Invasive Species

Maps Photo Galleries Video

Overview

Newsletter

Introduction Brochure Goals Charter Annual Report

Current Issue Index Archives Submit an Article

Join Donate

Field Trips Meetings Calendar Past Events Volunteer

Projects

Overview Planting Invasive Species Removal Trail Maintenance Clean Up Vegetation Mapping Animal Inventories

Overview Native American Cultural Landscapes Aldo Leopold Areas

Historical Documents

Class of 1918 Marsh Eagle Heights Woods Frautschi Point Lakeshore Path Muir Woods Picnic Point Tent Colony and North Shore Woods University Bay and Willow Creek Additional Areas

Past Planning 1918 Marsh Development Aldo Leopold

Invasive Species of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve

Invasive Species are non-indigenous species or strains (plants) that become established in natural communities and wild areas, replacing native plants and animals.

Both invasive plants and invasive animals are a problem in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve.

Invasive Plants

Why should we care about invasive plant species?

Students, researchers, and the public come to the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to learn, study, and enjoy nature. Invasive non-native plant species threaten natural areas and restoration efforts. They invade natural areas, killing existing native plants and creating a simplified ecosystem that will not support a diverse set of native animals. They also invade restorations, preventing the establishment of native plants. Many of these invasive plants increase erosion by killing native ground level plants that normally hold soil.

Many invasive plants have become established in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve including:

Garlic Mustard, a ground layer plant, kills native woodland wildflowers by shading them. For a primer in Garlic Mustard control see: Dispelling Thirteen Garlic Mustard Myths.
Buckthorn and Honeysuckle, shrubs that form brushy thickets, shade out understory plants, create a good home for Garlic Mustard, and increase erosion.
Burdock, a plant with burs, catches human clothing and sometimes traps and kills bats and birds.
Canada Thistle, a particularly persistent and aggressive plant, invades open areas.

What has been done in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve to control invasive species?

Much time and effort has been spent eliminating invasive species from the Lakeshore Nature Preserve. Most of the time and money has been spent on garlic mustard. Although this species is much reduced in areas where it is consistently managed, such as in Wally Bauman Woods and portions of Frautschi Point, due to a lack of money and personnel, other areas are not completely covered every year, resulting in garlic mustard’s continued spread. Furthermore, due to the prevalence of this plant in surrounding areas, including city and county parks, this species continues to get reintroduced into previously cleared areas. Thus continual monitoring is required.

What are the advantages of controlling invasive species in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve?

Controlling invasive non-native plant species in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve will preserve natural plant and animal diversity of the area. Controlling them will make the area more useful for research and environmental education. Controlling these species will allow native species to be established on the shorelines, decreasing erosion and stormwater runoff and improving Lake Mendota water quality. Controlling invasive non-native plant species will preserve the beauty of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve for future generations.

How can invasive plants be recognized and managed?

Many organizations have web sites to help people learn about invasive plant species. Two of the most useful are:

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species: Plants

Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin

How can you help control invasive plant species in the Lakeshore Nature Preserve?

Volunteer to help remove invasive species in the Preserve.
Give money to help control invasive species in the Preserve.
Control invasive species in your own yard.
Clean your shoes before you enter the Preserve so that you will not bring seeds from other areas.
Educate yourself on the emerging invasive species and help control them in your neighborhood. For information on invasive species that are beginning to invade our area, see: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species of the Future and Emerging Invasive Species in the Preserve (Porcelain-berry and Eurasian Bittersweet)

Garlic Mustard Control

When Garlic Mustard is pulled, be sure to get the root – broken off plants resprout and bloom later.
Bag and landfill all of your Garlic Mustard because second year plants will bloom and produce seeds even if they are pulled.
Volunteers pull Garlic Mustard frequently in the Preserve from mid-April thru mid-June.
See: Dispelling 13 Garlic Mustard Myths

Contact: Cathie Bruner (cbruner@fpm.wisc.edu or 265-9275) to participate.

Invasive Animals

Although most of the invasive species management time in the Preserve is spent on invasive plants, invasive, non-native animals can also be destructive in natural communities. House Sparrows and Starlings compete with native birds for nesting holes.

For additional information on non-native species, see: