Seed catalogs have long been abandoned, as many of us are grabbing onto our shovels and rakes, waiting for the weather to warm and the ground to thaw. If invasive plant control is on your “to-do” this spring, here are some recommendations for useful tools, and resources for how to use them.
Snow lined fields, seed catalogs in the mailbox, and Punxsutawney not seeing his shadow bring thoughts of spring. A popular pastime in Vermont is to plan a walk through the woods just after snowmelt, and catch the brilliance of our spring ephemerals (short-lived wildflowers).
Finding a way to stop fire-prone cheatgrass and other invasive species is unavoidable if sagebrush ecosystems in the West are to remain viable for native plants and animals, experts say.
More than 200 federal and state land managers and scientists trying to figure out how to do that took part in the three-day 2015 Western Invasive Weed Summit that wrapped up...
"Going for a walk the other day along a public trail I was struck by the number of invasive shrubs I saw. Most trees and shrubs have shed their leaves, but burning bush (Euonymus alatus), Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) still have leaves on their branches. Holding leaves and producing food by photosynthesis gives them extra energy to take over the world...
"STERLING - There is a swath of grass cut on the edge of a field at Michael Pineo's farm about one-and-a-half highway lanes wide, but even that does not protect the field from one of Central Massachusetts' most challenging invaders.
"It still spreads everywhere," he said, pointing to tree-sized bushes of autumn olive - plants once used for roadside stabilization but now are an invasive...
"Most readers are familiar with monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus). The striking orange and black species has historically been widespread throughout North America.
Its life history makes it an attractive tool for lessons about insect ecology. Monarch caterpillars forage exclusively on milkweed (Asclepias). Foul-tasting chemicals they acquire from the plants render monarch...
"The tiny seedling was brought over from Eastern Europe and parts of Asia nearly 200 years ago and planted along riverbanks across the United States, mostly in the Southwest, to prevent erosion. It grew fast, its thick branches and oily leaves spreading across five states. As years passed, it became obvious that the introduction of salt cedar, or Tamarisk trees was a mistake. The invasive tree...
"Years ago, President Woodrow Wilson grazed sheep on the White House lawn. The wool was sold to raise money for the Red Cross during World War I.
Today there are other reasons to pasture animals on public property in towns and villages – and two Vermont towns experimenting with the practice are seeing positive results.
In Randolph, just at the edge of the village, Jenn Colby’s...
As a landscaper, Judson Kimble is used to pulling out tough weeds. But this plant fought back.
"The foliage, the stems, the flowers. Any of it. If you break it, it all has juice inside of it," Kimble said.
That juice earned the wild parsnip its second name, "poison parsnip." And it's the reason Kimble has long, red marks all over his arms. When the sap hit his...
"An attractive yellow flower blooming along Southern Tier highways and in open areas is related to the giant hogweed and should be avoided, the state Department of Environmental Conservation advises.
The wild parsnip has expanded its range in recent years, and while not as dangerous as the giant hogweed, which can severe burns and blisters, is still not to...
"There's a new way for Islanders to help keep invasive plants under control.
The first P.E.I. Invasive Species Spotter's Network training workshop starts Thursday.
People will be trained to identify, photograph and report invasive species, to help catch new ones before they become established and widespread on the Island.
"A University of Minnesota study published Wednesday shows that invasive plant species have an advantage over native species when grasslands are fertilized.
The study involved multiple years of data on 64 grassland sites in 13 countries around the world, including the university's Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve near East Bethel, Minn.
The spread of invasive plants will be nipped in the bud thanks to a $2.25 million investment from the provincial government.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced that millions of dollars in funding will be distributed over the next three year in order to help reduce the spread of invasive species in British Columbia.
Each country has its own invasive species and rampant plants with a tendency to grow out of control. In most, the techniques for dealing with them are similar - a mixture of powerful chemicals and diggers. But in the US a new weapon has joined the armoury in recent years - the goat.
In a field just outside Washington, Andy, a tall goat with...
