Weed of the Month
Weed of the Month: Leafy Spurge
Discover the dangers of Leafy Spurge and effective control methods for this invasive plant with its toxic latex, invasive seeds, and deep roots.
Invasive Species | Siberian Peashrub
Siberian peashrub, as its name implies, is a shrub or small tree. It has compound leaves, and, while the leaflets are arranged opposite one another, the leaves are alternate on the stem. It may have sharp, stiff stipules. This plant produces yellow pea flowers in the spring that turn into 1-2-inch-long peapods. Because it spreads by both seeds and roots, it is often found in large stands or hedgerows.
Weed of the Month: Spotted Knapweed
Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa) is blooming and suddenly seems to be everywhere. It’s grey-green wiry foliage help it blend into surrounding vegetation until its pink flowers appear. Then suddenly we see the vast extent of its infestation.
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Weed of the Month: Canada Thistle
Canada Thistle, Cirsium arvense, may be the cleverest weed West of the Mississippi. It boasts a long list of weedy characteristics, including: Perennial growth habit, Ability to reproduce from creeping rhizomes (underground stems that creep out laterally in all directions), An abundance of wind-dispersed seeds that are also long-lived (up to 22 years!), Spiny leaves that are avoided by wildlife and most livestock, Tolerant of a wide range of soil conditions. And worst of all, roots that penetrate anywhere from 6 – 15 feet deep, sequestering nutrients that allow Canada Thistle to recover from any attempts to control it at the surface. To outsmart a weed like this, one must get to know it intimately and discover and exploit its weakness.
Weed of the Month: Oxeye Daisy
Oxeye daisy (Leucanthium vulgare) is the dainty white flower that you see blanketing open fields in and around Wilson, giving the impression of snow in summer. Although a field of daisies may seem preferable to a field of spiny thistles, or bur-covered houndstongue plants, the impacts on native plant communities and the wildlife that depend on them are the same.
Weed of the Month: Houndstongue & Black Henbane
Some of the first noxious weeds that bloom every spring are Black Henbane and Houndstongue. Both are easy to recognize once they flower. The houndstongue produces deep magenta-colored, five-petaled flowers along wiry stalks. Each flower will become a cluster of four burs that carry the plant's seeds and will stick to passers-by like Velcro.Black Henbane has foul-smelling whitish flowers with purple centers. Once pollinated, its flowers produce pineapple-shaped fruits packed with small black seeds.
Weed of the Month: Dames Rocket
Invasive and non-native species were introduced for a variety of reasons. Some hitched a ride and were accidentally introduced. Some were brought along and planted for their medicinal qualities. Others, like Dame’s Rocket (Hesperis matronalis L.), were brought to North America as ornamentals.
August's Weeds of the Month: Field Bindweed & Spotted Knapweed
Field bindweed, a native of Eurasia, is thought to have been introduced into the US through contaminated seed as far back as 1739. This vine species forms a monoculture by climbing and twisting its way up anything and everything keeping other plants from reaching light.
Weed of the Month: Cheatgrass Treatment
Cheatgrass is an annual or winter annual invasive grass that can grow anywhere from 4-to-30 inches high with dense hairs on its leaf sheathes. Cheatgrass also has an early lifecycle which allows growing to begin immediately after the snow melts.