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Phragmites Partners With Microbes to Plot Native Plants' Demise

ScienceDaily (Dec. 28, 2009) -- University of Delaware researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants. Read more ...

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Researchers learn why invasive plants are spreading rapidly in forests

University Park, Pa. -- Invasive plants are advancing into Eastern forests at an alarming rate, and the rapid spread has been linked by researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences to forest road maintenance and the type of dirt and stone used on roads. Read more ...

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New Invasive Plant Species Education Lessons Website

University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin's Polytechnic University, announces a new Invasive Plant Species Education Lessons website. It has all the lessons, videos, PowerPoints, and many other resources related to the Lessons. This project was funded via a WEEB forestry education grant. LEAF lesson guides were used in the development of this resource. http://www.uwstout.edu/faculty/jamesk/Invasive_Plant/Invasive_Plant.htm

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The Alien Plant Working Group's Invasive Plant Calendar for 2010 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

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HBT™: Herbicide Ballistic Technology

Watch You Tube video

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Streamlining 'search and destroy': cost-effective surveillance for invasive species management

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122381542/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

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To sample or eradicate? A cost minimization model for monitoring and managing an invasive species

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119878129/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

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Milfoil is foiled by herbicide on Minnetonka bays

Milfoil is foiled by herbicide on Minnetonka bays As milfoil spread, so does interest in using chemicals to control it on Lake Minnetonka.
By LAURIE BLAKE, Star Tribune
Last update: December 1, 2009 - 5:11 PM

Two years into a five-year test of herbicides to control Eurasian water milfoil on Lake Minnetonka, results are so encouraging that more shoreline property owners are asking for the chemical treatment in their bays.
http://www.startribune.com/local/west/78155112.html

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FREE Web Seminars on Inventory and Survey Methods for Invasive Plants

Six FREE interactive web seminars on inventory and survey methods for invasive plants are offered by the Center for Invasive Plant Management (CIPM) during January and February 2010. There is no fee for the seminars, but advanced registration is required. Participants will be provided with reading materials in advance of each seminar. To learn more and register visit http://www.weedcenter.org/outreach/project-webseminar.html.

CIPM received a grant from the Western Integrated Pest Management Center to develop and present the web seminar series based on chapters from from Inventory and Survey Methods for Nonindigenous Plant Species (LJ Rew and ML P! okorny, editors. 2006. Montana State University Extension). CIPM coordinated and funded the development and printing of the publication, which presents practical inventory and survey methods for successful application over large areas and provides guidance for selecting methods that best meet the objectives of an integrated pest management strategy.

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Kudzu Found in Ontario!

Kudzu has been discovered on the north shore of Lake Erie in southern Ontario.  See related articles:

The vine that ate the south is here! (PDF)

Fact Sheet from Ontario (PDF)

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It's that time of year again - Microstegium (Japanese Stiltgrass) is going to seed!

Good for research, bad for just about everything else.

Last year many of you were very helpful in collecting seed from populations on properties you manage or visit. That seed is being used in multiple experiments that should shed light on variation in invasiveness across populations and the population genetics of this nasty invader. We are continuing to look at variation among invading populations so more collections are needed.

Please let Luke know if you are willing to collect seed from populations near where you live or work. If so he will send you a short doc with instructions. He could use seed from populations throughout the invasive range but he particularly needs populations from GA, TN, OH, KY, PA, SC, MS, AR, and from New England states.

It would also be very good to have collections from the leading edge of the invasion - has anyone found it in WI, MI, northern IL or IN, or farther north and west than what we typically see on range maps?

Thanks for all your help! And please check out Luke's web page at www.lukeflory.com for current publications on Microstegium and other invaders.

S. Luke Flory, Ph.D.
Indiana University, Department of Biology,Bloomington, IN 47405 Cell: 518-774-4649 Office: 812-855-1674

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Strengthen plant import screening

While many countries have adopted protocols that protect their environment without unduly limiting free trade, the US system remains weak (see the National Plant Board's 2006 assessment. -PDF) The USDA, which bears responsibility for screening plant imports, has released new "Q-37" guidelines for review, with comments due Oct. 21, 2009. Some will resist this proposal, so it is critical that natural resource managers voice their perspectives. Please look at http://www.cal-ipc.org/policy/federal/Q37.php for more info.  

