Contact: Steve Kendrot, USDA | 410-221-7857 ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 3, 2009) – In the nearly 70 years since nutria (Myocastor coypus) were introduced into the marshes at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, Maryland, these invasive aquatic rodents have wreaked havoc in the Chesapeake Bay. Originally brought to the area for its luxurious fur, […]
Contact: Alan Heft, Maryland DNR Inland Fisheries Management Division | 301.689.7107 ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 5, 2009) – It is illegal to import grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) into Maryland waters for many reasons, the most important of which is that grass carp pose a serious threat to the ecological integrity of Chesapeake Bay. Grass carp, also known […]
Contact: Jay Kilian, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Resource Assessment Service | 410-260-8617 ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 3, 2009) – The use of live bait for sport fishing is widespread in North America. Demand for live bait has generated a significant bait industry that is now worth over US $1 billion annually. Live terrestrial and aquatic […]
Contact: Carol Holko, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed Management | 410.479.2047 | holkoca@mda.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 5, 2009) – The introduction and movement of invasive and exotic forest pests is often accelerated and assisted by human activities. Firewood has great potential to introduce highly destructive forest pests into new uninfested susceptible locations. In […]
Contact: Steven A. Tilley, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Forest Pest Management | 410.479.2047 | satilley@dmv.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (December 2, 2008) – Beech Bark Disease (BBD) complex consists of two organisms, a scale insect and a fungal pathogen, which together create entry wounds and infection that kill beech trees. The beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga), causes wounds to […]
Contact: Jil Swearingen, National Park Service | 202.342.1443 | Jil_Swearingen@nps.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 18, 2008) – Winged burning bush, winged euonymus, or winged wahoo (Euonymus alatus) is native to Northeastern Asia, Japan and Central China. It was introduced for use as an ornamental plant for landscaping around 1860 and has been widely planted by landscape professionals, […]
Contact: Maryland Home and Garden Information Center | 410-531-5556 | http://extension.umd.edu/hgic ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 1, 2008) – Unfortunately, being stinky is not the only claim to fame for the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), an Asian pest that was recently discovered in the Northeast United States. Because this new exotic insect has the potential to damage […]
Contact: Heather Coiner, University of Toronto | h.coiner@utoronto.ca | 416-946-8115 ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 4, 2008) – Once hailed as the “savior of the South”, now reviled as a “scourge”, kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) has consistently excited popular passions. Kudzu’s fast-growing vines climb by twining around structures and vegetation, killing underlying plants by shading them from the sun. In […]
Contact: Kerrie Kyde, MD DNR | kerrie.kyde@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 6, 2008) – Blooming from early-June well into July, poison hemlock, Conium maculatum, is noticeable all along roadsides and in moist meadows. Native to Europe and the Mediterranean, poison hemlock is widely distributed throughout the U.S., including Maryland. This member of the Apiaceae, or Parsley family, can […]
Contact: Bob Tichenor, USDA APHIS | robert.h.tichenor@aphis.usda.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 2, 2008) – The gypsy moth story begins in the late 1860’s. There is a shortage of cotton in the aftermath of the Civil War, and a persistent disease is plaguing the silk worm industry. Arriving on the scene is Leopold Trouvelot, an amateur naturalist from […]