Exotic Pest of Manitowoc County

[AJE]

Originally Posted by AJE

Name: Purple loosestrife


Description: Purple loosestrife grows individual flowers with five to six pink-purple petals. The plant can reach 6 feet in height.


How they got here: Settlers introduced purple loosestrife, originally from Europe and Asia, in the 1800s as an ornamental plant for flower gardens. Seeds were found in ballast water of ships. The plant eventually made its way into local waterways and began growing in wetlands.


Local impact: Purple loosestrife competes with native plants in wetlands in Manitowoc County and, as a result, destroys native habitat where fish and wildlife feed, seek shelter, and reproduce. According to the DNR, about 40,000 acres of wetlands, marshes, pastures and meadows in Wisconsin are threatened by purple loosestrife.


Steps taken: Purple Loosestrife will stay in the county, but it is not spreading nearly as much as it used to due to the introduction of the Galerucella beetle, a loosestrife-eating insect. Property owners can manage plant populations by weeding and chemical controls.

Posted July 14, 2006

Taming the beast

Invasive plant is under control in Schuette Park

By Kristopher Wenn
Herald Times Reporter


MANITOWOC — Lower Henry Schuette Park is fighting its way back to its native habitat with the help of local conservationists and a little bug.


Purple loosestrife, an invasive plant, grew unchecked in the park for years. The plant nearly wiped out the native marsh habitat along the Manitowoc River by stifling the growth of native wetland flora.

Follow this link to the full artical published in HTR-Manitowoc
http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...607140684/1984