Invasive Plants Association of Wisconsin
Scroll to see more
There has been some discussions lately about glyphosate and frog deformities and this should shed more light on the subject. Read more ...
Last year, several BYGLers [Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine] reported observing significant injury to CANADA THISTLE (Cirsium arvense) caused by the THISTLE TORTOISE BEETLE (Cassida rubiginosa). This week, Curtis Young and Joe Boggs reported the beetles are again active on their namesake host in western and southern Ohio, respectively. The beetle is native to Europe and northern Asia, and it was imported into North America specifically as a biological control for thistle. The weed-whacking beetle is also known as the "thistle defoliating beetle." It feeds on other non-native thistle nasties including musk (Carduus nutans) and plumeless (C. acanthoides) thistles.
Like other tortoise beetles, the thistle tortoise beetle adult has a body shaped like a pith helmet or WWI army helmet. The body color of the adult is pale green, which allows it to blend with its host's leaves. The head and legs of the adult are typically hidden under the flare of the helmet. The antennae can be hidden as well or extend out from underneath the body.
The larvae are oval shaped and have a ring of spiny spikes sticking out of the rim of the oval like a crown. They also have twin spike-like appendages (cerci) at the posterior tip of the abdomen. The larvae use their cerci to practice a bizarre behavior. They first impale an odious collection of their excreta (feces) and exuviae (shed exoskeletons) with their cerci. They, then carry their repugnant package almost umbrella-like over their backs by arching their abdomens upwards. They look like tiny, walking poo-balls. It is assumed this is a defense against predation.
Both the adults and larvae feed on the leaves of thistle as skeletonizers. Feeding scars are irregularly shaped ovals with one leaf epidermis still intact, producing what looks like a window pane. Most feeding occurs on the upper leaf surface. Feeding can be heavy enough to reduce or completely prevent the host plant from blooming and producing seed. BYGLers were thrilled with the anti-thistle beetle!
by Brock Woods, WDNR
Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum) is an Asian plant that has invaded and degraded miles of riparian areas and wetlands in the East. It should come as no great surprise, but unfortunate news for Wisconsin regarding JK is that I have recently documented its ability to produce viable seed in our upland settings, seed that readily germinates here (at least in the Madison area) and can spread to otherwise "clean" nearby streamsides. Consequently, JK will likely be much harder to control than we'd hoped since seed dispersal gives it the ability to appear anywhere in the landscape where it's damp enough for germination. New, distant upland sites will increase the chance of it spreading to more wetland and riparian sites. I've been noting new upland clones in woodlands in several counties the last couple seasons, and it's likely that these have come from dispersed seed.
In any invasive control planning that you do, or may advise on, consider that all JK should be enough of a concern that its ability to produce seed should be determined, and quicker removal (of at least any female plants) than we thought may be required to protect other areas on the watershed, especially lower, riparian sites where JK growth can be especially rampant and destructive, and from which vegetative spread downstream is highly likely.
Keep in mind:
JK is still low on everybody's radar screens, but that means it's still one of those plants we can relatively easily keep out of most of our wet areas.
We should all make an effort to recognize it and take steps to control it, especially female plants, at least where it seems likely to get into riparian areas.
It's a distinctive plant, given its height, bamboo-like stems, clonal habit, and incredibly fast growth, though in summer it can be missed until blooming in August.
It's especially recognizable in winter (even early spring) as the very rusty color of its dead stems stand out against the white snow (or gray backgrounds).
It's still sold in local shops under a variety of names, such as "dinosaur plant" (large, fast-growing exotic look?) and "French lace" (based on its lace-like sprays of cream-colored flowers?). (Other reported names: Fallopia japonica, Pleuropterus zuccarinii, Polygonum japonicum, P. zuccarinii, P. sieboldii de Vriese, Reynoutria japonica, Japanese bamboo, Mexican bamboo, Japanese polygonum, Japanese fleeceflower, false bamboo, Kontiki bamboo, bombascus.)
NR 40 should help with the sales problem, but keeping it from taking over large stretches of streamsides (as in the East) will be more of a challenge for us all.
See Wisconsin's brochure at http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/publications/pdfs/japanese_knotweed_brochure.pdf
Report its locations at ninvasiveplants@mailplus.wisc.edu
Here are more of the details about local seed production and spread if you want to read more about it:
This news may not come as much of a surprise to you, but much research on JK has suggested that it does not spread through sexual reproduction and seed. Emphasis has instead been on its vegetative spread, either by rhizomes (that can extend 60 feet and grow under paved roads) or by pieces of the plant that sprout new roots wherever they lodge on moist soil (such as where flood damaged plant parts root downstream). All JK plants in Europe and Britain are (or have been) female (in fact, genetically the same plant!) so research findings from there logically dwell on asexual spread. (Vegetative dispersal along riparian areas will almost certainly remain our biggest concern.)
To our detriment in North America we have both genders and fertilized female plants here can produce typical, winged seeds. Research at the University of Pennsylvania and in Washington State has shown that the plant's seeds are viable there, germinating both in research plots and natural sites. Reports of seedlings are still few, and I know of no previous reports of JK seed production or seedlings here in Wisconsin (or the Midwest).
