Pickeral Weed: Fireweed: Why Should Purple Pontederia cordata Epilobium angustifolium Loosestrife Concern Flowers 2-lipped, spikes Fatter spikes of 4-petaled, 3”-4”; leaves heart shaped, stalked flowers; alternate, You? single; water, 1’ to 3’ toothed leaves; northern plant of drier areas; 2’ to 6’ False Dragonhead: Plant diversity in wetlands Physostegia virginiana ✤ Tubular flowers, dissimilar petals; declines dramatically and toothed leaves; 1’ to 5’ (Other large mint many rare and endangered family plants: Hedge Nettle, Giant Hyssop) plants found in our remaining Swamp Loosestrife: Smartweed: wetlands are threatened. Decodon verticillatus Polygonum sp. Flowers bunched at (many native well-separated leaf species) - Tiny Most wetland animals that Look-a-likes ✤ bases; leaves whorled flowers, skinny depend on native plants for in 3s or 4s; stems spikes 1” to 4”; food and shelter decline usually arching, 1’ to 8’ alternate leaves clasp stem at base; significantly. Some species, stems jointed, 1’ to 6’ such as Baltimore butterflies, marsh wrens, and least bitterns may disappear entirely. Lupine: Blue Vervain: Lupinus perennis Verbena hastata Pea-like flowers; alternate, PURPLE (+ other Verbena sp.) ✤ Recreational uses of wetlands palm-like leaves; dry, LOOSESTRIFE Flowers tiny, pencil thin for hunting, trapping, fishing, sandy places; 2’ to 4’ spikes; toothed, oval, stalked leaves; moist bird watching and nature study to dry places; 2’ to 6’ decrease. Thick growth of purple loosestrife may impede boat travel. Winged Loosestrife: Steeplebush: ✤ Wetlands may store and filter Lythrum alatum Spiraea tomentosa less water. Smaller, single flowers DO NOT CONFUSE THESE Tiny flowers, conical at well-separated leaf set of flower spikes; bases; upper leaves NATIVE SPECIES WITH alternate, oval ✤ Millions of dollars spent to single; southern PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE! leaves; woody stem preserve wetlands would be prairies, 2’ to 3’ 1’ to 4’ wasted. Gayfeather, Blazing Star: Liatrus pycnostachya (+ other Liatrus sp.) - Shorter flower spike of tufted flower heads, many skinny petals; grasslike leaves; 2’ to 4’ Joe-Pye Weed: Smooth Phlox: Eupatorium maculatum Phlox glaberrima Flowers heads in flat-topped (+ other Phlox sp.) - Flowers clusters; whorls of 3 to 6 tubular, flat topped, petals Photo credits: Dennis Woodland, Asa Thorenson, Clifford toothed leaves; 3’ to 9’ alike, in loose round arrangement; Orstead, Mary Melgard, Kitty Kohout, Paul Berry, Merel Black, (Other flat-topped, native flowers: often wooded settings; 1’ to 4’ Dan Woodland, Robert Beirman and Emmet Judziewic. Ironweed, Marsh Milkweed) (Other tubular, flat petalled flowers may not be native, e.g. Dame's Rocket)

THE ECOLOGICAL PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION Purple loosestrife is an attractive wetland PURPLE 3-9 ft. in height perennial plant from Europe and Asia that Growth: Upright, semi-woody, hardy perennial with was introduced to North America without a dense bushy growth of 1 to 50 stems. The square to the specialized insects and diseases that many sided, green to red stems grow 3’ to 9’ feet tall Loosestrife and die back each fall. Old stems may persist for sev- keep it in check in its native lands. Freed eral years. Often found in clumps of several plants. flowers in a spike; from its natural controls, purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria & Lythrum virgatum) closely attached Flowers: Purple to pink and on numerous long spikes. grows taller and faster than our native 1 3 Individual flowers are /2” to /4” across, with 5 or to stem wetland plants. These advantages and 6 petals. prolific seed production have allowed it Seeds: Tiny, smaller than a pin head. 2 to 3 million to invade many Wisconsin wetlands to the produced annually on each healthy, mature plant. near total exclusion of most other vegeta- tion. Once established, it literally shades Variable, usually opposite, but sometimes 5-6 petals per Leaves: everything else out. Loosestrife has spread alternate or bunched in whorls. Linear shaped; smooth flower edged; sometimes hairy; attached directly (no stalks) rapidly in Wisconsin over the last 20 to 30 to stems with each pair at 90 degrees to those above years. and below. No noticeable odor.

