Skip to content

Invasives Watch

     

    Garlic Mustard

     

    Garlic mustard. Photo: Cathy Caldwell

    Start looking for  garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) in your landscape and eliminate it in spring when the ground is moist and the plant is easy to pull up. This invasive plant has displaced native wildflowers such as spring beauty, wild ginger, bloodroot, trillium, and toothworts in many forested areas.  Although it is easiest to recognize after it produces white flowers in early April, its foliage is also distinctive, and all parts of the plant emit a strong garlic odor.  It is essential to remove garlic mustard before it sets seed. For more information on identification and treatment, see the Blue Ridge PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management) Factsheet/Garlic Mustard and Weed Alert – Garlic Mustard/ Blue Ridge Prism.

     

    Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)

    Keep an eye out for stiltgrass seedlings, which germinate in early to mid-spring.  If you pull them up now, they won’t have a chance to produce and spread seeds, which happens in late summer/autumn.  For details on identifying and controlling Japanese stiltgrass, see Japanese Stiltgrass Identification and Management, NC State Extension.

    Japanese stiltgrass seedlings. Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, Univ. of Conn., Bugwood.org
    Japanese stiltgrass seedlings. Photo: Chris Evans, Univ.of Ill., Bugwood.org

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Callery Pear

    Callery pear. Photo: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

    Now is the time to identify Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) because it is easy to spot when it is in bloom, which usually happens in March. When you find one, tag it, so you can easily find it later in the year when it is time to apply control methods.  If you spot it while hiking or tramping through the woods, report sightings to EDDMapS.

     

     

    Mile-a-Minute Vine

    Mile-a-minute vine (Persicaria perfoliatum). Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, U. of Conn., Bugwood.org.

    Mile-a-Minute (Persicaria perfoliata) is an annual vine and prolific seeder that can grow 6” a day and reach heights of 25’ in a single season.  Mile-a-minute can be manually pulled before it sets seed but wear gloves to protect against the barbs.

    Foliar sprays are effective but also kill whatever is underneath the vine. A preemergent herbicide may be necessary in large areas of infestation. The herbicide should be applied to the soil in early to mid-March.

     

     

     

    SOURCES:

    Featured Photo:  Callery pears in bloom.  Photo:   Gena Breakiron

    Connecticut’s Invasive Plant Management Calendar, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group

    “Invasive Plant Control Calendar,” The Garden Shed/Piedmont Master Gardeners