My recent sighting of the plant in upland sites suggested likely spread through seed, especially considering U Penn's work. Consequently, I located JK plants in Madison that produced seeds last fall, harvested some, and have successfully germinated them in near natural conditions. Scouting specifically for seedlings this spring under some of these plants has also shown that seeds can germinate totally unaided. Finally, I have also located JK seedlings at least 10 meters away from one parental clone, totally out of its shadow, and growing along the sides of a nearby stream--our worst fears confirmed!
See the seeds at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpurrin1/2244040247/ and learn to recognize the seedlings and other life stages at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=230
The fate of JK seedlings has not been well studied, and it's probable that most die under the severe shading produced by the huge JK clones growing above most of them, but those that escape this shading may do well, even under the heavy shading typical at ground level in many of our mesic forests and highly competitive wetlands. Seeds from one Washington State clone that germinated near the clone resulted in several healthy, three year old seedlings. It's been suggested that a seedling needs 4 to 6 leaves to make it through its first winter. How they fare in our climate is unknown, so I will watch those I've documented here, but also encourage you to keep an eye out for them and let me know if you see seedlings that appear to be successfully overwintering and establishing new clones where you live in the state.
(BTW, a location reported to me where an established clone does not seem to be "moving downhill" as one might expect with seed, does not necessarily suggest JK doesn't spread by seed. Rather, seed production or its viability may be nonexistent or low since fertilization is probably still rather uncommon. JK is not yet well spread throughout our landscape and finding both genders in close proximity is probably still rare. Let's try to keep it that way...)
By Don Comis, April 30, 2009
New research shows that two key causes of plant invasion--escape from natural enemies, and increases in plant resources--act in concert. This result helps to explain the dramatic invasions by exotic plants occurring worldwide. It also indicates that global change is likely to exacerbate invasion by exotic plants.
See a comparable study by van Kleunen and Fischer (and accompanying Editor’s Choice summary) on invasives and fungal pathogens in the Journal of Ecology at: http://www.journalofecology.org/view/0/editorChoice.html.
Montserrat Vilà, Corina Basnou, Petr Pys˘ek, Melanie Josefsson, Piero Genovesi, Stephan Gollasch, Wolfgang Nentwig, Sergej Olenin, Alain Roques, David Roy, Philip E Hulme, and DAISIE partners
The Rocky Mountain Research Station has the following publication available in single or multiple copies:
1. Zouhar, Kristin; Smith, Jane Kapler; Sutherland, Steve; Brooks, Matthew L. 2008. Wildland fire in ecosystems: fire and nonnative invasive plants. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-42-vol. 6. Ogden, UT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 355 p.
This state-of-knowledge review of information on relationships between wildland fire and nonnative invasive plants can assist fire managers and other land managers concerned with prevention, detection, and eradication or control of nonnative invasive plants. The 16 chapters in this volume synthesize ecological and botanical principles regarding relationships between wildland fire and nonnative invasive plants, identify the nonnative invasive species currently of greatest concern in major bioregions of the United States, and describe emerging fire-invasive issues in each bioregion and throughout the nation. This volume can help increase understanding of plant invasions and fire and can be used in fire management and ecosystem-based management planning. The volume's first part summarizes fundamental concepts regarding fire effects on invasions by nonnative plants, effects of plant invasions on fuels and fire regimes, and use of fire to control plant invasions. The second part identifies the nonnative invasive species of greatest concern and synthesizes information on the three topics covered in part one for nonnative invasives in seven major bioregions of the United States: Northeast, Southeast, Central, Interior West, Southwest Coastal, Northwest Coastal (including Alaska), and Hawaiian Islands. The third part analyzes knowledge gaps regarding fire and nonnative invasive plants, synthesizes information on management questions (nonfire fuel treatments, postfire rehabilitation, and postfire monitoring), summarizes key concepts described throughout the volume, and discusses urgent management issues and research questions.
This is online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs/rmrs_gtr042_6.pdf
There is NO charge for this publication and to order single or multiple copies:
Email: rschneider@fs.fed.us (include full mailing address)
FAX: (970) 498-1122
Phone: (970) 498-1392
Mail: Send your name and address in block format (as if you are
addressing an envelope) to:
Publications Distribution
Rocky Mountain Research Station
240 West Prospect Road
Fort Collins, CO 80526-2098 USA
The Garlic Mustard Educational Video (Stemming the Tide) is now available on DVD. It includes an educational video on phragmites. Each are about 13 minutes long.
For a preview and ordering information, please go to the blog site: Garlic Mustard Educational Video Project
As a result of budget cutbacks announced last week, The Nature
Conservancy's Global Invasive Species Team (GIST) is being disbanded and
will close down much of its work over the next few weeks and months.
