Weeding for Free
I have been spending a fair bit of time over the last few weeks pulling Oxalis pre-caprae or "Bermuda Buttercup" from the Oak Woodlands in Golden Gate Park. Pre-caprae is an invasive in much of the world outside of its native South Africa. It does not produce seeds, rather it grows many small bulbs from which it sprouts the next season after a period of dormancy. We have been getting a bit or rain recently, so lots of it is coming up.
I am not sure why I am doing it, it is unlikely that pulling it will have a great impact on the population, for each specimen there are likely 10 bulbs in the ground ready to sprout. For me, I think it's just relaxing, I get to spend time in the forest listening to the sounds, observing the insects, and doing something with my hands. Pulling them up is very satisfying, sometime you will pull up a thick root a foot long and sometime it will be 2 inches long with the bulb attached.
I normally do my weeding right by the path and it seems people are very apt to stop and talk. Some ask what I am doing, others what I am looking for, fewer still if I've found any magic mushrooms. It's funny that this act that I view as solitary quickly turns social when someone's interest is piqued. I try to give them a brief rundown of the history of the Oak Woodlands and I explain that I am removing an invasive species and tell them to join the Friends of the Oak Woodlands if they're interested in helping out.