Sure, kudzu and bamboo may grab the headlines when it comes to unwanted landscape visitors. But to those of us who spend considerable time in the woods of the South, it’s microstegium, a trashy weed, that we most detest. It’s yet another reason we look forward to the return of cold weather.

It’s also my true sign that summer has ended, fall has begun. For when it comes to managing the leafy pest, there’s only one thing known to kill it — or at least send it into remission:

The first frost.

Some people see Labor Day weekend as the official passing of the baton from Summer to Fall. Others go by the calendar and observe the autumnal equinox (this year on Sept. 22). Maybe you go by the first leaf that changes color, or perhaps the first appearance of a pumpkin spice mocha. Popular sentimental markers all. So, to me, is the death of stiltgrass. But it’s more of a scientific sentiment.

Years ago, during my days at The News & Observer in Raleigh, I wrote a lengthy piece about invasive plants and the challenge of managing them. The need for management? you ask. The problem with invasives is that they come from elsewhere (in the case of microstegium, China, in 1919 as packing material) and sometimes find no opposition to their advance. Such has been the case with microstegium, which can spread like wildfire, obiliterating native species. The lovely running cedar, for instance. It’s especially problematic in low-lying wet areas where the foot-high weedy grass is especially problematic. It’s not only an eyesore, but, as my ankles have discovered over the years, a habitat for ticks. Nasty stuff that I’ve come to associate over the years with heat, sweat and itchy ankles. No wonder I especially look forward to the first frost. And no wonder I was especially ecstatic last week when the temperature dipped to 32 in my neck of the woods.

I’ll continue to enjoy the fall colors over the next couple weeks. But in addition to looking up to survey the trees, you can bet I’ll be looking down, with a smile, at the sight of withered brown grass.

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