The city of Boulder is inviting residents out this weekend to 'Purge the Spurge' by exchanging the noxious weed for native plants.
Myrtle spurge is considered a noxious weed because it spreads very easily, and choke out native plants. It also has toxic milky sap that can cause severe skin irritation and blistering.
On Saturday, residents can exchange the plant for a free native plant that's been grown without pesticides. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at ReSource at 6400 Arapahoe Road.
If you have a plant you'd like to exchange, pull it out of the ground by the roots, and then bag it. Be sure to wear gloves, pants, long sleeves, and eye protection while handling the weed, to avoid any potential skin irritation.
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The Colorado Noxious Weed Act requires that myrtle spurge and other List A noxious weeds be eradicated from both public and private properties. State law also requires local governments to enforce the removal of List A weeds, which the City of Boulder began doing in summer 2013.
Boulder community members have voluntarily complied with the state law, and so far, Code Enforcement has not issued a single ticket.
Over the past four years, hundreds of people have dropped off thousands of pounds of myrtle spurge at the Purge the Spurge event.
For more information about myrtle spurge and the Purge the Spurge event, please visit: www.bouldercolorado.gov/ipm/noxious-weeds-myrtle-spurge.
