Species |
Basic identification |
History/habits |
Management |
Garlic
mustard
|
Cool-season, biennial herb grows 12"-40" tall; white flowers; leaves smell like garlic when crushed.
|
An invasive European species, it prefers forested areas. Rapidly spread by seed.
|
Hand pull before flowering and bag up.
Apply herbicide in early spring/late fall.
Prevent any plants from going to seed.
|
Exotic bush honeysuckles
|
All of these multi-stemmed shrubs (3-10" tall) have shallow roots, oval leaves, & fragrant pink to white flowers.
|
Native to Eurasia spread as ornamentals; form dense understory thickets-thrive on edges/sunny spots.
|
Pull or dig up w/ leverage tool.
Cut & apply herbicide to stump in fall or winter.
|
Gypsy
moths
|
1" male, 11/2" female--egg masses 11/2" teardrop-shaped covered with tan hairs, some 600-1000 eggs.
|
Adults cannot feed & live only to mate & produce eggs. Masses are laid in August, overwinter, & hatch in May.
|
Spray masses w/ Golden Pest Spray Oil in winter to mid-April; flood small area w/ a pheromone to confuse males-prevent mating.
|
Common/glossy buckthorns
|
Reach 20' tall; dark bark w/ silvery marks called lenticels. Common has dull leaves, glossy has shiny leaves.
|
Native to Eurasia; both introduced as ornamentals; spread by seed into dense thickets.
|
Cut and apply herbicide to trunk in late summer through late winter.
|
Japanese
barberry
|
Numerous stems w/ stiff, short spines; grows 3 to 6" tall. Small yellow flowers, shallow root system.
|
Sold by nurseries & landscapers; very adaptable. Becomes dense in woodlands-shades out understory.
|
Hand pull before flowering and bag up.
Apply herbicide in early spring/late fall.
Prevent any plants from going to seed.
|
Leafy
spurge
|
Tiny, inconspicuous yellow-green flowers in clusters & yellowish bracts; alternate leaves, milky latex in stem.
|
Reproduces vegetatively by means of buds on lateral roots and by seeds; aggressive exotic weed in openings.
|
Hand pull before flowering and bag up.
Apply herbicide in early spring/late fall.
Prevent any plants from going to seed.
|
Spotted
knapweed
|
This biennial or short-lived perennial's flowering stems range from 2 to 4' in height; small, thistle-like pink flowers.
|
Native to Eurasia, it was introduced accidentally through seed stock. It invades roadsides and fields.
|
Wear leather gloves, pull out, and bag up.
Dig or pull entire root system.
Prescribed fire or herbicide treatments.
|
Dame's
rocket
|
This showy, short-lived perennial has large, loose clusters of fragrant white, pink, or purple 4-petaled flowers.
|
Native to Eurasia, and used as a garden plant, it can escape & spread rapidly by seed into woodlands.
|
Check 'wildflower' mixtures before planting.
Prevent plants from going to seed-pull out.
Apply a broadleaf herbicide/prescribe burn.
|
Reed canary
grass
|
This large, coarse grass reaches 2 to 9" tall, has wide 3 to 10" leaf blades that taper at the ends. It forms dense stands.
|
Native to Eurasia & N. America, vigorous varieties of this perennial invade wetlands & disturbed open areas.
|
Prescribed burns followed by herbicide.
Mowing in spring and fall followed by herbicide.
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