Multiflora Rose

Posted on December 11, 2021 by admin

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) was first recorded as an escape in 1934. Imported from eastern China, Japan and Korea, it was widely planted in southern Michigan. Conservation groups encouraged growing it as late as the 1970s as “wildlife plantings” for cover and food. This was before they understood its invasive tendencies.

Multiflora Rose is a large shrub with arching branches that often tip root. Alternate, compound leaves remain green late in the season. They have seven or more leaflets. At the base of each leaf is a fringed stipule. Our native roses never have fringed stipules. The leaf stalks and the flower stalks are glandular.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) Leaf with fringed stipules.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) (Note the glands of the flowers and stipules and also the fringed stipules on the right.)

Flowers have five petals and are white. They occur in large clusters and the styles form a column. Many of our native roses have larger, pink flowers.

Native Roses: Prickly Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis) l-c Smooth Wild Rose (R. blanda) r (Note the fringeless stipules.)

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) Winter twig and fruit.

The fruit often remains on the shrub through the winter. Winter buds are blunt, reddish, and glabrous. Twigs have sharp, recurved, thorns.

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Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) in Michigan

Posted on March 15, 2021 by admin

Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) is naturally found in Europe and North Africa. It is planted in Michigan as far north as Baraga Co. so it could spread throughout the state. Currently, it is recorded from the southern half of the Lower Peninsula.

Black Alder Left and Center Speckled Alder Right

Black Alder is a small tree with usually a single trunk. Its leaves are about as wide as they are long and have a notched tip. They remain green into December in southern Michigan. Dark gray to black bark with squarish plates identify this species. Leaf buds start out green and turn purple in the winter. It is difficult to distinguish this species by bud and twig characters. In the winter I use its growth habit and I look for leaves on the ground.

Speckled Alder (Alnus incana) is normally a multi-stemmed shrub. When it reaches tree size, its bark is tight and gray with large lenticels. Leaves are 1.5 to 2 times longer than wide with acute tips. Leaf buds are dark-reddish brown, and it takes some practice to separate this species from Black Alder using only the twigs. If this species is considered distinct from the European alder, then its scientific name is Alnus rugosa.

Black Alder should be watched for throughout the state. It should be reported wherever you find it at the Midwest Invasive Species Network (MISIN). They also have a free app for reporting observations.

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Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Posted on February 17, 2021 by admin

Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a non-native, invasive, weed tree. With its fast growth and wide tolerance of growing conditions, Tree-of-Heaven was previously regarded as a desirable species. Reproducing by seeding and suckering, it aggressively colonizes open, sunny locations. This is a field or woodland edge species.

Tree-of-Heaven bark – L & M Smooth Sumac – R

Tree-of-Heaven twigs showing buds, lenticels and leaf scars

Large, foul smelling, pinnate compound leaves and commonly a reddish petiole help to determine this species. Gland tipped teeth occur at the base of the leaflets. Gray bark with short, vertical line-like ridges is distinctive. Fruit is single seeded in a twisted wing, up to 4.5 cm [1 ¾ inches] long, and sometimes it shows a reddish cast. Brownish, smooth, stout twigs with numerous lenticels and large leaf scars characterize Tree-of-Heaven.

Smooth Sumac (Rhus glabra) is a similar species that seldom attains tree size. It has finer toothed leaves without the foul smell or the glands. Leaf scars on Smooth Sumac practically circle the buds. There is no confusing this species if the red fruit is present.

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Beech Bark Disease

Posted on January 10, 2021 by admin

Beech Bark Disease was first recorded in Michigan in 2000. The first records came from Luce County in the eastern Upper Peninsula and Mason County in the Lower Peninsula. It has since spread through the central and eastern Upper Peninsula and the northwestern Lower Peninsula. My photos came from Hartwick Pines State Park. It is only a matter of time before it reaches the American Beech (Fagus grandifolia) stands in southeastern Michigan. It could spread there from northern Michigan, southern Ontario, or eastern Ohio.

Beech Bark Disease consists of two components: a scale insect and a fungus. First, the non-native sap feeding scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) infests the tree. These insects feed through tiny holes penetrating the bark. Fungi in the genus Nectria enter through these wounds and they kill the cambium layer. If it infests enough area, it can girdle and kill the tree.

Three species of fungi can cause Beech Bark Disease. Nectria galligena is native and caused little damage to American Beech until this scale insect was imported. N. faginata and N. ochroleuca are non-native. Sometimes more than one species of Nectria is present. Note: some researchers place these fungi in the genus Neonectria.

Closeups showing wooly white substance produced by the scale

The scale insects produce a wooly white substance. The insect shells seen in my photos are not from the scale insects but are from some other insect that was possibly feeding on the scale. Several Ladybug species feed on the scale however they cause little harm to the overall scale population. Fruiting bodies from the fungi are seldom seen, but its presence is recognized by a decline in the overall health of the tree.

