News

The flowers of Wild Chervil form in clusters called an umbel, almost resembling an umbrella.

Many invasive plants in Vermont start blooming in May. Keep an eye out for one obvious bloomer this time of year, Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), or also commonly called “cow parsley”. This invasive plant can be seen alongside roads, and is notable in our rolling Vermont fields. This is a biennial herbaceous plant within the carrot family, Apiaceae. In Vermont, there are two introduced Anthriscus species documented outside of cultivation, and include Wild Chervil and its close relative, Garden Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium). The name, Chervil, comes perhaps from Latin and Greek roots, collectively meaning “leaf to enjoy”.

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middle school students pose in front of the wooded area where they just removed invasive plants

The floodplain forest in Richmond rang out with the excitement and hard work of 50 5th graders. In teams, the students worked to remove a non-native invasive plant—honeysuckle. Their ranks were led by community volunteer, Jon Kart, and the team members of VT Forests, Parks & Recreation’s Invasive Plants Program (VTIPP).

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the flowers of a dame's rocket plant, showing four petals and pink/purple in color, are gathered in a cluster

As winter ends, and spring begins, and we look forward to May, we can start to learn invasive plants that are common early bloomers.

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This is part three (final) in a three-part series on how to create an invasive plant management plan. This section will guide you through assessing and mapping options for everyday landowners.

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"Ohio is taking a swing at nature’s bullies.

Under new rules that went into effect Sunday, the sale and distribution of 38 destructive, invasive plant species will become illegal.

In its list, the state agriculture department included various types of honeysuckles, Bradford pear trees, autumn olive shrubs and fig buttercup flowers that line freeways, coat forest floors and choke wild spaces across Ohio.........................."

Author Credit: By Marion Renault, The Columbus Dispatch

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The growing season for 2017 saw many projects across the state tackling the forest, field, and wetland health issue of non-native invasive plants. Below are highlights of some of these amazing local efforts. Huge thanks to everyone who is working toward making our Vermont landscapes healthier and more resilient, and protecting them for generations to come.

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Japanese barberry

A long-term study of managing Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) shows that clearing the invasive shrub from a wooded area once can lead to a significant reduction in abundance of blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) for as long as six years.

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Monitoring for and treating invasive terrestrial plants are some of the more important things you can do to take care of Vermont’s working forests and natural areas. Effective July of 2016, yard and leaf debris were banned from landfills, including material from invasive plant control.

For any questions regarding invasive plant disposal, contact the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation Waste Management & Prevention Division at: (802) 828-1138, or vtrecycles.com.

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Despite the discouraging discovery of an invasive species near Lake George, the Adirondacks have also seen some recent bright spots in the fight against invasive species.

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The Japanese barberry tree, a popular landscaping shrub with attractive flowers, was banned from sale in the state of New York in the spring of 2015. The Japanese barberry tree is one of the 11 plants on the state’s banned invasives list, but it will soon be returning to nurseries because of research done by the University of Connecticut. The return will likely take place in the next year.

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Management can have as much of an impact as the invasive plants. Removing invasive plants at Button Bay State Park in the “natural area” involves thoughtful control work, to protect rare, threatened, or endangered native plant species.

This is part two in a three-part series on how to create an invasive plant management plan. This section will guide you through outlining the description, purpose of management, desired condition, and current condition of each site under consideration

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Science Daily reports--

Date:  May 18, 2017

Source: Cambridge University Press

Summary: It is easy to assume that getting rid of invasive plants will allow a local ecosystem to return to its natural state, with native vegetation flourishing once again. However, the impact of weedy invaders can linger for years, a new report outlines.

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Will invasive species ruin baseball? 

Well no, not really. However, quite a few people, including Major League Baseball are concerned that they could ruin a part of baseball tradition. The enemy this time is the emerald ash borer. The metallic green beetle should not be anywhere in the United States but it hitched rides over to our country using our modern methods of transportation. More specifically, this beetle came by way of cargo ships across the ocean.

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The USDA Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team has released a  Field Guide for the Biological Control of Weeds in Eastern North America. This guide includes a quick search by flower color (non-flowering are gray), discusses basic plant and biocontrol biology, and has a symbol-driven efficacy quick guide (status for individual biocontrols: high-low priority, caution with redistribution, illegal to redistribute, no establishment, failed to establish). 

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The Stowe Land Trust is working on a multiyear effort to restore native diversity and habitats to 50 acres of conserved land on the DuMont Meadow property at the end of Adams Mill Road.

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