Public Invited to Virtual Meeting to Learn About The Aquatic Invasive Species called 'European Frog-Bit' which is Threatening Lakes in Southwestern Oakland County Virtual Meeting December 10, 2020 A new aquatic invasive species, European frog-bit, is threatening Oakland County’s lakes and reservoirs. First discovered in Novi in 2018, survey efforts led by the Oakland County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA) have continued to identify additional locations where frog-bit … [Read more...]
Invasive Species: Autumn Olive
June 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) is a fast-growing Asian shrub that can be found in nearly every open field in Oakland County. In fact, it has established itself throughout the Great Lake states, the Midwest, New England, and south all the way to Florida. The shrub can grow upwards of ten feet high, and easily that much across. Its leaves are a narrow oval with a pointed tip. They grow alternately along the shrubs branches. The leaves are green, with a silvery-green underside. It was … [Read more...]
Invasive Species: Oriental Bittersweet
May 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment
By Matt Forster The classic image of the South, ancient trees dripping with Spanish moss, has changed in the past few decades. The trees are certainly draped with something. It’s the frightfully fast growing kudzu, which has spread from Texas to Virginia, Florida to southern Ohio, blanketing the South in a suffocating green quilt. The climate zones are gradually shifting northwards here in the United States, but so far our cold Midwest winters have kept the kudzu at bay. Another Asian … [Read more...]
Invasive Species: Garlic Mustard
April 30, 2014 by 2 Comments
By Matt Forster Every region of the world has its own ecology, one that represents a balance of power between thousands of species of plants, animals, and insects. As you can imagine, these are all very complex systems. For every plant that does what it can to find food and keep from being eaten, there is a bug trying to eat it and keep itself from being eaten. They each adapt and counter-adapt. The end result is that they find a way where all get a place at the table, so to speak, and none … [Read more...]
