Warnings About Invasive Species...
…and Other Things of Import to Gardeners
It’s safe to say that the retirees and friends attending the March 17 meeting were given more information than they needed to know…like an Agricultural Packet folder full of information, posters – even a CD – describing various invasive plants and insects that can blight gardens, farmland and forest unless they are rooted out or controlled. The folder was from the NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets and prepared by the department’s Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey.
John Bowman, as he introduced Jacqueline Johnson, our speaker, shared a personal experience with “invasive species” at his home in Martinsburg. He had planted a 40x100-foot block of corn that grew beautifully…from all outward appearances. However, looking out the third-floor window, his son noticed the inner portions of corn were bent and twisted as though a wind had swirled through. It wasn’t wind. Local farmers told them their corn patch had been invaded by raccoons smart enough to eat corn from the center of the block to conceal their foraging from us as we walked along the sides of the stand of corn. “Next year,” said John, “we went back to planting our corn in double rows.”
Johnson noted the raccoons were not “invasive species.” “They were here first, and while considered pests in John’s case, her group was more concerned about the uninvited species imported into our country from elsewhere in the world.
She spoke of Leafy Spurge that takes blocks out of native pasture grasses that farm animals need for nourishment. Agricultural researchers have found a beetle that eats only Leafy Spurge and colonies of that beetle are being spread in areas infested by Leafy Spurge. Getting rid of this plant is a long process and involves extensive monitoring and control.
Giant Hogweed is an attractive plant that grows 7 to 9 feet tall and sprouts clusters of white flowers. But looks are deceiving. The Giant Hogweed’s sap raises blisters on human skin. Plant juices can produce painless, but ugly red blotches that later turn into purplish or brownish scars that may persist for several years. Anyone who sees this plant in their travels is advised to avoid contact with it and to notify agriculture authorities.
Asian Longhorn Beetles burrow under tree bark, girdling the tree and causing the tree crown to die, which eventually kills the tree. The method of control is to remove infested trees, chip and burn them…at a cost of $25 million in New York City alone in 2006.
Johnson stressed that the Agriculture Department prepares and distributes an array of informational pieces – brochures, folders posters, and more – and relies on citizens to be watchful for these problem species and critters and to notify them if they notice or suspect the presence of damaging plants and insects. |