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Photoguide of Ailanthus Wilt Symptoms

prepared by Dr. Don Davis, Forest Pathologist, Penn State University. Don and graduate students have done extensive research on the Ailanthus Wilt in PA. The vascular wilt is caused by the fungus, Verticillium albo-atrum

Ailanthus Wilt Photoguide.ppt (PowerPoint, exit this site)
Ailanthus Wilt Etiology.pdf (PDF, exit this site)

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Over Time, An Invasive Plant Loses Its Toxic Edge

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2009) — Like most invasive plants introduced to the U.S. from Europe and other places, garlic mustard first found it easy to dominate the natives. A new study indicates that eventually, however, its primary weapon – a fungus-killing toxin injected into the soil – becomes less potent.

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Scientists Identify Weevil As Biocontrol For Invasive Garlic Mustard

ScienceDaily (July 27, 2009) — A promising biocontrol agent for garlic mustard, one of the most problematic invaders of temperate forests in North America, has been identified by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.

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Will 'Energy Crops' Become the Next Kudzu?

By JESSICA LEBER of ClimateWire
Published: August 12, 2009

U.S. policies are subsidizing new energy crops that are likely to spread off the farm and wreak economic and ecological havoc, a federal advisory board cautioned yesterday.

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The Invasion of Genetically-Engineered Eucalyptus

Here’s a great idea: Let's bring into our country a genetically-engineered, non-native tree that is known to be wildly invasive, explosively flammable, and insatiably thirsty for ground water. Then let's clone thousands of these living firecrackers and plant them in forested regions across seven Southern states, allowing them to grow, flower, produce seeds, and spread into native environments. http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18881.cfm

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The Center for Invasive Plant Management in Bozeman, MT sells life-like models of invasive plants for educational purposes.  They allow you to show groups what a particular invasive plant looks like without spreading around seeds from live plants in the process.  They have four new species available now.  These are great for educational programs.

Life-like replicas of four more invasive plants are now available: garlic mustard, perennial pepperweed, purple loosestrife, and saltcedar. These species complement the already famous spotted knapweed, yellow starthistle, leafy spurge, and Dalmatian toadflax produced by the Center for Invasive Plant Management. All can be ordered by the box (12 stems) or as part of an educational or display bouquet.

Visit the CIPM Store (www.weedcenter.org/store/index.html) or contact CIPM at 406 994 5557 or weedcenter@montana.edu for more information.

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Narrowleaf bittercress (Cardamine impatiens) is a new, invasive plant species to Minnesota. Since there are a limited number of narrowleaf bittercress colonies in Minnesota, eradicating this species is the objective. Narrowleaf bittercress has been found in several parks along the Mississippi. Early detection and rapid response will stop this species before it spreads.

The flier is posted at:
http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/NR/rdonlyres/2EEDC6EF-D2FF-450D-B9F5-C45275FF37B8/16724/NotWantedNarrowleafBittercressFlier.pdf

We have also posted new fliers for yellow iris and wild parsnip (under "What's That Blooming Weed"): http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/cd/cwma.htm

Feel free to contact me with any questions, or if you have experience controlling narrowleaf bittercress.

Thank you,

Paul Erdmann
Conservation Technician
Ramsey Conservation District
1425 Paul Kirkwold Drive
Arden Hills, MN 55112
(651) 266-7277
fax (651) 266-7276
paul.erdmann@co.ramsey.mn.us

For more information on Narrowleaf bittercress, go to the following the link below or just click on the 'New File' button on the main page to see the flier about narrowleaf bittercress.
http://www.co.ramsey.mn.us/NR/rdonlyres/2EEDC6EF-D2FF-450D-B9F5-C45275FF37B8/16781/NotWantedNarrowleafBittercressFlier1.pdf (PDF file)

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Earthworm Invasion as the Driving Force Behind Plant Invasion and Community Change in Northeastern North American Forests

Abstract:

