Posted on 08/24/2009 5:08:51 PM PDT by Coleus
Purple loosestrife has raised its pretty head again this summer. But agricultural officials say the invasive and troublesome swamp plant that once threatened to choke off Garden State wetlands does not stand a chance of getting past a tiny army of weed killers New Jersey agricultural agents are releasing. While the hue of the loosestrife's magenta blooms may occasionally taint roadside ditchess and wetlands, it has faded on the landscape because of thousands of tiny beetles munching away at the weeds.
"We win against the loosestrife, temporarily. Then it comes back, and we knock it down again. But the loosestrife will never get back to the levels and the problems it posed a decade ago. The beetles won't let it," said entomologist Mark Mayer of the state's Beneficial Insect Lab as he waded into a small patch of loosestrife on the banks of Echo Lake in Union County today.
Mayer was talking of the two species of beetles from the "Galerucella" genus -- bugs from Eurasian countries where purple loosestrife is native. The beetles feed almost solely on the weed, leaving native plants alone as they bounce from site to site hunting the purple-headed flora and reproducing a new generation of weed-eaters as they eat their fill of a plant that once posed an ecological nightmare in the nation. "Purple loosestrife has been here since the 1800s. It came in the ballasts of ships from Europe. But it only became a problem about 10 years ago when it suddenly seemed to be everywhere. That's how these things go," Mayer explained.
In 2000, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared purple loosestrife "Public Enemy Number One" on federal lands, as the weed exploded across the North American landscape. In New Jersey, it plagued northern and central counties,
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Emerald ash borer beetle provides latest threat to N.J. forests
A beetle feeding on purple loosestrife plants growing&
around the lake at Echo Lake Park in Union County.
Mark Mayer releasing beetles on purple loosestrife plants
growing around the lake at Echo Lake Park in Union County.
A butterfly lands on purple loosestrife plants
growing around the lake at Echo Lake Park in Union County.
Paul or Ringo?
What happens when the beetles take over? Will they need to release giant spiders? Then killer snakes to eat the giant spiders?
Groovy Man!
Oh, why should I let you all have all the fun? GLOBAL WARMINGTM.
Another unfortunate headline wording — it could either be read that the beetle is threatening the NJ wetlands, or that the pretty weeds are (and that the beetles are doing a good deed by destroying them). I read the story and got the true sense, though. Thanks.
Or how about Bush and Cheney?
No, they will at that point be too big to fail and need a government bailout.
Bushs fault.
ALMOST? The devil's in the details.
Purple loosestrife is a scourge here too.
Mankind has taken notice of loosestrife since antiquity. The Greeks thought that garlands of the herb hung around the necks of oxen would encourage a team to plow a field in harmony. More practically, they used the plant in a hair dye and also burned it to drive away insect pests. Because purple loosestrife is rich in tannin, herbalists later employed it for its astringent values as an eyewash and as a remedy for diarrhea. They also used the herb to halt bleeding, a use that may explain its botanical name, Lythrum, from the Greek word for gore.
The astringent purple loosestrife is mainly employed as a treatment for diarrhea and dysentery. Purple loosestrife can be safely taken by people of all ages; some herbalists recommend purple loosestrife to help arrest diarrhea in breast-feeding babies. The herb may also be used to treat heavy menstrual bleeding and for intermenstrual bleeding. Externally, it is applied as a poultice or lotion to wounds, leg ulcers, and eczema, and used to treat excess vaginal discharge and vaginal itching. Purple loosestrife is now rarely used to treat eye problems, but, as Culpeper's experience suggests, purple loosestrife could be worth further investigation for disorders of the eyes and vision.
I’d take that weed any day over Goatheads!
The part they leave out is that the critters second favorite food, after eating all the weeds, is human flesh.
Interesting
Each flower stalk puts out hundreds of tiny seeds and they all seem to take root. The trick to keep them in line in a garden is to cut off and dispose of every stalk as soon as the last flower is gone.
We bought one at a nursery about 15 years ago. The seedlings pop up everywhere, but if you yank them they come up pretty easily. Even the large ones. I’ve seen some 8 feet tall.
I even saw some growing in a planter at a state run rest stop on an interstate.
I was told that it is now illegal to sell in most states.
A little too late as, per my mother, they already conquered New Jersey (and the rest of America) 45 years ago.
The law of unintended consequences.
Didn't work quite as they planned. The chit grew alright, but it can't be controlled. It is nearly impossible to kill, actually reaches out and grabs you as you go by(this might be a slight exaggeration but it's sure as hell seems like that's the case) and now the government is coming around in some areas and ordering land owners to remove the plant (at the landowners expense of course) as it is now classified as a noxious weed.
Gotta love the gov...
For another horrific plant look up Japanese Knotweed.
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