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Hogweed Invades Woodstock, NY By Julia Reischel Watershed Post Bad news just in from CRISP -- the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership: The dreaded giant hogweed plant has officially been found in Woodstock. The invasive weed can grow up to 15 feet tall and its sap causes caustic burns on human skin. It's been advancing across the Catskills, but hadn't been found in Ulster County until now. Read the full story at link . ----------------------------------------------------------

Swallow-wort Biocontrols Pass Test by MARY WOODSEN Northeastern IPM Center Entomologists Richard Casagrande and Heather Faubert helped rid a Rhode Island farm of cypress spurge, an invasive weed, in the late 1990s. The spurge is a pretty thing but a thug nonetheless, and poisonous to cattle. Their weapon: a cadre of hungry beetles, biocontrol agents so keyed into spurge they won’t eat anything else. “Then,” says Casagrande (Univ. of Rhode Island), “along came swallow-wort.” Now Casagrande is leading a team to help find biocontrol foes to take on swallow-wort, research backed by Northeast IPM Partnership funds. A menace to monarchs Swallow-wort is ornery enough to land two botanical monikers. Vincetoxicum spells it out: this plant is poisonous. And Cynanchum means “dog strangler” or “to choke a dog”: take your pick. But swallow-wort has acquired new meaning in the Northeast. This rampant invasive smothers small trees and native toughies like goldenrod, practically swallowing them whole....

Zebra mussels spread in western Massachusetts By Clarence Fanto, Berkshire Eagle Staff Wednesday August 10, 2011 Zebra mussels have been detected in the Housatonic River as far downstream from Laurel Lake in Lee as the Connecticut state line and beyond, according to a report from Biodrawversity, an Amherst-based consulting firm. As of last summer, the invasive mollusks' downstream presence extended only as far as Stockbridge. Senior ecologist Ethan Nadeau, who owns Biodrawversity, measured the downstream migration during tests this summer. The mussels were carried from the lake into the river by Laurel Brook, he said. Biodrawversity confirmed the presence of zebra mussels in Laurel Lake in 2009. Nadeau has alerted the Housatonic Valley Association, said Dennis Regan, the Massachusetts director of the organization. "There is no natural enemy of the mussels, so we can expect them to keep on spreading," Regan said... No other lakes in Berkshire County have been identified as...

CT Offers Tips to Limit Spread of Invasive Species The Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the Lake Zoar Authority will be monitoring local boat launches for the presence of invasive plants and animals, such as zebra mussels. Zebra mussels were discovered in Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah in October 2010. This is the first new report of zebra mussels in Connecticut since 1998, when they were discovered in East and West Twin Lakes in Salisbury.... Actions anglers and boaters must take to prevent the spread of invasive plants and animals, including zebra mussels, are as follows: Before leaving a boat launch, clean all visible plant, fish, and animals as well as mud or other debris. Do not transport them home. Drain all water from every space and item that may hold water. At home or prior to your next launch, dry anything that comes in contact with water (boats, trailers, anchors, propellers, etc.) for a minimum of 1 week during hot/dry weather or a m...

USDA publishes list of prohibited plants, flowers USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service seeks public comment regarding Not Authorized Pending Pest Risk Analysis plant list. For more information, see this link . --------------------------------------------------------- Did Cryptic Invasion of North America by Common Reed Change Exposure to Pollen Allergens? Interesting article... Link . ---------------------------------------------------------- Killing Kudzu With Helium A 17-year-old from Georgia, expanding on what originally began as a sixth-grade science project, is successfully using helium to kill kudzu. Jacob Schindler has invented and patented a drill that delivers helium into the root system. (Other gases he administered this way, such as carbon dioxide, proved ineffective.) He is currently working with Auburn University to test the method over large areas. Read the full story in the Erosion Control journal at link . ---------------------------------------------------...