Invasive Species Corner

Invasive species are a major threat to our environment because they can change an entire habitat, place ecosystems at risk, crowd out or replace native species and damage human enterprise - costing the economy millions of dollars.

Invasive Species Spotlight:

Wavyleaf Basket Grass

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Invader Alert! A recently discovered invasive, currently found only in Maryland, has taken over 150 acres of Patapsco State Park and has already spread to other areas. Wavyleaf Basketgrass is "a low-lying, trailing perennial grass, branching and rooting at the lower stem nodes. The leaf blades are flat, about ½" wide and between 1½ and 4" long, deep green with rippling waves across the grass blades, as though the tide were coming into shore along the leaves. The leaf sheaths and stems are noticeably hairy, although the hairs are very short. Wavyleaf basketgrass may be a very good candidate for Early Detection - Rapid Response. The Maryland populations are still small, though spreading, and the grass can be removed successfully by hand-weeding."

To learn more, check out this article from the Bay Journal.

The Sierra Club is constantly targeting newly discovered and stubbornly surviving invasive plant species to remove- and we need your help! Click here to learn more about joining an invasive plant removal stewardship outing.

For more information about invasive species of all kinds, visit the Maryland Invasive Species Council website.

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