Blue Ridge PRISM Recommendations SOURCE: Blue Ridge PRISM … [Read more...]
Japanese Stiltgrass
Blue Ridge PRISM Recommendations Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) was once used as packing material for transporting porcelain from Asia to North America. It was discovered in the wild in the United States in 1919, most likely due to … [Read more...]
Native and Invasive Plant Legislation in the 2024 General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly convened January 10, 2024 and several bills were introduced in the Senate and House of Delegates that deal with native and invasive plants. MORE … [Read more...]
Two-Horned Trapa (Trapa bispinosa) An Invasive Aquatic Plant
Invasive Pests Invasive pests (plants, insects, diseases, and others) cause enormous economic damage, as well as environmental damage. These displace or destroy beneficial and native plants and animals, reduce biodiversity. The annual economic … [Read more...]
Garlic Mustard
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is an invasive forb that has become widespread throughout much of the United States, including Virginia. It has invaded the understory of some forests and become the dominant plant, thereby greatly reducing the … [Read more...]
Wineberry
Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius)-- sometimes called wine raspberry-- is an invasive shrub that creates prickly, impenetrable thickets. Introduced to North America in the 1890s as breeding stock for raspberries, wineberry displaces native vegetation, … [Read more...]
Callery Pear – Please Beware!
As the temperature warms up and the days get longer in March, many of you have probably seen the white blooms scattered in the forest or perhaps in grown up fields as you travel. While these trees may look “pretty” as the landscape begins to green … [Read more...]
GARDEN ESCAPE ARTISTS
From BLUE RIDGE PARTNERSHIP FOR REGIONAL INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT (PRISM) … [Read more...]
LESSER CELANDINE THREATENS NATIVE SPRING WILDFLOWERS
Lesser celandine grows so densely and rapidly that it forms continuous mats of thick foliage. These mats smother low-lying perennials and prevent seeds of wildflowers, grasses, and trees from germinating. Read more: … [Read more...]
KUDZU: The “Plant That Ate the South”; Is It Eating Bedford?
Kudzu, scientific name Pueraria montana var lobata, has been called America’s most infamous weed, and the vine that ate the South. Does it really deserve this reputation? Is it really ‘taking over’ Bedford? The picture below was … [Read more...]