Invasive Species in Your Backyard Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy, Benzie Conservation District, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Leelanau Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy, Saving Birds Thru Habitat
Title: New Invaders in our Habitats- Early Detection and Rapid Response What are the impacts of invasive species and how our efforts can help protect our environment. You will learn about how to walk in the woods, fields, dunes and wetlands and ID several new invading plants. We will also discuss successful volunteer and community efforts to identify and remove invaders and restore our best loved natural places. The Leelanau Conservancy protects the land, water and scenic character of Leelanau County, Michigan. I am Jenée e Rowe, Stewardship Director of the Leelanau Conservancy.
Goals for the Workshop What are invasive plants? Top 20 invasive plants in our region Discuss control options Beyond your backyard How to get involved
What are invasive plants?
Invasive plants are plants with the ability to invade natural plant communities and replace native vegetation. Not all exotic plants are invasive.
Why are they a threat?
Why are invasive plants a threat? Displace native vegetation Degrade wildlife habitat Contribute to endangerment of rare or endangered plants Homogenize the landscape Degrade soil health and vitality Threat to human health Impact recreational opportunities and vistas
Over-stabilize the dunes Allelopathy Shade out tree seedlings
Where do they come from? Typically from other continents and countries, but some, like black locust, are native to other regions of the United States.
How did they get here? Accidental importation Culinary & medicinal purposes Ornamental plant trade Agriculture
Why should you care?
On a global basis...the two great destroyers of biodiversity are, first habitat destruction and, second, invasion by exotic species (E.O. Wilson) About 400 of the 958 species (42%) that are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act are considered to be at risk primarily because of competition with and predation by non-indigenous species (Nature Conservancy 1996; Wilcove et al. 1998) Invading alien species in the United States cause losses adding up to almost $120 billion per year. (David Pimentel et al. 2004)
Threats to Biodiversity Source: Precious Heritage: The Status of Biodiversity in the United States The Nature Conservancy and NatureServe
Top 20 Weeds of Leelanau, Benzie, and Grand Traverse Counties 1. Autumn Olive 2. Baby s s Breath 3. Barberry 4. Black Locust 5. Bladder Campion 6. Blue Lyme Grass 7. Buckthorn 8. Bull Thistle 9. Honeysuckle 10. Canada Thistle 11. Dame s s Rocket 12. Garlic Mustard 13. Japanese Knotweed 14. Leafy Spurge 15. Multiflora rose 16. Phragmites 17. Purple Loosestrife 18. Reed Canarygrass 19. Spotted Knapweed 20. Tree of Heaven
Videos Garlic Mustard Phragmites
Phragmites Workshop Saturday June 6, 2009 9am-12pm or 2pm-5pm Hagerty Center in Traverse City RSVP to The Watershed Center Denise Baker (231) 935-1514 or dbaker@gtbay.org
In our forests Garlic Mustard Dame s Rocket
Biennial or short-lived perennial White, pink or purple flowers Blooms mid-may through July Prefers full sun and moist soils Dame s s Rocket
Control of Dame s s Rocket Hand pulling Herbicide 1.5-2% Roundup (glyphosate( glyphosate) Disposal is VERY important
On our dunes Baby s breath, bladder campion, spotted knapweed, and blue lyme grass
Baby s-breath Breath Each plant produces thousands of seeds Plants break off and tumble across the dunes spreading the seeds Baby s-breath over-stabilizes the open dune habitat and displaces native flora
Control of Baby s s Breath Taproots can be severed by a shovel below caudex and plant pulled out of soil Roundup can be applied directly to the foliage, May to August
Bladder Campion Herbaceous perennial White flowers with bladders One plant can produce 20,000 seeds Found along roadsides and other disturbed areas
Bladder Campion
Control of Bladder Campion Sever taproot with shovel, similar to baby s s breath. Biological controls are being investigated
Biennial or perennial Leaves grayish green Purple flower Found along roadsides, old fields, and pastures Spotted Knapweed
Spotted Knapweed
Control of Spotted Knapweed Hand pulling is effective Hot prescribed and repeated burns Tordon, Grazon and Transline herbicides Biological controls: two root mining moths, a flower moth, and a root mining beetle
Blue Lyme Grass Perennial grass 2-42 feet in height Leaves are blue- green in color Prefers sandy soil Sold as an ornamental Used to control erosion
Control of Blue Lyme Grass Herbicide in early spring *mechanical removal is not practical or effective because plants will resprout from rhizomes
Shrubs of our fields, forests and wetlands Autumn Olive Buckthorn Honeysuckle
Autumn Olive Medium to large shrub Leaf bottom is silver in color Stems may be thorny Invades disturbed areas Found in forests, edges, roadsides, meadows, fencerows and sand dunes
Buckthorn (Common and Glossy) Deciduous shrub to small tree Grows 10-25 feet tall Develops black berries Twigs may have thorns Found along roadsides, edges, prairies, old fields and wetlands
Honeysuckles Upright shrub or bush Small, pink or white flowers Red or orange berries Invades forests, savannas, and prairies
Control of Shrubs Small seedlings can be hand pulled Weed Wrench can be used on small sized trees Large trees can be cut and stems covered with Garlon or Roundup, Sept- March Dense infestations can be mechanically treated, followed by spraying resprouts
Control Options Manual Mechanical Chemical more is NOT better Biological Most effective combination with least amount of impact
Plan your attack Prioritize efforts which species? where? Be strategic outliers What do you value? What is the threat?
Do not delay the time is NOW! Low Cost, High Success
Typical invasion Widespread awareness (many locations) No hope!! Detection (scattered locations) Introduction Area invaded Time simple, cheapest feasible, cheaper difficult, intensive, costs more expensive management, lower success Phyllis Higman, MNFI
Beyond Your Backyard Participate in Garlic Mustard Mania this week Educate yourself and spread the word (not the weed!) Volunteer with ongoing local efforts