Please read more about the shutdown with a list of website items needing
new homes at http://tncinvasives.ucdavis.edu/listarch/arch159.html
The whir of brush saws echoes daily through Kelleher Park in Burnsville as workers cut down the invader: buckthorn. Cropping up in thickets of prickly shrubs and small trees, this pest has been slowly choking off the undergrowth of plants and wildlife in this rare bur oak savannah. So with the help of a state grant and volunteers, an unusual forest restoration project is under way to chop down and chip up the buckthorn and haul it to St. Paul, where a biomass plant will burn it to produce electricity. Read more ...
With its craggy green cliffs and mist-laden skies, Macquarie Island — halfway between Australia and Antarctica — looks like a nature lover’s Mecca. But the island has recently become a sobering illustration of what can happen when efforts to eliminate an invasive species end up causing unforeseen collateral damage. Read more ...
Please visit and use Stemming the Tide: Garlic Mustard Identification and Control Also, there is another film on invasives, phragmities, and that is here: Invasive Phragmities: What it is, What we can do
Beck, K. George, Kenneth Zimmerman, Jeffrey D. Schardt, Jeffrey Stone, Ronald R. Lukens, Sarah Reichard, John Randall, Allegra A. Cangelosi, Diane Cooper, and John Peter Thompson. 2008. Invasive species defined in a policy context: Recommendations for the federal Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Invasive Plant Science and Management 1(4):414-421. Download a PDF copy (209KB).
The Alien Plant Working Group's Invasive Plant Calendar for 2009 is now done and available online for you to download & print. Take a look at it at http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/calendar.htm#print
It's sold before it's made: kudZunol! All you need is a garage, some plastic barrels, an old milk can, a big blender and plenty of kudzu. Since the plant has already made it to Massachusetts, more and more of us can get into the kudzu "moonshine" business! Better come up with a different name for your product, however. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#28243281
The Center for Invasive Plant Management is pleased to announce the second of two learning websites developed in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System and beneficial to other natural resource managers. The website, Managing Invasive Plants: Concepts, Principles, and Practices, provides an overview of invasive plant management and planning supported by case studies, quizzes, scientific literature, and web-based resources. The website is best viewed in Internet Explorer. View website at: http://www.fws.gov/invasives/staffTrainingModule/index.html
ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2008) -- Plants that range northward because of
climate change may be better at defending themselves against local enemies
than native plants.
So concludes a team of scientists including a University of Florida
geneticist. The team's findings, reported online in the journal Nature,
suggest that certain plants could become invasive if they spread to places
that were previously too cold for them. Read More ...
To be held June 22-26, 2009 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, this international wetland event will focus on the theme Wetland Connections. The Planning Team currently seeks proposals for symposia (deadline 10/31), workshops (deadline 10/31), and abstracts (deadline 2/27/09). We’d love to have some content on wetland invasives.
Abstracts web page: http://www.sws.org/2009_meeting/abstracts.mgi
The Institute for Applied Ecology is collaborating with the USDI Bureau of Land Management to evaluate the extent to which exotic species are impacting rare, threatened and endangered plants. We have developed a brief online survey to document 1) the nature of impacts of exotic species on listed plant species, 2) the methods that are currently being used to control exotic species in habitat occupied by listed species, and 3)additional information and/or tools that are needed for land managers to address this potential threat to listed species. This information will be synthesized into an online database available for the general public.Please follow the link below to participate in our study, and feel free to forward this information to any interested colleagues. Our deadline for survey responses is November 21. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=GterPE_2bpl9h0J66SQB5UUQ_3d_3d
Please visit the new Door County Invasive Species Team website at: http://map.co.door.wi.us/swcd/invasive/default.htm
By PAMELA J. PODGER
Published: October 26, 2008
MISSOULA, Mont. -- Chilled by an autumn wind, Enrique Marquez watched from horseback as the sheep gamboled down the mountain. A border collie nipped the heels of wayward ewes.
All summer and into the fall, the flock grazed on noxious weeds infesting about 1,000 acres of public lands above the Missoula Valley as part of this city's effort to restore its native prairie grasses.
The links below are for 5 short (~2 min.) videos put together by the USDA on how hunters and anglers are getting involved with invasive species prevention and control. They highlight the problems with invasive plants and animals from all over the country and could be a nice tool for outreach.
URL: mms://ocbmtcwmp.usda.gov/content/bmtc/vnr/places_part1.wmv
URL: mms://ocbmtcwmp.usda.gov/content/bmtc/vnr/places_part2.wmv
URL: mms://ocbmtcwmp.usda.gov/content/bmtc/vnr/places_part3.wmv
URL: mms://ocbmtcwmp.usda.gov/content/bmtc/vnr/places_part4.wmv
URL: mms://ocbmtcwmp.usda.gov/content/bmtc/vnr/places_part5.wmv
Tina Arons, Issue date: 10/16/08 Section: La Vida
Experts say plant seeds hitch rides on our shoes like free taxis that
take them to places where they may not be welcome.
But how far can they go?
Some may find the answer surprising.
Search This Site
©Illustrations in the brochure and appearing throughout this website by Mary Reynolds.
Production of the brochure made possible though a grant
from We Energies.
