Contributor: Tyler McKee, MD Department of Natural Resources We may be under a stay-at-home order, but the natural world is on the move as spring comes into full swing. Unfortunately, that includes invasive species. One invasive threat, that has been on the move in Chesapeake watershed since the 1960s, is invasive catfish. Sightings and catch […]
Contributor: Deborah Landau, The Nature Conservancy, MD/DC chapter, dlandau@tnc.org As temperatures begin to rise and we start looking for signs of spring, don’t be fooled by these little yellow beauties as you stroll through the woods looking for wildflowers. Lesser celandine (Ficaria verna), is a member of the buttercup family and more commonly known as […]
Contributor: Tyler McKee With smooth grey bark and bronze leaves lasting deep into winter, the American beech (Fagus grandifolia), is a popular and easily recognizable tree in the eastern forest. It is an ecologically important tree, as it is one of the lone hard mast producers and a climax species of the northern hardwood forest. […]
Contributor: Annise Dobson Many of us have grown up thinking that earthworms are a sign of healthy, fertile soil. However, many earthworms found throughout Maryland are not native. Earthworms can be beneficial in their native ecosystems and agricultural settings, but their ability to re-engineer soil can completely restructure ecosystems and the microbial, plant, arthropod and […]
Contributor: Bud Reaves Invasive vines are colorful and decorative plants that are often used for ornamental purposes for their showy flowers and colorful, sometimes uniquely shaped fruit. They have a downside however, as many invade forested habitats where they can severely limit the growth of, or even kill, trees and shrubs. Fall is a great […]
Contributor: Dr. Ramesh R. Pokharel, Plant Disease Specialist, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Ramesh.pokharel@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (August, 2019) – Thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a complex problem in walnuts, Juglans spp., caused by the fungus Geosmithia morbida and transmitted by walnut twig beetle (WTB), Pityophthorus juglandis. The beetles tunnel under tree bark and introduce the fungus, […]
Contact: James Young, Plant Protection and Quarantine, USDA APHIS | Jim.D.Young@aphis.usda.gov Matt Travis, MD State Plant Health Director, USDA APHIS | Matthew.A.Travis@aphis.usda.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 1, 2015) – Exotic species are in the news almost daily. They can be found in our parks and even in our own backyards. Sadly, many of them are so […]
White Nose Syndrome Fungus – Pseudogymnoascus destructans* Contact: Dana Limpert, Conservation Specialist, MD Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service | DanaL.LIMPERT@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 1, 2015) – White nose syndrome (WNS or PD, Pseudogymnoascus destructans*) was first confirmed in Maryland bat overwintering hibernacula in 2010. The disease has been documented in all major […]
Contacts: Dave Clement, University of Maryland Extension | clement@umd.edu Karen Rane, University of Maryland Plant Diagnostic Lab | rane@umd.edu ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 10, 2014) – Thousand cankers disease (TCD) is a disease complex first discovered in the western United States that primarily affects black walnut (Juglans nigra). This disease is the result of the combined […]
Brian Eyler | Maryland DNR | beyler@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2013) – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is one of several diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSE’s. Scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease (BSE), and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, are also TSE’s. While humans can contract vCJD from eating BSE-infected beef, […]