time.

06/09/2026

A very busy May for Woods Keeper at Grant Park: We tended the native garden (looking great!), managed overgrowth and invasive vines along the pool slope, swept the wetlands for chaff flower remnants, worked the perimeter of the pond targeting porcelain berry, and got familiar with the new assigned section along Cherokee Ave. Awesome job team!

Invasive plants removed include:
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis glandulosa var. brevipedunculata)
Chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica)
Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachia)
And more

Native plants preserved:
Jewelw**d (Impatiens capensis)
Cutgrass (Leersia virginica)
Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)
And more

Thank you to the Grant Park Conservancy and their supporters for making this work possible.

05/13/2026

Sayonara Spring: Native

1. Toadflax (Linaria canadensis)
2. Box Elder Maple (Acer negundo)
3. Violet (Viola sp.)
4. Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
5. Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
6. Puttyroot Orchid (Aplectrum hyemale)
7. Butterw**d & Va Creeper (Packera glabella, Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
8. Blunt Broom Sedge (Carex tribuloides)
9. Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus)
10. Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)
11. Aniseroot (Osmorhiza longistylis)
12. Muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia)

05/09/2026

🙏 Because of your support, we rely on Woods Keeper for the ecological care of the park. 🌿 In April, their team focused on areas around Constitution Spring and the Pond, targeting Chinese yam, wintercreeper, liriope, and porcelain berry. 🌱 They also spent time in the native garden we planted last year, and it’s looking fantastic! They’re currently monitoring its progress, and we couldn’t be happier with how it’s developing. 🌼

Work also continued above Constitution Spring along Cherokee Ave, where they removed wisteria and honeysuckle, 🌿 building on efforts started a few years ago. Even better, the tree-of-heaven treatments completed two years ago in this area have proven highly effective. 💪 Overall, the team removed approximately 8 cubic yards of invasive plant material. 💚 Thank you for making this important work possible!

🌱 Native plants preserved include:
River oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
Oakleaf hydrangea
Yellow passionflower (Passiflora lutea)
Catalpa tree (Catalpa sp.)
Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

🌿 Invasive plants removed include:
Wintercreeper (Euonymus fortuneii)
Liriope spicata
Invasive yam (Dioscorea polystachia)
Porcelain berry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata)

04/22/2026

Spring is here and the new native garden in Grant Park has come to life! Columbine, Cherokee sedge, and blue phlox are showing off. Cutleaf coneflower, Christmas fern, and coral bells are emerging. Green & gold is spreading on the front line while river oats begin to hold down the back. Everything is filling in quite nicely.

It’s been a dry spring, to say the least, and a challenge to keep these plant babies hydrated. We’re so grateful to the Grant Park Conservancy for assisting on the watering duties.

Thanks to GPC and their supporters for making this work possible!

Address

2199 N Ponce De Leon Ave NE
Druid Hills, GA
30307

Website

http://woodskeeper.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Woods Keeper posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Woods Keeper:

Want your business to be the top-listed Contractor in Druid Hills?