Terrestrial Plants

DEC: Hogweed’s little brother spreads

Article from NY state

"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...

Invasive species spotter program hopes to spot and stop problem plants

Article from P.E.I., Canada:

"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.

Organizers hope...

U of Minn. study: Invasive plants get a leg up in fertilized grasslands

"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.

Researchers added phosphorus and...

Invader species: Non-native plants taking over state

"Japanese knotweed is spreading along local riverbeds and roadsides faster than anyone can kill it, and it might be too late to get rid of it.

And knotweed is just the most prevalent in a horde of invading botanicals that are quickly moving in.

Joining the ubiquitous thick, viny, broad-leafed, ever-expanding blanket are more than a half dozen other invasive species — to the alarm...

Choose native plants for gardens

By Vermont Fish and Wildlife

Spring has finally arrived in Vermont, and gardeners and landscapers are eagerly breaking out their shovels in anticipation of the year’s spring plantings.

Beyond the beauty new gardens provide, landscapers can make a big difference for wildlife with the plants they choose, according to Vermont Fish & Wildlife biologist Jon Kart.

New England’s plants face significant threat, report says

The lime-green flowers of the slender orchid known as the Small Whorled Pogonia used to bloom on forested slopes throughout New England, but they — and more than one-third of the region’s native orchids — are disappearing.

In all, 22 percent of all native plant species in New England are now either extinct, rare, or in a state of decline, strangled by invasive vines, trampled by...