Exit holes (center) and egg laying sites (above and below exit hole) are signs of Asian longhorned beetle damage that are visible this time of year. Image: J. Formann Orth Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources
It’s Invasive Species Week!
The BTLT Stewardship team primarily manages the proliferation of invasive species during the summer field season by addressing problem areas of several plant species. These species include Asiatic bittersweet, multiflora rose, shrubby honeysuckle and Japanese barberry. However, winter can also be an excellent time to spot problem areas of other invasive species that may be lesser known!
Check out this article from the Maine Forest Service about some invasive species that could be more easily spotted this month as well as ways to help monitor forest health in our state.
https://www.btlt.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/alb-hole_crop.jpg416554Lydia Coburnhttps://www.btlt.org//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BTLT2021WebBanner1Green-300x90.pngLydia Coburn2022-03-04 11:39:532022-03-04 11:41:15National Invasive Species Awareness Week
https://www.btlt.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/unnamed-1-1.jpg439585Lydia Coburnhttps://www.btlt.org//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BTLT2021WebBanner1Green-300x90.pngLydia Coburn2020-02-25 10:56:142020-02-25 10:59:04It's National Invasive Species Awareness Week!
If you google the plant “Euonymus fortunei,” or “wintercreeper,” you’ll get two different kinds of results. The first kind will detail a plant that has won the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit, has cultivars named “Emerald Gaiety” and “Emerald Surprise,” and may be on sale at your local garden center for $39.99. The second kind details a plant that is listed on the Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States, was named an “alien plant invader” by the Plant Conservation Alliance, and often is accompanied by the words: “DO NOT PLANT.”
We sure got an “Emerald Surprise” when we realized this plant was growing rampantly at our Smart Property this summer. The Smart Property, one of our newest acquisitions, is a 3-acre floodplain forest on the banks of the Androscoggin River, filled with towering silver maples and green ashes and home to warblers and waterfowl alike. We first noticed the mysterious emerald evergreen vine climbing nearly to the tops of some of these trees, and saw that where it touches the forest floor, it transforms into a blanket of dense groundcover growth. We can’t know for certain how or when wintercreeper first appeared at this property, but its proximity to the riverbank indicates that it hitched a ride on the Androscoggin River, likely after getting washed out of somebody’s garden upstream, and was deposited during a spring flood.
As stewards of our conserved lands, it is our responsibility to protect our properties from invasive species—which reduce biodiversity, threaten rare species, and choke out native trees and herbs. But there are many occasions and circumstances where the battle against invasive species feels futile—that you could spend your whole life cutting brush and yanking weeds, and you’d hardly put a dent in the waves of bittersweet, knotweed, honeysuckle, and barberry that seem fated to overtake our native landscape.
However, this time is different: because this is only the second known wild population of wintercreeper in the state, treating this infestation means that we have a real chance to prevent this plant from creeping into the rest of the state and strangling floodplain forests from Salmon Falls to the St. John. And we weren’t about to let that chance pass us by!
So we spent a few days with our Regional Field Team yanking the vines down last week—they come off the tree with a satisfying zzzzzip!—and digging the roots out of the ground, but it will likely take a few years of active management to fully remove wintercreeper from the Smart floodplain forest.
So if you’re looking for new plants to put in your garden, don’t just go with what’s on sale at your local garden store, because it may have ulterior motives for world domination. Please consider buying New England natives! The Native Plant Trust has published a database of great garden plants that also support our native biodiversity—learn more by visiting their website.
https://www.btlt.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Euonymus_fortunei_Emerald_Gaiety_2zz.jpg266400Lydia Coburnhttps://www.btlt.org//wp-content/uploads/2021/03/BTLT2021WebBanner1Green-300x90.pngLydia Coburn2019-08-14 12:11:542019-08-14 12:13:22Wintercreeper, a Maine Invasive
This past week, land stewards from the Regional Field Team helped Margaret and I complete various projects at several properties in Brunswick and in Topsham. It is true that a little help goes a long way. With the assistance from the Regional Field Team, we were able to accomplish a lot of important tasks that would otherwise be daunting. Thanks to their hard work and upbeat demeanors, the trails at Woodward Cove are in better condition and are waiting to be explored and enjoyed!
We dedicated a significant part of the week to working on improvements at Woodward Cove, a property located on Gurnet Road in Brunswick. The water access trail was re-routed to create a direct path to the water and to protect and conserve the marshes. In the near future, BTLT anticipates installing stone steps to ensure its users a safer transition from the land to the water. Additionally, this will aid in protecting the shore from further erosion. On the loop trail, invasive plant species were removed and bog bridges were installed.
These projects presented us with the opportunity to learn and fine-tune valuable stewardship skills and techniques. We learned how to properly use a chain saw to cut down hazardous trees. I learned how to identify and remove several invasives. Woodward Cove is home to a non-native plant called Bittersweet. It is characterized by its bright orange roots, which should be hung off the ground in nearby trees to prevent further spreading. The Regional Field Team and I had a fun time testing each other’s invasive plant knowledge. How many invasives can you identify on the Woodward Cove trails?
