Contact: Kerrie Kyde, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | kerrie.kyde@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 14, 2005) – A beautiful, fragrant blooming woody vine from Asia, Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) was introduced into Long Island, NY in 1806 as a garden plant and bank stabilizer. Although initially slow to spread, by 1912 this perennial vine had escaped from […]
Contact: Jonathan McKnight, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | JMcKnight@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 17, 2005) – No sound is more evocative of autumn’s arrival for Marylanders than the honking of the migratory Canada geese that make their winter homes in our fields and rivers. Having spent the spring and summer breeding in the far north, the […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 11, 2004) – Maryland may have an elusive plant disease lurking in unsuspecting neighborhoods. Sudden oak death, as it is commonly known, is caused by the fungus-like pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, and has been designated as the Maryland Invasive Species Council’s “Invader of the Month” for August. Responsible for the deaths of thousands of […]
Contact: Julie Thompson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | Julie_Thompson@fws.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 16, 2005) – Phragmites australis, also known as common reed, is an exotic invasive grass that is becoming an all too common sight in Maryland. It can grow to heights of 15-20 feet and forms a dense monoculture that can be very difficult to […]
Contact: Jonathan McKnight | JMcKnight@dnr.state.md.us | 410-260-8539 ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 6, 2005) – The descendants of five pet mute swans that escaped from their Talbot County home in 1962 have grown to nearly 4000 in the Chesapeake Bay region – and natural resource managers are concerned that without control of adult swans this population, which has more […]
Contact: Lane Heimer, Maryland Department of Agriculture | 410-841-5871 ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 12, 2005) – With spring here, flowers will soon be out, but weeds too will be upon us. One of the worst is Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), a misnomer, because it is actually native to Europe and Asia. Many now call it creeping […]
Contact: Kerrie Kyde, Maryland DNR | kerrie.kyde@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 1, 2005) – A bird in the hand might be worth much more if the bush is one of three common exotic invasive bush honeysuckles. Studies show that robins’ nests in Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) are more likely to experience predation than nests in native shrubs […]
Contact: John Bowers, Maryland Department of Agriculture410-841-5920 | bowersjh@mda.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 23, 2004) – Since the chrysanthemum was first introduced into the United States during colonial times, its popularity has grown such that mums now reign as undisputed “Queen of the Fall Flowers.” However, a fungal disease called chrysanthemum white rust can severely impact this […]
Contact: Jil Swearingen, National Park Service, Center for Urban Ecology, Washington, DC | 202-342-1443 (ext. 218) ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 21, 2004) – The name alone says it all – this is one fast growing plant! Mile-a-minute weed (MAM), also known as devil’s tail tearthumb, is an herbaceous, annual, trailing vine in the buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). […]
Contact: Gaye L. Williams, Maryland Department of Agriculture | 410-841-5920 | williagl@mda.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 17, 2004) – Giant African Snails (GAS), which are illegal in the United States, are appearing in schoolrooms, pet stores and flea markets across the country (really!). While the snails can present some public health concerns, the agricultural and ecological damage they […]