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Flora & Fauna, Park Projects

Invasive Species Spotlight – Leafy Spurge

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Name: Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)

Origin: Eurasia

NYS Presence: Leafy spurge has been identified in more than 15 counties across the state. It is found in grasslands, meadows, and riparian areas.

Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Yellow-green leafy spurge plants in a field, photo by Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, assessed from Bugwood.org

Species Profile: Leafy spurge is a perennial plant that spreads by both seed and its extensive root system. These roots have little pink buds that produce new shoots or roots. The root system can reach depths of 30 feet into the soil, making it a tough invasive to control.The leaves are narrow and linear with lengths as long as 4 inches. They are arranged alternately on the pale green stems of the plant.

Euphorbia esula
A yellow-green leafy spurge flower, photo by Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, accessed from Wikicommons

Two key characteristics to look for when trying to identify leafy spurge are:

  1. the plant’s tiny yellowish-green flowers, which grow in groups of three. Each one is enclosed by a pair of heart-shaped bracts (leaflike structure beneath the flower). Flowering begins in mid-May and will in some cases last until mid-Autumn.
  2. The second is the white, milky sap within the plant. Any stem or leave breakage will result in the release of this sap. There are a number of similar species of spurge species in the state, some which are also non-native and invasive.
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
Leafy spurge plants, photo by Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, accessed from Bugwood.org

The leafy spurge’s ability to spread at a fast pace make this invasive plant highly competitive. Dense stands will often smother or shade out other native species, therefore decreasing biodiversity. This species is a threat to native grasslands, meadows, and agricultural lands. Although cattle are not particularly fond of leafy spurge, sheep and goats have been known to snack on it and spread the seeds around in the process.

Resources:

New York Invasive Species leafy spurge

Colorado Department of Agriculture Leafy spurge identification and management

Featured image: Matt Lavin from Bozeman, Montana, USA, accessed from Wikicommons

Flora & Fauna, Park Projects

Invasive Species Spotlight – Mugwort

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Name: Mugwort or Common Wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris)

Origin: Mugwort is native to Europe and Asia, where it was utilized as a medicinal and culinary herb. It was introduced to North America through ship ballast and continues to spread across the continent via nursery stock, turf grass and roadways.

NYS Presence: Widespread throughout the state and often found in ditches, roadsides, pastures and other disturbed areas.

Species Profile: Mugwort is a perennial that flowers in late summer to early fall. Its alternating dark green leaves are smooth on top and have silvery-white hairs underneath. When the foliage is crushed it is known to release a pungent odor. One plant can produce as much as 200,000 seeds which are roughly 1mm in diameter and are spread by the wind and easily moved around on tires, mowers and construction equipment. As a result, Mugwort can be found along miles of roadside.

Mugwort
Note the difference in color from the top (green) and the bottom (gray), image from https://extension.umass.edu/landscape/weeds/artemisia-vulgaris

Although seed dispersal plays a large role in the spread of this invasive weed, its root system is also a culprit in increase this weed’s introduction to new sites. Nursery stock including ornamental plants, turf grass, and orchard stock are easily contaminated by these root fragments and carried into new places. Mugwort’s rhizomatous roots – an extensive and dense underground network — and the abundance of seeds make this species very hard to control.

ArtemisiaVulgaris_Christian Fischer, accessed from Wikicommons
Mugwort in flower, photo by Christian Fischer, accessed from Wikicommons.org

Mugwort has displaced many native plants, especially those that thrive in sunny, open habitat. Cleaning equipment, using clean fill (e.g., at construction or landscaping sites), and removing and disposing of any new infestations of Mugwort are some of the ways to reduce the spread of this plant.

Resources:

Barney, J.N. and A. DiTommaso. 2003. The biology of Canadian weeds. 118. Artemisia vulgaris L. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 83:205-215.

https://www.forestandwatersolutions.com/uploads/3/6/3/1/3631108/japanese_knotweed_mugwort_pale_swallowort.pdf

http://www.nyis.info/index.php?action=invasive_detail&id=63

http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.4141/P01-098

Featured image, mugwort growing along a forest edge, photo by Ansel Oommen, Bugwood.org

Flora & Fauna, Park Projects

Invasive Species Spotlight – Kudzu

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k14
Kudzu along the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park in Yonkers, photo courtesy of Shawn Gorman, Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct

Name: Kudzu (Pueraria montana)

Origin: Kudzu was first introduced to the southern US in the late 1800’s as an ornamental plant to shade porches. In the early 1900s, farmers were encouraged to plant kudzu for erosion control and in the 1930’s the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) planted thousands of acres of it along hillsides for that same purpose. Kudzu wasn’t recognized as an invasive species by the USDA until 1953.

 NYS Presence: Lower Hudson Valley and Long Island

 Species Profile: Kudzu is a perennial, semi-woody, climbing vine that can reach up to 100 feet in length! Kudzu leaves are compound (i.e., made up of three separate leaflets) and are oval to heart-shaped. In the late summer, vertically growing stems produce fragrant purple flowers that are followed by the production of hairy, brown, flattened seed pods. Kudzu can grow up to one foot per day, which makes it capable of outgrowing almost anything! This fast-growing plant competes with native trees and plants for sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil.

Note the leaves are in clusters of three, photo courtesy of Shawn Gorman, Friend of Old Croton Aqueduct.
8″ – 10″ fragrant flowers can be seen in mid-summer, photo by Forest & Kim Star, Bugwood.org

Roughly 2 million acres of forests in the southern US are covered with kudzu! Let’s prevent this from happening in NY. If found, please report findings to iMapInvasives. Take note of your location, photograph the species and then upload!

A dense stand of kudzu along the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, photo courtesy of Shawn Gorman, Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct.
Dense stands of kudzu along the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park in Yonkers were removed in 2016 by State Parks Invasive Species Strike Team, photo courtesy of Shawn Gorman, Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park.
State Parks Invasive Species Strike Team removes kudzu along the Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park, photo courtesy of Shawn Gorman, Friends of Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic Park.

Reminder: Poison ivy is another species with three leaflets, so be sure to brush up on your plant ID before handling these species.

Click here to learn more about kudzu.

Park Projects, Research

Counting the Bristlesides, Sedgesitters, Leafwalkers

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It’s National Pollinator Week! Scientists have been busy looking to see what pollinators live in State Parks. Here’s a first look at some of the early results.

NHP@Bumblefly
This is actually a fly! The bare-cheeked bumblefly is a very rare Syrphid in NY that mimics bumblebees and lives in old forests.  Photo courtesy of NYNHP.

In 2017 a cadre of NY Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) biologists working under a long-standing agreement with State Parks began testing out sampling methods for a multi-year statewide Native Pollinator Survey (ESNPS) under the auspices of the Governor’s NYS Pollinator Protection Plan jointly administered by Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Agriculture and Markets.

NHP_EasternCalligrapher
The eastern calligrapher (Toxomerus geminatus) is a very common species in State Parks all over the state.  Photo by Lindsay Dombroskie, accessed from iNaturalist.

The goal of the ESNPS is to determine the rarity of a wide array of native insect pollinators in non-agricultural habitats. NYNHP Zoologists honed in on the most important and vulnerable pollinating groups in the state, representing a wide variety of native insect pollinators such as bumble bees, mining bees, bee flies, longhorn beetles and flower moths.

NHP_Spider
Captured by a spider, a fate that befalls some flower-visiting flies.  Photo courtesy of NYNHP.

Between June 8 – October 3, 2017 on fair weather days, two biologists used sets of small painted bowls containing soapy water to trap pollinators (the insects mistake the color for a flower) in four different habitat types within each Park (see photo). The biologists also used insect nets to hand- capture pollinators (see photo), spending the better part of one day obtaining a snapshot of the Park’s pollinator community. The collections are the only way to document and identify most of the species.

 

NYNHP Zoologists Ashley Ballou and Andrea Chaloux filling bowls with soapy water for trapping pollinators at Moreau lake State Park on July 10, 2017. Photo courtesy of NYNHP.
Pollinator netting in Wetland Habitat Robert V Riddell State Park on August 16, 2017. Photo courtesy of NYNHP.

Over the past winter the biologists then separated out the flies (Dipterans) from the bees and pinned these specimens so that they could be identified by fly specialists at SUNY Cobleskill (see photo). They focused on flies in one notable family, the Syrphidae – or Syrphids, known as the hover flies or flower flies.  Most of the remaining captured pollinators like the bees will be identified by experts at Cornell University as the project continues.

 

SUNY Cobleskill student intern Liam Somers identifying hover flies in the lab. Photo courtesy of NYNHP.
A box of pinned and labeled hover flies. Experts will identify these individuals to species. The specimens become a permanent record that can be used for future research. Photo courtesy of NYNHP.

Preliminary results are in for the hover flies or flower flies that SUNY Cobleskill experts helped to identify. There are many different species or types of these flies and not anything like the plain black housefly. Some go by interesting names like Bristlesides, Sedgesitters and Leafwalkers. Many hover flies are mimics of stinging Hymenoptera (see photo) and known to be second only to bees in their pollinating prowess. This is because the adult flies feed on pollen and nectar to power their energy- intensive flight. In doing so, they help to pollinate a wide range of trees, shrubs and wildflowers in every conceivable habitat. At the same time, their larvae (the young stage) are predators of harmful insects such as aphids and adelgids. Many play an important role in aiding decomposition in aquatic and forest environments; in effect breaking down leaves, logs and other debris which then releases nutrients and builds soil.  In other words, Hover flies are very important to the health of our native ecosystems.

NHP@Goosepond
Look closely for the hover fly on a leaf at Goosepond Mountain State Park on September 28, 2017.  Photo courtesy of NYNHP.

A brand new hover fly field guide focusing specifically on northeastern North America will be published later in 2018 by a team of Canadian researchers. This will allow anybody with an interest to pursue these fascinating and colorful insects who will challenge your notions of what a fly is!

A few fun facts we learned about hover flies in State Parks:

  • Total number of Parks sampled: 22 (in all Regions)
  • Total number of different Syrphid (fly) pollinators: 50 species
  • State Parks with the highest diversity of hover flies (at least 7 different species plus more than 15 individual flies): Minnewaska, Thacher, Sunken Meadow, Letchworth, Taconic, and Allegany
  • Number of new species never before seen in the State, or were thought to be no longer in NYS: 5
  • Two out of every three individuals captured (67%) was a calligrapher (Toxomerus), small black and yellow flies whose larvae eat aphids (see photo)
  • Number of Parks with a species that mimic hornets (the rare eastern hornet fly (Spilomyia longicornis)): 3: Allegany, Knox Farm, Sunken Meadow
  • Number of Syrphid species whose larvae eat adelgids (adelgids are a small insect that can cause severe tree damage): 2 (in the genus Heringia) at Gilbert Lake, Grafton, Moreau Lake
  • Number of non-native, introduced species detected: 2. The common compost fly (Syritta pipiens), and common drone fly (Eristalis tenax)
  • Over half of the State Parks had at least one Syrphid species that lives predominantly in older forests.

Authored by Jeff Corser, Zoologist with NY Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP).

NY Natural Heritage Program is affiliated with SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) and works in close partnership with NYS Parks and NYS DEC. The Empire State Native Pollinator Project is only one of many kinds of surveys and studies that the program conducts to provide guidance and tools for conservation of native biodiversity across New York State.

All photos by NYNHP for use by permission only

Park Projects

Harmful Algal Blooms: New York State Takes Action in 2018!

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There has been a lot of activity in New York State this spring regarding Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs)!  In an effort to raise awareness regarding HABS, Governor Cuomo called together four HAB Summit Meetings across the State (February 27 in New Paltz, March 6 at SUNY ESF, March 20 in Ticonderoga, and March 26 in Rochester).  Leading experts from the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) and other state and national experts convened to discuss and address the causes of algal blooms in 12 priority waterbodies across the state.  The meetings were the first step in the development of action plans to address HAB occurrences in each waterbody.  Of the 12 priority waterbodies chosen as part of the Governor’s initiative to combat HABs, five of them are the home of State Park’s beaches, marinas, or campgrounds (Conesus Lake, Honeoye Lake, Chautauqua Lake, Cayuga Lake and Lake Champlain).  The action plans will be used to implement monitoring and treatment projects related to HABS.

What’s the problem with HABs?

You might see a couple of different terms used in association with HABs, but they mean the same thing: cyanobacteria and blue green algae are used interchangeably.  The term “blue-green algae” is a misnomer; it is not truly algae. It is a type of bacteria called cyanobacteria that is capable of photosynthesis. An algal “bloom” consists of cyanobacteria in great enough numbers of cells to be seen by the naked eye.  Some algal blooms can produce toxins, but not all do.  When an algal bloom produces toxins, it is called a Harmful Algal Bloom.  HABs can thrive when certain conditions are met, including warm weather, stagnant water, and sufficient nutrients in the water body.  The bacteria can form dense mats on the surface of a lake or can be suspended in the water column. The blooms can be brightly colored and look like pea soup, spilled paint, or an oily scum/sheen that coats the lake surface.  The blooms move around the lake in response to wind and currents, tend to accumulate at shorelines, and can move vertically in the water column to find the perfect nutrient and temperature conditions to flourish.  Blooms occur most often in waters high in phosphorous and/or nitrogen, and research is ramping up to determine the exact causes of algal blooms.

Because of the potential for blooms to produce toxins, it is important to keep people and pets out of the water during a bloom.  The toxins can make people and animals sick, and toxin exposure can cause a range of symptoms, including rashes, respiratory irritation, gastrointestinal troubles, and effects on the liver. HABs may also impact drinking water and recreational activities, and can cause unpleasant odors.

It is State Parks Policy to follow the DOH protocol and close bathing beaches when a HAB is present.  To re-open a beach at a State Park, the beach must be free of any signs of a bloom for 24 hours, and a water sample must be submitted for toxin analysis.

The Big Message for the 2018 Beach Season

Know it, Avoid it, Report it.  Learn what a bloom looks like, avoid it, and make sure to report it to the Park Manager if you see a potential bloom at a State Park.  You can also notify the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, or harmfulalgae@health.ny.gov

HAB Photos from State Parks:

HAB

Below are a few links to learn more about HABs!

NYS Department of Health: Harmful Blue-Green Algae Blooms

Environmental Protection Agency: Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms in Water

NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: Harmful Algal Blooms