Mile-A-Minute: Invasion of the Aliens

What lives in the Blue Hills, grows 6 inches a day and is destroying the habitat of our native species? Join DCR Forestry Assistant Alexandra Echandi for a talk about Mile-a-Minute, an invasive weed recently identified in the Blue Hills. Learn how to identify, report and help control the spread of this and other invasive plants.

The lecture will be held on Saturday, February 27 at 9am in the Trailside Museum Auditorium in Milton, MA. Call 617-698-1802 x219 to register.

Can't make the talk? Download our mile-a-minute flyer and learn to tell this invasive plant apart from similar species.

Pest Alert: Mile-a-minute vine

Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum), an invasive vine native to eastern Asia, has been confirmed in two new counties in Massachusetts.

Also known as "devil's tail" or "Asiatic tear-thumb," mile-a-minute vine was first discovered in Massachusetts in 2006 in two locations: Falmouth (Barnstable County) and Milton (Norfolk County). Through a multi-agency effort to uncover new populations of this pervasive weed before it becomes established in Massachusetts, mile-a-minute vine has now been confirmed in the towns of Greenfield and Erving (Franklin County) and in Littleton (Middlesex County).

The plants found in Greenfield were removed once identification was confirmed, and state officials will continue to monitor the site over the next several years to remove any new seedlings that are found. The mile-a-minute vine population in Erving is currently being assessed to determine the best way to manage it. In addition, a report from Boston this past August led state officials to two seedlings which were immediately removed, and a survey of the area revealed no other mile-a-minute plants. The previously known populations of mile-a-minute vine in Milton and Falmouth are being monitored by the Department of Conservation and Recreation and the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and are currently under eradication.

Mile-a-minute vine can be recognized by its perfectly triangular leaves, barbed stems, and clusters of metallic-blue berries. If left alone, this vine can quickly cover large areas, scrambling over other plants as well as fences and other structures. Several other vines may be confused with this invasive species, including bindweed, fleecevine, and Asiatic bittersweet. The University of Connecticut website offers a comparison of similar species.

For more information about mile-a-minute vine, or to report a potential sighting in Massachusetts, visit our mile-a-minute vine fact sheet, or call 617-626-1779.

To sign up for pest and pathogen alerts from the Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project, visit this page.

Photo credit: Todd Mervosh, CT Agricultural Experiment Station

Help Needed: Fight Mile-a-Minute Vine

The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is seeking volunteers to help pull mile-a-minute vine in Fowl Meadow, part of the Blue Hills Reservation. Mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum, "MAM"), an invasive species native to Asia, was discovered in Fowl Meadow in 2006 and now covers more than 40 acres. Fowl Meadow is an area of critical environmental concern, a habitat for over 10 rare and endangered species now threatened by this fast-growing vine.


Mile-a-minute in Fowl Meadow (Photo by Alexandra Echandi, DCR)

Mile-a-minute vine can be recognized by its distinct, triangular-shaped leaves, barbed stems, and clusters of bright blue fruits. It is an annual plant whose fruits are attractive to both birds and mammals, and whose seeds can live up to five years in the soil.

DCR is seeking to pull out as much of the Fowl Meadow mile-a-minute vine as possible, in order to reduce next year's populations levels. Pulling sessions are being held this Thursday (9/17/09), 8:00-11:30am and Friday (9/18/09) 8:00am-3:00pm, and more sessions will be scheduled over the next few weeks. If you are interested in lending a hand, please call 617-981-0817.

Photo by winged photography

Mile-a-Minute on Block Island

An infestation of mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum) was discovered last month on Block Island, located off the coast of Rhode Island. The initial sighting was in a swamp owned by The Nature Conservancy, in several patches covering more than 400 square meters. A small additional population was also found in the yard of an island resident. The Nature Conservancy and Rhode Island Natural History Survey staff were quick to assess the problem, and have already been out to the sight for a day-long "pulling session" to remove the thorny vines by hand. Given the extent of the invasion, RINHS staff expect that the mile-a-minute, which is an annual plant, has already put out a lot of seeds this season, meaning that RINHS and TNC will be back on the island next year for more pulling.

Massachusetts has two populations of mile-a-minute vine that are currently under eradication. If you think you have seen this plant, please report it using our online form, or call our Plant Pest Hotline at 617-626-1779.

Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts

Tuesday and Thursday of this week the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts held its annual Speaker's Program Workshop. I participated on both days and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet folks from garden clubs across the state (and to meet all the other speakers as well!), speak to them about this project, and encourage them to sign up for our Pest Alert email list.


The presentation was set up to have multiple panels that can be swapped out depending on the interests of the audience, with two pests per panel, plus the project logo and URL and two smaller panels describing the project in general. For the garden clubs, I featured:

• Asian longhorned beetle and the Emerald ash borer
  
• Viburnum leaf beetle and Daylily rust
  
• Giant hogweed and Mile-a-minute vine

It took quite a bit of work (and help from kind coworkers) to produce those posters, but they'll be getting a lot of use this year, I am sure.