Help Us Hunt the Kudzu of the North
Apr 1, 06:58 PM
As the landscape greens-up over the coming months, help us find this invasive vine. It's called mile-a-minute (Persicaria perfoliata), and it's been spotted in three locations in Rhode Island. One of those locations is in the Furnace Hill watershed in Cranston, where the plant was first noted in 2009. The coverage of the plant in Cranston was wide enough to prompt the Rhode Island Natural History Survey (RINHS), The URI Department of Plant Sciences and the US Department of Agriculture to release of 8,000 weevils (Rhinoncomimus latipes) in hopes of eradicating it.
Here's a University of Connecticut flyer with an ID guide.
The reason mile-a-minute vine has been a priority for these agencies is because it's just beginning to get a toe-hold in Rhode Island, and has yet to make it into northern New England. The Cranston infestation of the vine is especially tricky because of the waterways in the area. From Wikipedia:
Water is also an important mode of dispersal for mile-a-minute weed. Its fruits can remain buoyant for 7-9 days, an important advantage for dispersing seed long distances in stream and river environments. The long vines frequently hang over waterways, allowing fruits that detach to be carried away in the water current. During storm events the potential spread of this plant is greatly increased throughout watersheds.
The RINHS asks that you report the vine by filling out this form.
Photo by Todd Mervosh, CT Agricultural Experiment Station
