Contact: Bob Tatman, MDA-FPM | robert.tatman@maryland.gov Photo: Jon Yuschock, Bugwood.org ANNAPOLIS, MD (February 01, 2016) – The gypsy moth was brought to Medford, Massachusetts by amateur naturalist Leopold Trouvelot in the late 1860s. Cotton was in short supply in the aftermath of the Civil War and Trouvelot hoped to use the webbing of the gypsy […]
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: Stanton Gill, IPM and Entomology Specialist, University of Maryland Extension | Sgill@umd.edu | http://extension.umd.edu/ipm ELLICOTT CITY, MD (October 1, 2013). Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive, destructive pest, originating from Southeast Asia. It has recently been found in Maryland infesting blackberries and raspberries. SWD’s appearance in Maryland is why the Maryland […]
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 […]