We are legion, we are lanternfly

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By Kenton Sumter – Maryland Department of Agriculture. It’s been more than four years since spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) made its way into the Maryland Invasive Species Council’s Invader of the Month. While some folks may have lost track of it, this pernicious insect has unfortunately been very busy. From its original discovery in Cecil […]

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Don’t Jump to Conclusions about Asian Jumpseed

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Asian jumpseed   –   Persicaria filiformis   |   May 14, 2022   |   Maryland Invasive Species Council Contacts: Judy Fulton, EcoPlant Consulting, judy@ecoplantconsulting.com | Sara Tangren, National Capital PRISM Asian jumpseed cultivars are often sold or traded as plants native to Maryland. Plant enthusiasts frequently mistake this foreign interloper for a native due to a history of taxonomic […]

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Unravelling Maryland’s Knotweed Problem, One Psyllid at a Time

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This spring, the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) has begun to raise the knotweed psyllid, Aphalara itadori, for eventual release on knotweed (Fallopia spp) plants in Maryland. The first 500 psyllids arrived in April from colleagues at the Philip Alampi Beneficial Insect lab, the New Jersey state facility, and became the start of the Maryland […]

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Take the Bait…don’t dump it!

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Jay Kilian, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Resource Assessment Attention anglers!  What lies in your bait bucket has the potential to damage Maryland’s waters and the quality of your most prized fishing hole.  Your favorite type of bait may help you catch a big fish, but it may also be an invasive species.  Rusty crayfish, […]

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Colossal Catfish Cause Conservation Complications

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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 […]

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Deceptive little buttercup is foe, not friend

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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 […]

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“New Leaf Disease is a Beech”

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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. […]

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The visible invisible: impacts of invasive jumping worms

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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 […]

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