By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center
Erika.Segersonmueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

The slightly off-center silvery midrib of Japanese stilt grass leaves provides a key to identification. / Photo Credit: Leslie J. Merhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org

Want an advantage over your taller friends? Try propping yourself up on a pair of stilts. As its name suggests, this is precisely how Japanese stilt grass operates. It uses “stilts” (branching rootlets near its base) both as support and to sprawl over nearby plants.

Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum) is an invasive, warm-season annual grass. It grows one to three feet tall and has an aggressive, mat-like growth that creates dense patches and discourages native plants from establishing. It is also a prolific seed producer, with each plant producing up to 1,000 seeds that can easily spread over land and water during its growing season.

Continue reading “Japanese Stilt Grass An Aggressive New Invasive” →

By Erika Segerson-Mueller, DNR Invasive Plant Program Specialist, Oshkosh Service Center;
erika.segersonmueller@wisconsin.gov or 715-492-0391

With 10 thistle species present in Wisconsin, it can be tricky to determine which thistle is which. You may be tempted to control every thistle you see, assuming all types are invasive. But Wisconsin also has native thistles that provide valuable habitat and food for small birds and butterflies.

Thistles are either biennials (following a two-year life cycle) or perennials (regrowing every spring). They have lobed, spiny leaves and sometimes spiny stems. Thistles have composite flowers, with each flowerhead being composed of many tiny flowers, or florets.

Read on a for an overview of invasive thistles found in Wisconsin so you can stop wondering: Which thistle is this thistle? Continue reading “Which Thistle Is This Thistle?” →