Contact: Wesley Knapp, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | Wesley.Knapp@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2016) – We’ve never seen an invasive species quite like this one before. The waterwheel (Aldrovanda vesiculosa L.) is an herbaceous carnivorous aquatic plant closely related to sundews (Drosera spp.) and Venus flytraps (Dionaea muscipula). It catches animal prey through an […]
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 […]
Contact: Carolyn Puckett, Carroll County Forest Conservancy Board | ccforestryboard@gmail.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (November 1, 2015) – No, we are not talking about indiscretions by European aristocrats. Our misbehaving “lords and ladies” are errant populations of Arum italicum, whose common names include “Italian arum,” “orange candleflower,” “cuckoo’s pint,” as well as “Italian lords-and-ladies.” Like many of […]
Contact: Sylvan Kaufman, Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council | Sylvan.Kaufman@gmail.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (October 1, 2015) – Porcelainberry vine was a popular ornamental plant with its beautiful multicolored fruits, but it has become a thug in backyards, urban parks, and natural areas across Maryland. The Maryland Invasive Species Council (MISC) has chosen Porcelainberry as October’s “Invader of […]
Contact: Kerrie L. Kyde, Maryland DNR | Kerrie.Kyde@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 1, 2015) – Exotic earthworm species in the eastern U.S. provide an additional stressor for mature and successional forests already affected by disturbance, climate change, invasive insect pests and diseases, and overabundant white-tailed deer. Where native earthworm species were extirpated due to glaciation, or […]
Contacts: Meghan Fellows, MNCPPC | meghan.fellows@montgomeryparks.org Carolyn Puckett, Lead, Carroll County Weed Warriors | cpuck@comcast.net Anne Goodman, Volunteer Coordinator, Rockville Native Species Network | communitywildlifehabitat@gmail.com Matt Salo, Naturalist, Town of Cheverly | mtsalo1@gmail.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 4, 2015) – Take a look around your local natural area. What do you see? Hopefully, there is a healthy […]
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 […]
Contact: Matthew Ashton, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | 410‑260‑8604 | matthew.ashton@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2015) – Named for its distinct dark and light striped shell, the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is a small, triangular freshwater bivalve mollusk that attaches to hard surfaces with hairs called byssus. Like many other nuisance species, zebra mussels are prolific […]
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 […]
Contact: Kerrie Kyde, Maryland DNR Natural Heritage Program | Kerrie.Kyde@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 9, 2014) – A new invasive vine related to grapes has appeared in Maryland. Like its cousin porcelainberry, bushkiller (Cayratia japonica) is a perennial vine with tendrils that allow it to climb up and over other vegetation. Bushkiller earns its murderous name […]