This 8th biennial conference features national, regional, and local experts as well as citizen volunteers sharing practical solutions for invasive plant management and actions needed to promote native species and improve wildlife habitat.  The symposium is open to the public and will include introductory information about invasive plants.  People with all levels of interest and experience are invited to attend.

Nationally-recognized Keynote speaker, Jil Swearingen, co-author of Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas will present, “We’re Moving on Up: Invasive Plants Heading North”.  Karl Wagener, Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality, will speak on “Connecticut’s Future: Rooted in Choice”.  William Hyatt, Vice Chair of the Connecticut Invasive Plants Council, will provide a legislative update.  Charlotte Pyle, formerly with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service will deliver closing remarks.

Concurrent afternoon sessions will include:
• What Are Other States Doing? Panel discussion with New England invasive plant experts.
•  Native Plants for our Pollinators—Creating a balanced and healthy pollinator environment.
• Management of Key Invasives: Success Stories and Progress Reports
• Biological Control: No Animal Too Small—Learn about these valuable invasive plant management tools.
• Aquatic Invasive Plants—Updates on Hydrilla and other new aquatic invasive plant threats.
• Plants to Watch Out For: Future Threats—What are the new invasives that threaten our borders?

Research and management posters, an invasive plant identification area, and other educational exhibits will be featured throughout the day.  The registration fee includes parking and lunch.  Pesticide Recertification Credits and other continuing education credits (CEU’s) will be available.

Attendees are advised to register early, as the last symposium had record attendance and sold out in advance with 500 attendees.

Mile-A-Minute Project 2015

The video below shows Mile-A-Minute Vine in the Still River area of New Milford. Our work continues....

Spotted Lanternfly Confirmed in Pennsylvania

Please see the Pest Alert and follow this link for information regarding the Spotted Lanternfly, a new insect pest recently confirmed in Pennsylvania, the first detection in the US. The Spotted Lanternfly is a planthopper native to Asia that attacks numerous hosts, including grapes, fruit trees, pines, and more than 70 other species. In the fall, adults can be found on the invasive plant Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima).

Above: Spotted Lanternfly—dorsal and lateral views

mile-a-minute advice

M-A-M Vine is on the move!

Advice on prevention and control:

Posted 2/22/14 by Kathleen Nelson, Mad Gardeners’ Mile-a-Minute Control Project

PLEASE CHECK YOUR PROPERTY FOR PERSICARIA PERFOLIATA, MILE-A-MINUTE VINE (MAM). Yearly checks plus timely action can prevent MAM from becoming a serious pest on your property. See the video at www.madgardeners.com for help recognizing the plant.

Mile-a-Minute Vine, an invasive annual vine from Asia, is being found in more and more places in New England. Expect it to arrive at your property soon. MAM usually arrives in new places in soils that contain MAM seeds. Once arrived, birds and other animals carry seeds to nearby properties. Be prepared to take immediate action to prevent establishment of new patches. A single seed arriving at a new place can, within 4-5 years, give rise to a large, dense patch covering all other vegetation and producing hundreds of thousands of seeds each year plus satellite patches as far as a mile away.

LEARN TO RECOGNIZE MILE-A-MINUTE VINE: See MAM identification cards.

PREVENTION: MAM arriving from a distance often comes in with soil—perhaps a seed in bulk soil, on the soil of a potted plant, on the tires of equipment—even on shoes.
• READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE including methods and timing to control MAM

Further Details: 2012Project.pdf

Mile-A-Minute Project 2012

The video below describes the progress we have made in 2012. Our work continues....

A new weed is coming your way....
We hope you never see it.

posted 9/24/14 from New Milford, CT

You may already have heard about Asian Mile-a-Minute Vine, (MAM), which was accidentally introduced into Pennsylvania, and is rapidly moving north, smothering fields, meadows, and woodland edges. An annual that can grow six inches a day, it blankets everything, blocking other plants’ light. Only tall trees may survive.

The invasion front is moving north. Four populations have been found in southern Litchfield County. The only way to stop this serious threat to New England's agriculture and environment is to prevent the spread of seeds....

how you can help

posted 9/24/14 from New Milford, CT

Start by educating yourself. View and printout information on Mile-A-Minute from this web site. Get to know how to identify this invasive plant by its triangular leaves and tiny barbs on weak stems clambering over trees and shrubs.

Check your own backyard. When you are gardening, walking, hiking, visiting — be aware and look for signs of invasive plants.

Rely on experts. If you suspect Mile-A-Minute Vine, report it. Somebody will contact you to verify the identification.

Please REPORT ALL SIGHTINGS to www.mam.uconn.edu or knelson151@sbcglobal.net or donna.ellis@uconn.edu or The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group at 860-486-6448.

WE NEED YOUR HELP:
We need volunteers to contact property owners and help check properties. Contact: Kathleen Nelson, knelson151@sbcglobal.net or 860-355-1547.

To contribute to our project, send a check payable to Mad Gardeners' Invasive Species Fund to Angela Dimmitt, Mad Gardeners Inc., PO Box 146, Sherman CT 06784. Mad Gardeners, Inc is a 501(c)3 corporation.

2012 Report on the Status of MAM in CT

Follow this link to view the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group’s 2012 Report on the status of Mile-A-Minute vine in Connecticut.

Be on the Lookout for Mile-a Minute Vine!

posted 9/24/14 from New Milford, CT

Mile-a-Minute Vine (Persicaria perfoliata formerly Polygonum perfoliatum), an invasive Asian annual weed accidentally introduced from Asia into Pennsylvania, has been moving steadily northward. Until recently, the northern front of the invasion was southern New York State and southwestern Connecticut. In 2004 and 2005, populations were discovered in New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut. In 2007 two large populations were discovered in Newtown....