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 […]
Contact: Carole Bergmann, Forest Ecologist, Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission | 301-949-2818 ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 12, 2004) – Porcelainberry (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) is familiar to almost everyone, even if they can’t name it. Often mistaken for the native grape, Porcelainberry is a deciduous vine of the grape family (Vitaceae). Popular in the horticultural trade […]
Contact: Jonathan McKnight, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | 410-260-8539 | jmcknight@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (June 18, 2004) – There are few success stories in the history of the introduction of invasive exotic species to North America. After all, a true success is a species that is prevented from ever entering a North American ecosystem, and no […]
Contact: Dick Bean, Maryland Department of Agriculture | 410-841-5920 | beanra@mda.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 27, 2004) – Is it Shakespeare? No, it’s Sharka, a viral disease of plums and other stone fruits that has spread steadily from eastern to western Europe over the last 80 years. So far, the virus has not been found in Maryland. Officials […]
Contact: Carole Bergmann | Carole.Bergmann@mncppc-md.org301-949-2818 ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 2004) – Institutions of higher learning in our country are sometimes described as “ivory towers.” For February’s Invader of the Month, the Maryland Invasive Species Council examines “ivy towers”, the columns that English ivy, Hedera helix, makes when it scales buildings or forest trees. English ivy is frequently used […]
Contact: Sylvan Kaufman, Adkins Arboretum | 410-634-2847 (ext. 13) ANNAPOLIS, MD (Dec. 2, 2003) – The colors of fall are reflected beautifully in the yellow and red fruits of the Oriental bittersweet vine decorating wreaths or dried flower arrangements, but what happens when the colors fade and that bittersweet is thrown out into the woods […]
Contact: Dick Bean, Maryland Department of Agriculture | 410-841-5920 ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 3, 2003) – Landscapers and homeowners are not the only ones that like the popular euonymus shrub. The Maryland Invasive Species Council’s latest “Invader of the Month,” Pryeria sinica, likes it too. Pryeria sinica, a moth that feeds on the leaves of euonymus shrubs in […]
ANNAPOLIS, MD (Oct. 6, 2003) – In recent years, the multicolored Asian lady beetle (Harmonia axyridis) has become a common visitor in and around homes and gardens in Maryland. A native of Asia, this lady beetle was initially released in California in the early 1900’s, but was also released many times from 1978 to 1985. […]