Other Aquatic invaders: Common Reed (Phragmites australius) Common reed often grows in shallow waters in dense thickets, reaching heights of over 15 feet. It can displace native plants and block sunlight from

aquatic wildlife Flathead Catfish (Pylodictis olivaris ) Island Apple Snail Flathead Catfish can grow very large and Coastal Georgia CISMA ( maculata) reproduce rapidly. They are voracious predators that can wipe out entire fish populations.

Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) Georgia Department of Natural Resources Water Hyacinth Wildlife Resources Division forms dense mats on the water For more information about the Coastal surface, restricting Georgia CISMA or how to volunteer at an sunlight available invasive removal work day contact: for aquatic plants

and invertebrates. Eamonn Leonard

[email protected]  Native to South America Chinese Tallowtree (Triadica sebifera) 912-262-3150

Also known as  For more information on these species & for Recently Introduced in Southern popcorn tree, information on many other , Georgia Chinese Tallow please visit the following websites: typically grows in www.coastalgeorgiacisma.org  Can severely alter your lake or pond wet areas. It can www.eddmaps.org displace native and the native wildlife and vegetation www.invasive.org vegetation and alter www.dontmovefirewood.org that inhabit it soil conditions www.marex.uga.edu/shellfish

What You Can Do to Help (continued) Why They Are a Threat:  Set up snail traps and bait and check  They can consume all aquatic them weekly. For information about vegetation, leading to algae blooms building or purchasing an inexpensive which are unsightly, can produce an snail trap, visit unpleasant aroma, and can affect http://snailbusters.wordpress.com/trap/ water quality as well as wildlife.  Don’t release unwanted pets. Many  They mature quickly, reaching invasive species problems can be maturity at 60 – 80 days. Upon linked to a pet release. reaching maturity they can live for Apple snails lay pink egg masses on hard over 3 years. surfaces the waters edge. 1 – 2 weeks later the eggs hatch and the young fall into  They reproduce rapidly. A single snail the water can produce as many as 2000 eggs every two weeks. What You Can Do To Help:

 Remove unnecessary objects from around the water edge. These could include boats, paddles, beach toys, floats, etc…

 Remove egg masses from hard surfaces around the water. This can be done by simply scraping the egg Apple snails vary in size, but can be as masses into the water. Eggs that are large as your fist submerged in water will not hatch

What is an Invasive species?  Remove live snails, and dispatch them. Any plant or that has been introduced They should be frozen before disposing and aggressively competes with, and displaces, local native communities; normally of them. Snails can often be found Egg masses can often be found on twigs having no native enemies to limit around the edge of ponds or in and grasses that overhang the water reproduction and spread. patches of vegetation