It’s Invasive Species Awareness Week. The best way to control invasive plant species:
DO NOT PLANT!
Hiking up the first leg of the Quarry Trail, you may have noticed clumps of green, dense patches of arrow shaped leaves, marked by orange and white flags. Without some form of control, the infestation of Italian Arum (Arum italicum), a non-native plant, will continue to expand, and may lead to extensive damage to the understory ecology of Ruffner Mountain by outcompeting native forest plants. Italian Arum will readily spread by tubers. Each tuber can produce up to 30 “daughter” tubers, and tuber densities can reach up to several thousands per square meter, making it difficult to completely remove tubers to prevent spread. Jamie Nobles, Conservation Director, with assistance from work study students from Jefferson County International Baccalaureate School, is testing methods of control to slow the spread of this invasive species and measuring outcome. Methods often used for invasive plant species control include mechanical removal (removal of fruit, digging up the plant) and herbicide usage (spot treatment).
During this Invasive Species Awareness Week, we hope to inspire awareness and action against these four common invasive species:
- nandina, heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)
- English ivy (Hedera helix)
- lilyturf, monkey grass (liriope sp.)
- leatherleaf mahonia (Berberis bealei)
Scroll through the images below and use them as a simple guide to identify the invasive species growing in your yard, and take action by testing a few methods to keep the plants from spreading to nearby wild spaces.
