These grants will support efforts to prepare for and manage the impacts of emerald ash borer (EAB). EAB is a destructive and invasive forest pest that feeds on all species of ash trees, killing over 99% within four years of infestation. The state's forested land is made up of about 5% ash, yet up to 50% of downtown trees in Vermont are ash. All said, Vermont is home to an estimated 160 million ash trees. EAB is now confirmed in Orange, Washington, Caledonia, Grand Isle, and Bennington Counties. Communities statewide are encouraged to prepare to manage the decline of ash trees and the future of an urban tree canopy without ash.

European spindle tree (Euonymus europaeus) is a member of the spindle tree family (Celastraceae), which includes species that are also invasive to North America like burning bush (Euonymus alatus) and Asiatic bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus). Species within the spindle tree family are woody shrubs or woody vines, all which have brightly colored flesh (arils) around the seeds ranging from reds to oranges. These fruits appear on the European spindle tree in the late summer and early fall.

If you’ve ever spent a late August afternoon along a lake with a reedy shoreline, you may have noticed the brilliant, beautiful purple flowers of this month’s focal plant: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).

In mid-summer, Vermont starts to see a wave of yellow flowers bloom along roads, fields, meadows, and trails. This plant is called Wild Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) and is similar in appearance to Queen Ann’s Lace (Daucus carota). Wild Parsnip is a member of the carrot family (Apiaceae), and is currently considered taxonomically indistinct from the common garden parsnip.

Officials say the invasive pest the emerald ash borer has been found in the southern Vermont town of Stamford. The location is within five miles of a location in North Adams, Massachusetts, where the insect was also recently discovered.