Root: Woody with many fibrous side roots forming a dense mat. Root masses may be several feet across in stiff, four-sided, old clumps. upright stem Blooming period: Late June through early FOR MORE INFORMATION : September. Spike blooms from bottom up. Lower pods may drop seeds while upper blooms are still present. On invasive species, including purple Habitat: Moist-soil to shallow-water sites, such as loosestrife, access the Department of wet meadows and pastures, marshes, stream and river Natural Resources web site (search for banks, lake shores and ditches. Established plants opposite leaf tolerate dry conditions, such as gravel roadsides and arrangement purple loosestrife) at: abandoned fields. Still planted (illegally) in some gardens. www.dnr.wi.gov/org/caer/ce/invasives Distinguishing it from similar species: Few other wetland plants grow as tall with numerous square Contact your region's WDNR Aquatic or multisided stems and brilliant purple spikes that turn Plant Management Coordinator for into candelabras covered with many small, oval pods. herbicide permits. For purple loosestrife biocontrol information contact the Wisconsin Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Program at: 1350 Femrite Dr., Monona A MAJOR THREAT TO WI 53716, (608) 221-6349, or email: A MAJOR THREAT TO [email protected] WISCONSIN’S WETLANDS AND WATERWAYS DNR-PUB-WI-799-2004 gate that WDNR and UWEX have created CONTROL METHODS: a program in which hundreds of citizens BEFORE Biocontrol have raised and released millions of beetles. Though purple loosestrife will BIOLOGICAL CONTROL is useful never be eliminated from Wisconsin, on any site, especially large ones, the release of sufficient numbers of except where ill-suited to insect these biocontrol insects, in combina- success (e.g., with summer flooding) tion with continued use of traditional control methods, may restore a more or where loosestrife seeds can easily natural balance between purple loose- infest new areas. Combining it with strife and other wetland species. traditional methods may give the best long-term control.

Acquire and distribute enough You Can Help! bio control beetles to control your AFTER Biocontrol local purple loosestrife infestation. Propagate beetles at home or school. LEARN TO IDENTIFY PURPLE It’s easy and inexpensive. If you can’t ! LOOSESTRIFE. Distinguish it from propagate, collect them from an native look-a-likes by using the photos, or established beetle site near you, or HOW DOES PURPLE get a good plant book. (Note that several buy them. A free WDNR permit is valuable native yellow-flowered plants in required to cultivate loosestrife to the genus Lysimachia are also known as LOOSESTRIFE SPREAD? raise control beetles. “loosestrifes”) Purple loosestrife spreads primarily by TRADITIONAL METHODS offer quick seed, but it can also establish from REPORT PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE bits of root or broken stem fragments @ INFESTATIONS. Check the web site control, but require follow-up to catch that readily root in moist soil. A mature map to see if your sites were previously As shown in the photos biological control missed plants and new seedlings, and can be highly effective in controlling may be impractical or too expensive loosestrife plant annually produces reported. If not, or if they have changed purple loostrife. over 2 million tiny seeds that may substantially, send the new site infor- on large sites. Avoid site disturbances remain viable in the soil for many years. mation to the WDNR using their Watch that expose the loosestrife seed bank. Water, animals (especially birds), Form found online or send information Follow all label instructions when using boats, construction equipment and to [email protected]., the DISTRIBUTION OF PURPLE herbicides. Destroy any removed people can transport the seeds long Wisconsin Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol loosestrife by drying and burning it or distances. Also, some uninformed Program. LOOSESTRIFE IN WISCONSIN placing it in a landfill. Do not compost gardeners still plant purple loosetrife. it. Acquire a free WDNR permit for any Purple loosestrife is most common in the HELP PREVENT THE SPREAD OF herbicide work over water. Eastern U.S. where it first appeared in All sunny wetlands, including tempor- # PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE: North America in the early 1800s. It is now arily moist fields and roadside ditches, found in all 50 states and most Canadian are susceptible to purple loosestrife ✔ Clean off equipment, boats and On small sites, gently pull or dig provinces. ! invasion. A new infestation usually