Real Talk!

Almost every cottager has heard the warnings about Purple Loosestrife and Zebra Mussels but there are more and more invasive species affecting the natural habitat of our beloved cottage country.

Boaters and Anglers should know these four simple rules:

·Inspect your boat, motor, trailer, and boating equipment (anchor, centreboards, rollers, axles) and remove any zebra mussels and other animals and plants that are visible before leaving any waterbody;

·Drain water from the motor, livewell, bilge and transom wells while on land before leaving the waterbody

·Wash/dry your boat, tackle, downriggers, trailer, and other boating equipment to kill harmful species that were not visible at the boat launch. Some aquatic nuisance species can survive more than 2 weeks out of water so it is important to:
rinse your boat and equipment that normally gets wet with hot tap water (greater than 40 ºC); or spray your boat and trailer with high pressure water (250 psi); or dry your boat and equipment for at least 5 days before transporting to another water body.

·Empty your bait bucket on land before leaving any waterbody. Never release live bait into a waterbody, or release aquatic animals from one waterbody into another.

Remember: It is illegal to release crayfish, and other baitfish, except into the body of water from which they were taken. Many people release unwanted aquarium pets into natural waters. Not only is this activity illegal, it can harm the environment.

Several exotic species of plants and animals have been introduced to our lakes through this practice. If you have an unwanted aquarium pet or plant, do not set it free in the wild!

There are several lesser known invaders that are creeping into our forests and waterways. These include: Dog-Strangling Vine (Swallow-Wort), Garlic Mustard, Common Buckthorn, Asiatic Bittersweet, Glossy Buckthorn and Canada Thistle.

Dog Strangling Vine:

This is an extremely aggressive plant species from the milkweed family. It is plant should be treated cautiously, as it was included in early books on poisonous plants.

Highly invasive, this vine will thrive in shade; sun and all soil conditions, spread rapidly, reduce or eliminate other plants, and are extremely difficult to control.

You can identify this vine by its flowers which are purple-brown to dark purple, small, in small umbel-like clusters at tips of stems and upper branches; seedpods slender, 4-6cm (1½ -2¼in.) long, broadest near the base and long-tapered to a slender tip, opening along one side and releasing many, small, flat, brownish seeds with long, white, silky parachutes. All parts of the plants may contain small quantities of white, milky juice. The plant will flower from late June until autumn. If you see this plant, remove it immediately!

Mustard Garlic:

This biennial herbaceous plant has weak single stems, about 12 - 36" high in its second and flowering year. It is the only plant of this height blooming white in wooded environments in May. Its leaves are round, scallop-edged, dark green; first year, rosettes of 3 or 4 leaves; second year plants have alternate stem leaves. Leaves and stems smell like onion or garlic when crushed.

A Mustard Garlic plant has lots of small white flowers, with four separate petals. Each plant has one or two flowering stems on second year plants.

Garlic mustard spreads into high quality woodlands upland and floodplain forests, not just into disturbed areas. Invaded sites will see a rapid decline of native cover within 10 years.

Garlic mustard alters habitat suitability for native insects and thereby birds and mammals. It is a plant that easily takes over the forest floor and out-competing all native non-woody plants. In just a few years, acreage can become a monoculture of garlic mustard. Each plant can produce thousands of seeds. They fall to the ground or are carried to new locations by people and wildlife. The seeds can remain viable for in the soil for five years and even longer.

Asiatic Bittersweet:

A woody vine that climbs by means of twisting itself around some kind of support (like a tree), the Asiatic Bittersweet has branches that are round, hairless and light to dark brown. The plants have predominant bumps on the surface and roots are bright orange. The leaves are arranged alternately on the stems and vary in shape. They are typically oval with a pointed tip and range from one to five inches in length.

The flowers are small, greenish-yellow, and grow in clusters from the joints between the leaves and the stems. The plant bears yellow fruits that split to reveal showy bright red seeds. It is also commonly referred to as Oriental bittersweet.

This vine is a serious threat to other species and to whole habitats due to its aggressive habit of growing over other vegetation. This plant has a fast reproductive rate, long-range dispersal, and the ability to root-sucker. The vines can strangle tree and shrub stems, growing as high as 60 feet. All types of plants, even entire plant communities, can be over-topped and shaded out by the vine’s rapid growth.

Buckthorn:

There are two species of buckthorn that are a risk. The Common Buckthorn is a small tree or shrub that leafs out early in the spring and doesn't drop all of its leaves until very late in the fall. Their dense shade throughout the growing season will not allow native plants to survive.

Both common and glossy buckthorns are tall shrubs or small trees- sometimes reaching 20-25 feet in height and 10 inches in diameter. Most often they grow in a large shrub growth form, having a few to several stems from the base. The shrubs have spreading, loosely branched crowns. Their bark is gray to brown with prominent, often elongate, lighter-colored lenticels.

Both types of buckthorns share a very distinctive winter appearance having naked, hairy terminal buds and gracefully curving, or arched, twigs with closely spaced, prominent leaf scars that give the twigs a warty or bumpy silhouette. Cutting a branch of either species exposes yellow sapwood and a pinkish to orange heartwood.

Mature buckthorn will produce branches filled with seeds that fall to the ground or are spread by birds, taking new buckthorn everywhere. Buckthorn reduces the growth and survival of saplings of all species. The glossy species is more often found in wetlands or open moist areas.

Canada Thistle:

The Canada Thistle can be seen along the roadsides and in open areas, even in the woods. This plant needs sun to thrive, but thinning woodlands and the non-wooded areas offer places for it to become established. It is taking advantage of every site where it is left to spread. As well as spreading by seed, Canada thistle has deep roots that spread underground, quickly creating thick stands that are difficult to remove. Introduction to new areas occurs mostly by wind carrying the seeds and water runoff. Small sections of broken roots are capable of producing new plants.

Canada thistle is a 2 to 5 foot perennial with slender, grooved stems that branch only at the top. Stems are slightly hairy when young and more hairy as the plant matures. The leaves are smooth, oblong, tapering, somewhat lobed, and have crinkly edges with spines along the margins. Numerous and fragrant purple flowers grow to 3/4 inch in size from July to September. The small, light-brown seeds are slightly tapered, and have a tuft of tan hair loosely attached to the tip to help catch the wind.

NOTE: It is always a good idea to Put the seeds of noxious plants into paper bags, allowing them to dry out, then burning them in a fireplace or fire pit. But don't forget the roots

ALSO: We should all learn how to identify exotic species. If you suspect a new infestation report it to the Ministry of Natural Resources or the Invading Species Hotline (1-800-563-7711) - this hotline is a partnership between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.