![]() ![]() The purple loosestrife plant, also called garden loosestrife, is a beautiful plant that can grow 3 to 10 feet (1-3 m.) tall with its woody angular stem. Control measures have also been hampered by local gardeners who take the plant home. It has an aggressive growth habit and because it has no natural enemies (insects and wildlife won’t eat it), there is nothing out there to stop the spread of purple loosestrife. Purple Loosestrife InfoĬoming from Europe, purple loosestrife was introduced to North America some time in the early to mid 1800’s, probably by accident, but attempts at purple loosestrife control did not begin until the mid 1900’s. Purple loosestrife info is readily available from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in most of the states affected and is considered a noxious weed. It has become a menace to the native plants in the wetlands of these areas where it chokes out the growth of all its competitors. Two species of Galerucella beetles can provide effective biocontrol for purple loosestrife, but will die off when the population of purple loosestrife goes down, allowing it to grow back again.The purple loosestrife plant ( Lythrum salicaria) is an extremely invasive perennial that has spread throughout the upper Midwest and northeastern United States. #Purple loose strife Patch#Mechanical removal is not recommended, but if done on a small patch and done very carefully (making sure that all parts of the plant are removed) it can work. The best thing to do is monitor natural areas and work to remove purple loosestrife as soon as it is spotted. Once it is established, purple loosestrife is very hard to control and likely won’t completely disappear in a large patch. Purple loosestrife is in bloom July through October and the flowers are a vivid purple that are very easy to spot from a distance. Purple loosestrife has a square, woody stem and opposite leaves. It has a woody root that can have from 30-50 stems coming from it. The leaves of purple loosestrife start out with lance-shaped leaves, but can become very variable in shape as the plant grows. ![]() ![]() Furthermore, the stems of purple loosestrife are very unwelcoming to waterfowl and as a result waterfowl do not frequent areas with purple loosestrife. ![]() This can dry up a shallow water habitat and make it into a terrestrial area, destroying the habitat for native aquatic animals that have been living there. When purple loosestrife enters an area its stiff stems can collect debris such as silt (sedimentation). This makes it very easy for it to out-compete native species. Not only do purple loosestrife seeds germinate very rapidly, purple loosestrife grows faster than almost any wetland plant. Like most invasive plants on the Top 12 list for the Grand Traverse region, purple loosestrife forms monocultures that replace native plants in high quality natural areas, which in turn reduces critical food resources for birds, butterflies, and other wild creatures. What problems does purple loosestrife cause?
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |