Outdoors column: Japanese knotweed among many invasive problems we face in New York
Japanese knotweed is a menace.
Even more than we knew.
Knotweed is that tall, big-leafed plant that grows most commonly along creeks and rivers in dense stands that can be almost impossible to walk through. Some call it bamboo, which it superficially resembles. It makes recreation in some areas very difficult, and it displaces native plants in a big way.
And more than that.
The battle against knotweed was spotlighted in a story by Carolyn Shapiro in the May-June issue of Adirondack Explorer. In addition to its negative impact on native flora, knotweed contributes to erosion by displacing native plants that have roots that hold the soil together. And Shapiro quoted Cornell University professor Bernd Blossey as saying a non-native species of worm has appeared that feeds on decomposing knotweed leaves. The droppings from the worms eventually make it into streams, and creates sediment that is harmful to fish. You’d think it would take a heck of a lot of worms to create a significant amount of sediment, but apparently it happens.
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No, we don’t need knotweed, but it’s here, brought to the United States from Asia as a decorative plant more than a century ago, and it isn’t going away any time soon. Really, it isn’t going anywhere ever except in those places like parts of the Adirondacks where, as Shapiro reports, there are poisoning programs aimed at containing it to some degree.
Knotweed is just one of many invasive species that plague us in New York and across the country, many of them were brought here on purpose.
Some have been beneficial, although people will argue about that. Most anglers would say that the arrival of brown trout in the Americas in the 1880s was a good thing. They are game, hard-fighting, often difficult to fool fish that provide good sport and often grow to impressive size. But many anglers back then despised them for supposedly outcompeting the revered, extremely handsome, and somewhat naïve native brook trout. In some areas, it wasn’t until well after World War I that brown trout were regarded with respect.
There were arguments about carp, as well, although their negative impact was even more emphasized. Today, there are many anglers who enjoy fishing for carp, including fly fishers, while at the same time knowing they can dominate certain fisheries and make life tougher for other species.
Starlings are another headache-inducing introduced species. Supposedly, 60 or more birds were brought from England in 1890 and released in Central Park. They reached Western New York within a couple of decades, and now cover the country. They displace native birds, and cause all kinds of problems, especially for homeowners. One estimate has their continental population at 200 million. There are days when I swear a high percentage of that number are patrolling my street.
The list of invasive species is long, in the state and across the country. Zebra mussels were among the most dramatic when they appeared several decades ago, having hitched rides into the Great Lakes on ocean-going ships. They clog water intakes, slice up the toes and feet of swimmers and waders, and do all kinds of other damage. Some native fish like to eat them, though. I think one reason we now see so many huge sheephead is that they like to dine on the mussels. Round gobies, fat-headed little fish that have found a new home here after also hitch-hiking across the Atlantic, are another problem. Their impact on native species is not well known, but it is presumed to be negative, although bass and walleyes seem to grow very fat when they are around.
Then there is Didymo, popularly known as rock snot, once assumed to be invasive but now believed to be native to New York. Its spread was a big reason for the boom in rubber soled wading boots, because felt soled boots supposedly helped it travel from watershed to watershed. Global warming also has been suggested as a reason for its proliferation.
Among the other invasive species we should be aware of are hydrilla, water chestnut, northern snakehead fish, sea lamprey, spiny waterflea, giant hogweed, Eurasian boar, and numerous insects that are devastating many of our forests, including the emerald ash borer, spongy moth, hemlock wooly adelgig, and spotted lanternfly.
The DEC is especially concerned at the moment with the Asian long-horned beetle. These insects, which damage a variety of hardwood trees, are believed to have arrived in New York in wooden packaging from China. The DEC is asking swimming pool owners to check their filters for the insect and report if any are found. The beetles are 1 ½ inches long, have long black and white antennae, and have black and white spots on their bodies. The harmless white-spotted pine sawyer looks similar, but has a distinctive white mark just below its head.
Photos of Asian longhorn beetles can be emailed to the state’s Forest Health Program at foresthealth@dec.ny.gov or the insects themselves can be mailed to the DEC Forest Health Diagnostics Lab, Att: Jessica Cancelliere, 108 Game Farm Road, Delmar, N.Y. 12054.
Information on invasive species and programs to manage and combat them is available at dec.ny.gov/animals/265.html.
Also, if you are a boat owner, you should know that as of last month the state requires motorized boat users to obtain certification that they have inspected their boats and removed potentially harmful aquatic invasive specials before launching in waters in and immediately adjacent to the Adirondack Forest Preserve. Information is available at dec.ny.gov/animals/107807.html.
Write to John Pitarresi at 60 Pearl St., New Hartford, N.Y. 13413 or jcpitarresi41@gmail.com or call him at 315-724-5266.
NOTEBOOK
The Department of Environmental Conservation will hold examinations for those seeking licenses to practice falconry, become volunteer wildlife rehabilitators, or used leashed tracking dogs to find wounded or injured big game.
The exams are scheduled for Aug. 12, with a registration deadline of Aug. 10. Information is available at dec.ny.gov/permits/359.html.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Japanese knotweed among many invasive problems we face in New York
