Where is the purple loosestrife found in Canada?

Where is the purple loosestrife found in Canada?

Where does it grow? Purple loosestrife has now naturalized and spread across Canada and the northern United States. It can be found in wet meadows, river floodplains and damp roadsides.

Is purple loosestrife in Canada?

Range. Purple loosestrife was first introduced to the Atlantic coast of North America. From there, it spread westward across the continent to all Canadian provinces and all American states except Florida, Alaska and Hawaii. In Ontario, the plant has spread widely throughout the Great Lakes-St.

How did purple loosestrife get to Michigan?

Introduced from Eurasia via ship ballast and intentionally as an ornamental garden plant in the 1800s. This plant is illegal to sell, trade, plant, or share in Michigan, per Michigan’s Natural Resources Environmental Protection Act (Part 413 of Act 451).

When was the purple loosestrife brought to Canada?

By the late 1800s, purple loosestrife had spread throughout the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada, reaching as far north and west as Manitoba. In the 1930s, it became an aggressive invasive in the floodplain pastures of the St.

What are the negative effects of purple loosestrife?

Purple loosestrife negatively affects both wildlife and agriculture. It displaces and replaces native flora and fauna, eliminating food, nesting and shelter for wildlife. Purple loosestrife forms a single-species stand that no bird, mammal, or fish depends upon, and germinates faster than many native wetland species.

Where did the purple loosestrife plant come from?

Purple loosestrife is a wetland plant native to Europe and Asia that was brought to North America in the early 19thcentury. This highly invasive plant was likely introduced when its seeds were included in soil used as ballast in European sailing ships and discarded in North America.

Why are purple loosestrifes bad for the environment?

After establishing, purple loosestrife populations tend to remain at low numbers until optimal conditions allow the population to dramatically expand. The dense colonies that result can displace native vegetation and wildlife. Map of purple loosestrife distribution from the USDA PLANTS database ( https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=LYSA2 ).

What to do about purple loosestrife in Wisconsin?

Many areas of the state use safe biocontrol beetles that feed on the loosestrife to keep it in check and allow other plants to grow. Prefers moist soils and shallow waters where it competes with native wetland plants. It will adjust to varying light conditions and water levels.

What kind of bug eats purple loosestrife plant?

The beetles are natural enemies of purple loosestrife and feed primarily on the plant, although they occasionally eat other species of loosestrife. This biological control of purple loosestrife can reduce populations by up to 90 per cent and allow native plants to re-establish.