This disease should be watched for and if found reported to the Department of Natural Resources, Forest Health Division.

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Notes on some Michigan Invasive Plants

Posted on November 29, 2020 by admin

This blog post provides supplemental notes for my talk “How to Identify some Michigan Invasive Plants.” It contains links to my blog posts and a few helpful identification links.

General Information

A Field Identification Guide to Invasive Plants in Michigan’s Natural Communities by Kim Borland, Suzan Campbell, Rebecca Schillo & Phyllis Higman.

This is a practical guide with information on identifying and controlling invasive species

Species Accounts

Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)

This is a Fact Sheet from the Great Lakes Science Center with a great visual key distinguishing the native American Bittersweet from the invasive Oriental Bittersweet.

Glossy Buckthorn (Frangula alnus)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Flowering-rush (Butomus umbellatus)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Reed Grass (Phragmites australis subsp. australis)

A Phragmites Field Guide from the Plant Conservation Alliance.

Garlic Mustard (Alliaria petiolata)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japanica)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Black Swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

Dog-strangling Vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum)

A Michigan Nature Guy Blog post

There is considerable work to do in Michigan to stop the spread of these species. Conservation groups are seeking volunteers to work on invasive species control. These volunteers need to recognize the species they are attacking. I hope this talk (and blog) promotes the recognition of these invasive plants.

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Hunting Flowering-rush (Butomus umbellatus)

Posted on November 11, 2019 by admin

I spent most of my field time in southern Michigan this year searching for invasive plants to photograph for a new talk. Part of the fun of putting together any talk is the hunt for material. This invasive plant talk is no exception. It is fun to get into areas that I normally don’t visit and see different plants and animals.

My invasive plant odyssey continued with a trip to Lake Erie Metropark to look for Flowering-rush (Butomus umbellatus). Lake Erie Metropark is a 1600-acre park with three miles of Lake Erie shoreline. My brother sent me photos of Flowering-rush from one of the picnic areas along the shore so I knew the plant was there. I first checked a drying pond hoping to find Flowering-rush. I found Flowering-rush plants that had finished flowering. However, the pond area was interesting.

One of the first plants I saw in the mud was Water Star-grass (Heteranthera dubia). It normally grows submerged in water but here in a dried-up section of the pond the terrestrial form was flowering. Its flowers have 6 yellow tepals and last a single day. Plants have narrow grass-like leaves and are limp against the soil. It is not a grass but a member of the Pickerel-weed family (Pontederiaceae).

In the same drying pond I found False Pimpernel (Lindernia dubia). It is an annual that appears to have long-lived seeds in the seedbank. It put on a nice display with its pretty blue flowers resembling snapdragons.

Also in the pond area was Water-purslane (Ludwigia palustris). Water-purslane has tiny petaless flowers and looks the same whether flowering or not flowering. The combination of red stems, long stalked leaves, prostrate growth, and growing in a habitat with receding water identifies this plant.

A Spotted Sandpiper flew into the center of the drying pond. I enjoyed watching its bobbing dance, never staying still. Probing the mud with its long bill and eating food unseen by me.

I finally found my quarry, an acre of blooming Flowering-rush. It had choked other species out to form a solid mass. It was first found in Michigan in 1930 not too far from here. Its range has expanded during the last 30 years and it is now found in the Lower Peninsula north to the Straits of Mackinac. It is mistaken for a wild onion by many people because it has a six-parted flower and narrow onion-like leaves. The pink flowers are 10mm [3/8 of an inch] across and rather showy. It is native to Africa and Eurasia.

Hunting invasive plants is an interesting excuse to run around southern Michigan. Tracking down invasive species is harder than I thought it would be. On more than one occasion the plant was removed before I could get its photo. Hopefully I will have a talk on identifying invasive plants ready to present before this year is over.

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Is it Black Swallow-wort or Pale Swallow-wort?

Posted on July 1, 2019 by admin

I am assembling a talk on Michigan Invasive Species and needed photographs of Black Swallow-wort. I asked several friends for locations. I was surprised to discover that the first three stations I visited were Pale Swallow-wort.

Black Swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum nigrum or Cynanchum louiseae) and Pale Swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum or Cynanchum rossicum) are two similar invasive vines. Black Swallow-wort is also called Louise’s Swallow-wort or Black Dog-strangling Vine. Other names for Pale Swallow-wort include: Dog-strangling Vine or European Swallow-wort.

