Contact: Ronald Klauda, Maryland DNR | 410-260-8615 | rklauda@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 15, 2013) – The zebra mussel, a small freshwater mollusk native to southern Russia and the Caspian Sea, was first discovered in North America in June 1988, in Lake St. Clair. Since this inadvertent introduction, zebra mussels have spread as far west in […]
Contact: Dick Bean, Maryland Department of Agriculture | dick.bean@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2013) – Exotic and alien species arrive in the US daily. Whether they are brought in intentionally or accidentally makes little difference; the end result can be the same – new introduced pests with potential to cause serious impacts on agriculture, the […]
Brian Eyler | Maryland DNR | beyler@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2013) – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is one of several diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSE’s. Scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease (BSE), and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, are also TSE’s. While humans can contract vCJD from eating BSE-infected beef, […]
Katie ten Hagen | kt10hagen@gmail.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 20, 2012) – Many people have fond memories of raising some sort of classroom “pet,” be it butterflies, frogs, fish, hermit crabs, or “regular” pets like hamsters or gerbils. Watching a plant or animal go through its entire lifecycle is incredibly fascinating and can be an invaluable […]
Contact: Robert Trumbule, Maryland Department of Agriculture | Robert.Trumbule@Maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 20, 2012) – Mile-a-minute weed, Persicaria perfoliata(L.) H. Gross, is an annual Asian vine that has invaded a variety of habitats in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. First discovered in southeastern Pennsylvania in the mid-1930’s, it has since spread to as many as […]
Contact: Jay Kilian, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | 410-260-8617 ANNAPOLIS, MD (July 11, 2012) – Summer is here and it is time to dust off that kayak, pull the waders out of that closet, put a new coat of wax on that boat, inflate the tires on that trailer, and string up some new […]
Contacts:Karen Rane, University of Maryland Plant Diagnostic Lab | rane@umd.eduDave Clement, University of Maryland Extension | clement@umd.edu All boxwoods (Buxus species) are susceptible to boxwood blight, although some variation in disease severity among cultivars has been reported. In addition, Sarcococca (sweet box) and Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) have been infected under laboratory conditions. There are other boxwood diseases that might […]
Contact: Mary Kay Malinoski, University of Maryland Extension | mkmal@umd.edu ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 14, 2012) – The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria, is also known as the bean plataspid, lablab bug, or globular stink bug. It was first discovered near Atlanta Georgia in 2009 and has since spread to South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and one county on […]
Contact: Wesley Knapp, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | WKnapp@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 9, 2012) – What is that beautiful lush green vegetation growing all along over that floodplain with pretty yellow flowers? That is the incredibly invasive lesser celandine (Ficaria verna). Also known as the fig buttercup, this pretty yellow flowering plant now dominates the […]
Contact: Tim Culbreth, Maryland Department of Natural Resources | TCulbreth@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 20, 2012) – For March, the Maryland Invasive Species Council Invader of the Month is taking a different approach and wants to educate everyone on the methods of control available to use in the war on terrestrial invasive plants. At the most basic level, […]