trailers, clothing and footwear small, young plants, especially in starts with a few transported seeds used in infested areas before loose, sandy or gravely soil. that grow into pioneering plants. These moving into uninfested areas. It moved into Wisconsin after 1900, and is now in all 72 counties (see map). However, quickly build up a large seed bank in ✔ the soil. Disturbances such as water Encourage your local highway most infestations here are still small and it @ On small sites, cut loosestrife drawdowns accelerate the invasion by department to stop mowing the plant. probably still occupies less than 10 percent stems during active growth and imme- providing open substrate and sun for Cut-up stem pieces will root when of our total wetland acreage. Thus, there is diately apply a glyophosate herbicide spread to new moist ground, and still time to control purple loosestrife here. (20-40% active ingredient) to the seed germination, and can quickly help ® fill the wetland with loosestrife. mowing can spread its seeds along stumps. Use Roundup or equivalent the roadway. A web site map with up-to-date informa- product on drier sites. Use Rodeo® or tion on purple loosestrife in Wisconsin is equivalent product on plants over BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: ✔ Help curb local use of the plant. found at: water. Cut and treat all stems in a A LONG-TERM SOLUTION State law bans the sale, distribution clump if it might have more than one or cultivation of purple loosestrife in www.glifwc-maps.org plant. Traditional control methods can provide Wisconsin: $100 fine per violation up to 95% control of loosestrife on a [sec.23.235, p.3]. The law includes all cultivars, hybrids and varieties of # On large sites, carefully spray site, but these methods are often labor loosestrife foliage with glyphosate intensive, expensive and disruptive. Lythrum salicaria and L. virgatum. Report sales of the plant to the Wis. or triclopyr herbicides. For sites with Biological control (biocontrol) is neces- mainly broad-leaved plants use sary for statewide control. Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection at glyphosate in a foliar solution (1% (608) 224-4571. Work with local active ingredient). Avoid spraying Biocontrol uses one organism to control native plants, since glyphosate is another. A search of Europe in the late government to curb local cultivation or distribution. Help educate local non-selective. On sites with many 1980s found insects that feed exclusive- monocots, such as cattails, sedges ly on and control the purple loosestrife gardeners about invasive plants and encourage them to use or grasses, spray with triclopyr, there. After careful research to identify ® native plants (see photos). such as Renovate , in a foliar the best and safest species to use, four solution. Triclopyr kills only insect species were imported to help ✔ Watch for pioneering loosestrife broad-leaved plants. control the plant here. Purple loosestrife plants and remove them biocontrol in Wisconsin began in 1994 immediately, especially from with the release of two beetle species areas otherwise free of that eat its leaves. Root and flower loosestrife. feeding weevils came a year later. Monitoring for almost 10 years has ensured that these insects pose no HELP ELIMINATE ESTALISHED threat to either our crop plants or native $ LOOSESTRIFE IN YOUR AREA Citizen action is critical, as many flora. Field research has also shown that The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) provides the insects reduce both the height and infestations are on private property. equal opportunities in employment and programs. The information in this publication can be made available in alternative formats. seed output of our purple loosestrife, Choose traditional or biological control Call 608/267-7694. methods or use them in combination. often enabling other plants to regain Assistance in the development of this publication provided by the control of a wetland in a few years. As a Environmental Resources Center, University of Wisconsin-Extension. Graphic design, Amy B. Hurley, Enviromental Resources Center. Partial wetland’s loosestrife diminishes, the TEACH ABOUT INVASIVE SPECIES 1987 data funding provided by the Urban Horticulture Project, USDA-CSREES. control insects fly to find new loosestrife % AND CITIZEN ACTION sites elsewhere. Use See Cella Chow: A Purple Loosestrife Biocontrol Manual for Educators, found at Mild infestation The two foliage beetles give the best www.dnr.wi.gov/org/es/science/ Moderate infestation control effect and are so easy to propa- publications/ss981_2003.htm Heavy infestation