Purple Loosestrife is a wetland
plant from Europe and Asia. It was once
distributed as a medicinal herb and an ornamental plant, and has since spread
to most states in the continental US and throughout Canada. It forms dense, impenetrable stands which are
unsuitable for food or nesting for a wide range of native wetland animals,
including ducks, geese, rails, bitterns, mukrats, frogs, toads, and turtles (http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/aquaticplants/purpleloosestrife/index.html).
Infestations result in dramatic
disruption in water flow in rivers and canals, and a sharp decline in biological diversity as native food and
cover plant species, especially cattails, are completely crowded out, and the life cycles of
organisms from waterfowl to amphibians to algae are affected.
Some states have categorized purple loosestrife as a prohibited noxious
weed.
Once established, Purple
Loosestrife is difficult to remove, so it is best to remove it before it
becomes established. Small localized stands
can be managed by uprooting the plant by hand and ensuring the removal of all
vegetative parts, mowing or cutting, burning or herbicide application. Continual mowing or cutting will prevent it
from flowering and producing seeds, limiting its spread. Biological control is also being evaluated by
researchers.
