During our Volunteer Day this month, our volunteers put in a sweaty July morning removing invasives from the Vaughn Branch Nature Preserve. Regular stewardship of this Woods and Waters Land Trust-owned property and other conservation areas is important to the health of the area’s forest and waterbanks. By keeping problematic invasive plants at bay, we help ensure that there is plenty of room for native species to flourish. One invasive plant that we focused on removing this month was Japanese chaff flower (Achyranthes japonica (Miq.) Nakai).