Invasive Loosestrife Arrives In AK, Threatens Marshes, Ducks, Salmon Runs

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An invasive plant that could overrun wetlands such as Potter Marsh and block salmon runs on the Kenai Peninsula has been found growing wild in Anchorage for the first time. Purple loosestrife is growing along Chester Creek, plant scientists said. The plant, which resembles fireweed, has already choked creeks and wetlands across the Lower 48 and Canada.

The hardy flowering perennial is native to Europe and can multiply into dense thickets almost impossible to eliminate. "This is a really horrific wetland invader, pretty much across North America," said Jamie Snyder, invasive plant specialist with the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, in Anchorage.

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Purple loosestrife has long been planted by local gardeners who thought it could not spread. The purple flower is listed as a noxious plant in several states and Canadian provinces. It drives out native plants, overgrows wetlands, ruins fish passage and blocks access from the bank for recreation. The plants can take root from cuttings or spread in place through the ground. "This one is like the Top Gun as far as prolific seeders go," said Michael Rasy, a pest control specialist with the extension service. Snyder and Shephard plan to carefully dig out the plants along Chester Creek.

The varieties sold in nurseries were supposed to be sterile, or the Anchorage growing season was thought too short to allow it to seed and spread, said Julie Riley, horticultural agent with the extension service. In 1997, Riley argued it should no longer be planted in Anchorage. But the consensus was that no one had ever seen it outside a tended bed. "Because it hadn't had a history of escaping at that time, it was just kind of on everybody's watch list," Riley said. "We didn't think we had a problem, but we do," said Jeff Lowenfels, an Anchorage businessman and gardening columnist. "If you have any growing in your garden, pull it up and throw it away.

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http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9024

Oops.

...Purple Loosestrife for more than a decade now, here in Wisconsin. What's with the 'just sit back and watch' shit?? Didn't Alaska people talk to people elsewhere in the U.S. who've been dealing with invasive PL? There's no reason that nurseries should have still been selling the stuff.

In other news, I heard that they had finally given permission to introduce a bug that munches on Purple Loosestrife to hopefully keep it in check. I don't know how well it's worked. Maybe in a few years it will be less of a problem, kind of how like that introduced fungus has suddenly reduced the Gypsy Moth problem in the northern U.S....? One can hope...

talapia couldn't handle the cool temperature of Alaska. But, perhaps some other species could.

With care. Merry Christmas guys.

There is a bug that eats that though. I know of some local wildlife groups that got rid of purpose loostrife with some beetle.

Yes that is a bit of an oxymoron since endemic is defined as to a specific region but in this case the specific region is pretty much Earth.

I just finished reading "Out of Eden" which deals with this very issue. I was pretty depressed at the extent that invasives have altered the ecosystem in many regions.

Many birds have been wiped out in Guam by the brown tree snake. Hawaii is pretty much overrun by invasive species. The prevalence in North America of invasives is staggering. I was shocked to learn that even our friendly earthworm is a non-native species.

There are many species (like the earthworm) that are thought to be native here but in fact made their way to North America many decades, or even centuries, ago. Just because the species is part of our natural memory doesn't mean that it belongs here.

For the most part, there is no way to stop invasives. In some instances there can be some level of control through the import of a natural control for a species (such as in the case of the gypsy moth or purple loosestrife).

To some degree invasive species are a natural progression. Of course, our extensive transportation systems have lit an afterburner under the spread of many, many species.

There is no question that there will be profound changes in some ecosystems and a corresponding loss of many species. We have really messed things up but the spread of invasive species is just completely out of control. All we can really do is leave it to nature to eventually sort things out.