Spring Is a Great Time to Thaw Out – And Be On the Lookout
Spring is a favorite time for many Wisconsinites. Everyday something new sprouts through the ground, blooms appear, and leaves begin filling empty branches. As you enjoy spring and summer unfolding, keep a lookout for unwelcome plants in gardens, waterways, and natural areas. The more people watching for and helping to manage invasive plants the better chance we have for limiting the impacts of invasive plants.
As you hike, bike, or visit parks, green spaces, and natural areas this year, report invasive plant infestations to the Wisconsin DNR. If you think you have found a 
prohibited species, even on your own property, it’s especially important to report it to help DNR understand the overall spread of the plants and they can sometimes help with managing it. Visit their web page for tips on documenting what you have found, reporting invasives, and the links to other resources. Provide photos and specific locations using GPS points, street addresses or road crossings.
There are a lot of plants out there. Figuring out what is what can be a real challenge. So let’s just take a look at a few of the top aquatic/wetland growing invasive plants for early Spring. As you enjoy the season, help out your favorite place by keeping an eye out for these invasive species.
This plant’s bright yellow flowers in April and May are often mistaken for our native marsh marigold. The plant spreads rapidly, crowding out nearby native plants but the leaves die back mid-season, resulting in soil erosion.
A beautiful, but invasive plant that easily spreads by seeds floating in water, rhizomes, and floating mats, infesting areas beyond the garden where they were planted. Watch for yellow flowers in May and June and strappy leaves throughout the growing season.
Spiraling leaves that are a triangle-shaped when cut? An umbrella-like grouping of pinkish purple flowers? You might be looking at Flowering Rush. Since the plant can create numerous plants from the same rhizome and spread through bulbils, it can quickly start to dominate an invaded wetland. Flowers start blooming in June-August.
We hope you enjoy the warming weather!
Photo Credit: Paul Skawinski
Story by: Melinda Myers, Chris Acy
Questions? Comments? Contact Chris Acy, the AIS Coordinator covering Brown, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties at (920) 460-3674 or chris@fwwa.org!
Follow the Fox Wolf Watershed Alliance on our Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance Facebook page or @fox_wolf_watershed_alliance on Instagram! You can also sign-up for email updates at fwwa.org.
The Fox-Wolf Watershed Alliance is an independent nonprofit organization that identifies and advocates effective policies and actions that protect, restore, and sustain water resources in the Fox-Wolf River Basin.
Reporting invasive species is a first step in containing their spread. Maintaining and restoring our waters and landscapes can reduce the impacts even when we don’t have other management options to an invasive species.