Identification of factors that drive changes in plant community structure and contribute to decline and endangerment of native plant species is essential to the development of appropriate management strategies. Introduced species are assumed to be driving causes of shifts in native plant communities, but unequivocal evidence supporting this view is frequently lacking. We measured native vegetation, non-native earthworm biomass, and leaf-litter volume in 15 forests in the presence and absence of 3 non-native plant species (Microstegium vimineum, Alliaria petiolata, Berberis thunbergii) to assess the general impact of non-native plant and earthworm invasions on native plant communities in northeastern United States. Non-native plant cover was positively correlated with total native plant cover and non-native earthworm biomass. Earthworm biomass was negatively associated with cover of native woody and most herbaceous plants and with litter volume. Graminoid cover was positively associated with non-native earthworm biomass and non-native plant cover. These earthworm-associated responses were detected at all sites despite differences in earthworm species and abundance, composition of the native plant community, identity of invasive plant species, and geographic region. These patterns suggest earthworm invasion, rather than non-native plant invasion, is the driving force behind changes in forest plant communities in northeastern North America, including declines in native plant species, and earthworm invasions appear to facilitate plant invasions in these forests. Thus, a focus on management of invasive plant species may be insufficient to protect northeastern forest understory species. Full article - fee required

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UK may bring in insect to tackle Japanese Knotweed.

Britain is considering the introduction of a tiny plant-eating insect to tackle the spread of Japanese knotweed in the first such use of a biological controlin Europe, officials said on Thursday.

The government has launched a public consultation on whether to grant a licence to introduce the Aphalara itadori psyllid which naturally controls the invasive weed in its homeland in Japan.

The knotweed, which can grow more than a metre a month and was brought to Britain in the 19th century as an ornamental garden plant, is considered one of the most damaging invasive weeds in Europe and North America. Read more ...

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Predators battle bugs, become pests themselves

Predators battle bugs, become pests themselves By SUDHIN THANAWALA (AP) - SAN FRANCISCO - Imported insects have been deployed as foot soldiers in the fight against invasive bugs and plants that cause billions of dollars in damage each year. But some of those imports are proving to be pests themselves that upset the balance of nature and threaten native species. Read more ...

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Fungus Tapped to Take on Kudzu

By Jan Suszkiw
July 16, 2009

Kudzu, "The Vine that Ate the South," could meet its match in a naturally occurring fungus that Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists have formulated as a biologically based herbicide. Read more ...

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Garlic Mustard Management Protocol

Aldo Leopold Foundation - Since 1996, garlic mustard control on Aldo Leopold Foundation property has consumed a great deal of staff time and foundation resources. Beginning in 2004, a systematic approach to mapping and treating populations has been implemented and continued to evolve in response to field experience.

This step-by-step guide is intended as an introduction and guide to ALF’s approach to garlic mustard control. Here, we provide the basic steps for fieldwork and data sheets for your use in garlic mustard control on your own property.

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Invasive Free Zone Guide (PDF)

The concept of the Invasive Free Zone (IFZ) was introduced in 2004. The name would seem to speak for itself—an Invasive Free Zone is an area that is free of invasive species. Yet, if you have worked with invasive species, you know it is not that simple. Invasive species are very mobile, pervasive, and persistent. Therefore, we liken the goal of the Invasive Free Zone to the Zero Discharge targets set forth by the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Although it may not be possible, the ultimate goal is virtual elimination.

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Invasive Species Experts Directory

http://www.anstaskforce.gov/experts/search.php

This is to alert everyone to the availability of a national experts directory developed by the ANS Task Force to assist with identification of and rapid response to invasive species. Tier 1 experts are public contacts -- the folks in each state you should contact if you find something that may be invasive. Tier 2 contacts are available to registered users -- these are the folks who can provide expertise in identifying species and responding to new invaders.

The system currently includes more than 30 Tier 1 and more than 65 Tier 2 Experts.

If you have relevant expertise and are interested in being listed in the system, please contact Rochelle.Sturtevant@noaa.gov.

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Nitrogen Research Shows How Some Plants Invade, Take Over Others

ScienceDaily (July 6, 2009) -- Biologists know that when plants battle for space, often the actual battle is for getting the nitrogen. Read more ...

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Wildlife Phenology Calendar--2009

Phenology is the study of periodic plant and animal life-cycle events. Wildlife emerging from hibernation, birds nesting or migrating, and flowers blooming are examples of annual phenological events. This calendar identifies phenological events gathered from a variety of sources throughout the Midwest and includes monthly narratives of native wildlife, with a focus on grassland species.

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There has been some discussions lately about glyphosate and frog deformities and this should shed more light on the subject. Read more ...

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HOLEY THISTLE! 

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!

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Japanese knotweed can spread via seed in Wisconsin

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...)

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Presentations from the The “Invasive Species of Grasslands” Conference are now available online.

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Why Invasive Plants Take Over

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.

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