All About Lichens!
Lichens & what they mean for your tree – Article by: Jessica Warren, ANR Agent, Camden County
The Truth about Slime Molds, Spanish Moss, Lichens and Mistletoe – UGA Publication
Invasive Species Alert – Callery (Bradford) Pear (Pyrus calleryana) & leatherleaf mahonia (Mahonia bealei)
Callery pear and leatherleaf mahonia. These species bloom in late Winter/early Spring and so can be easily found this time of year. Callery pear is rapidly spreading across the Eastern US and leatherleaf mahonia is an emerging invasive shrub and important to be on the lookout for.
Bugwood March 2024 Newsletter PDF
Callery (Bradford) Pear – Tree invading the whole US, flowering eary spring; small brown fruit in clusters.
Overview:
Callery pear is also known by one of its variety names, Bradford pear. It is an invasive tree that is native to Asia and was introduced as root stock for improvement of edible pears and then later as an ornamental. It is
now spread broadly throughout the eastern US along with about 20 other cultivars. It must have pears of another cultivar to produce fertile fruit, which were introduced to provide sturdier trees.
Appearance:
A round to pyramidal-shaped deciduous tree that can grow up to 60 ft (18 m) tall and 2 ft. (0.6 m) diameter. Branches and twigs will often have thorns.
Foliage is dark green, oval to nearly heart-shaped, alternate, simple, 2-3 in (5.1-7.6 cm) long, and shiny with wavy, slightly toothed margins. It has attractive autumn colors.
Flowers grow in bunches in spring, often before leaves appear. They are 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, showy, malodorous, and white. Fruit are round, 0.3-0.5 in (0.8-1.3 cm) in diameter, and hard until a frost occurs; softened fruit are eaten by birds and spread widely.
More Info
Branch unions are often weak and break in high wind or from heavy ice or snow and either cause a slow death by infection or catastrophic failure.
Callery Pear Species Info
Native Alternative to Callery (Bradford) pear: Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Tolerant of urban condiditons; showy flowers; small size; many cultivars available
True Value of Redbud Trees – GA DNR
Leatherleaf mahonia – Shrub invading the SE US; flowering eary sprint; spiny leaves and waxy fruit.
Leatherleaf Mahonia Facts
Leatherleaf Mahonia (photo) – If you cannot replace, remove berries to prevent spread.
Invasive Species Tips:
- Don’t transport wood long distances. Buy firewood where you burn it!
- Visit DontMoveFirewood.org for laws, information, resoureces, and more about moving cut wood.
- Pests and invasive species can live in/on trees and can spread hundreds of miles away when wood is moved for firewood, woodworking, etc.
- Firewood is a mojor pathway of spread.
- Pests are not easily visible through the bark.
- Know laws on moving wood.; contact your county extension agent for information; buy firewood where you burn it, cather locally if permitted, and/or buy state or federal certified heat-treated firewood.
Report Invasive Species
Invasive Species Alert – Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica)
This species blooms in April-June and is a very high priority invasive in Georgia and the southeastern US. Cogongrass spreads rapidly by rhizomes on landscaping and earthmoving equipment. Report suspected populations of cogongrass via the EDDMapS website or EDDMapS app, these reports go to directly to the GFC Forest Health Coordinator for evaluation and management. A new population was reported via EDDMapS last year and within two days GFC had visited and begun treatment for eradication!
Bugwood April 2024 Newsletter (PDF)
Know the Difference
Invasive Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica)
White, scaly, segmented rhizomes; Flowers in spring; silvery white cylindrical flower head growing 2-8″ long; no apparent stem; liqule thin, fringed, typically hairy; invades a range os sites and habitats.
Native yellow Indiangrass (Sorphastrum nutans)
Scaly, segmented rhizomes and fibrous roots; flowers in fall; light brown flower panicles growing to 12″ long; distint stem; ligule is a hairless membrane shaped like a ‘U’ or ‘V’;found in prairies and dry open woodlands.
Cogongrass Info
Cogongrass Fact Sheet (PDF)
Cogongrass ID Graphic (slides)
Cogongrass.org
Overview
Cogongrass is an invasive perennial grass that is native to southeast Asia. It was introduced first in Alabama in 1912 as packing material and in the 1920s and 1930s in four southern states as livestock forage. It has spread and been found in 10 states in the southern US.
Appearance
A colony-forming grass that can grow to 6 ft (1.8 m) tall. Leaves grow directly from underground rhizomes, as this species lacks above-ground stems. It dies back to the ground in winter. Foliage has an off-center, whitish midvein with finely serrated margins. Leaves are up to 6 ft (1.8 m) long, 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, stiff, and have a sharp, pointed tip. Ligule (tissue where leaf connects to stem) is ꓵ-shaped and hairy. Rhizomes are whitish, branched, scaly and sharp at the tips; difficult to pull up by hand. Flower heads are 1-8 in (2.5-20.3 cm) long, silvery-white and cylindrical. Blooms in April-May and flowering lasts a short time. Fruit/Seeds mature on the flower head, are tan, and have long white hairs. A plant can produce up to 3,000 viable seeds/year.
More Info
Spreads mainly by rhizomes carried on equipment. Produces large amounts of rhizomes, plant parts, and seeds. When the plant dies back in winter, this biomass makes fire regimes dangerous for normally fire-tolerant species and ecosystems.
Keep aquatic invasives and pest out!
Invasive Species Tips:
- Properly dispose of fishing bait!
- Invasives can be used as bait or contaminate containers of bait.
- Dispose of leftover bait where you gathered it or throw it away.
- Clean geare before leaving the area.
- Buy bait from reputable sources.
- Don’t move bait between water ways.
- Empty and clean all gear before leaving the area.
- Don’t release plant, fish, worms, crayfish, etc. or land or into a new water body.