Most people attempt to distinguish the two species based on flower color. However, it is difficult, without some field experience, to separate these two species using the flower color. Dr. Anton Reznicek on the Michigan Flora website writes, “The corollas in both our species are dark purplish, but they run toward black in V. nigrum [Black Swallow-wort] and tend to be somewhat paler in V. rossicum [Pale Swallow-wort], which also has longer corolla lobes (at least twice as long as broad) and only half as many chromosomes.” In Black Swallow-wort the corollas (petals) are about as long as they are wide and are covered with fine hairs. In Pale Swallow-wort the corollas are about twice as long as wide and are hairless. Peduncles (flower cluster stalks) are shorter in Black Swallow-wort than Pale Swallow-wort.

My wife commented that the tips of the flower buds on Black Swallow-wort are rounded and on Pale Swallow-wort they are bluntly pointed. I do not know if this is constant, but it held true for our limited sample.

Swallow-worts are in the family Apocynaceae which includes the Milkweeds and Dogbanes.

Swallow-worts are poisonous to Monarch larva. If a Monarch butterfly lays her eggs on the similar Swallow-wort instead of Milkweed (Asclepius spp.) then the larva die. An additional problem is that Swallow-worts are toxic to livestock and deer. In northern Oakland Co. Pale Swallow-wort is moving into pastures and causing problems for livestock.

Black Swallow-wort has been in Michigan since the 1880s. Its distribution is poorly known and should be reported wherever it is seen. Collected specimens are from the southern four tiers of counties and then at the tip of the Lower Peninsula. It must be found at other sites in northern Michigan. There are reports from the Traverse City Area. Pale Swallow-wort was first reported in 1968 and we have records from four counties in the southern three tiers. As the Michigan Flora website says, “It should be stamped out wherever observed.” Reports of both Swallow-worts should be made through the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network (MISIN). They have an online reporting tool and also a downloadable smart phone app.

I thank John DeLisle of Natural Community Services, Donna Kuchapski, and Debbie Jackson for helping me locate Swallow-wort stations.

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Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Posted on March 14, 2017 by admin

I recently found a stink bug in my kitchen. It was a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys). This invasive insect is native to Japan, Korea and China. The first North America record was from Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1998 and it reached Michigan in 2011.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

The adults overwinter in houses, barns, garages, and outbuildings. Adults are 12-16mm [1/2-5/8 inch] long and shaped like a shield. Their antennae are dark with light bands. Light spots are also found on the edges of their bodies. This is the only species of stink bug commonly found inside a house during our Michigan winter. It can occur by the hundreds in some homes.

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs will not bite humans. They can be a major pest on fruit trees and damage the leaves and fruit of apples, pears, peaches, cherries, corn, tomatoes, peppers, soybeans, and others. Luckily they only raise one brood in Michigan.
Copyright 2017 by Donald Drife

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Broad-leaved Helleborine’s Look-a-likes

Posted on September 11, 2016 by admin

Long-bracted Orchid L & C Yellow Lady-slipper R (Note hairs)

Many people have posted comments on an earlier blog post about Broad-leaved Helleborine (Epipactis helleborine). There is a lot of confusion regarding the identification of this species. I recently saw a photograph of this orchid identified as Spotted Coral-root (Corallorhiza maculata). Broad-leaved Helleborine has several color forms and some of the field guides do not account for the variations.

Close-up of Epipactis flower showing distinctive orchid flower structures

If you have a plant in flower you can recognize it as an orchid because it has three sepals and three petals with one of the petals modified into a lip. The reproductive organs are fused into a column. The leaves are parallel veined. (Note: Sepals are the outer covering of a flower bud. Petals are inside of the bud.)

Broad-leaved Helleborine’s flowers are about 15mm (5/8 inches) across and the lip is turned in at the tip.

Smooth leaves and stems of Broad-leaved Helleborine

When not flowering Broad-leaved Helleborine is commonly mistaken for one of the lady-slippers but its leaves and stem are smooth. Lady-slippers (Cypripedium spp.) have hairy leaves and stems. Helleborine normally has more leaves than a lady-slipper.

Long-bracted Orchid (Coeloglossum viride) has smaller flowers with notched lips and is not as coarse a plant as hellebore. It grows in natural areas and I have never seen it invading a garden.

Root of Broad-leaved Helleborine showing growth bud and side view of flower

While this is not a gardening blog many people ask about controlling this species. The only way I know is to try to dig out the plant. If you leave any of the fleshy root behind it will come back. Note the growth bud for next year’s plant in the photo. Most orchid species have fleshy roots so please make sure you have the plant correctly identified before you dig. My earlier blog post showed this species growing with domestic Viburnum and, in spite of repeated digging, that colony is still growing. Plants appeared in my wildflower garden, but died out without any interference from me.

Broad-leaved Helleborine is probably growing in every county in the state. Learn the plant when it is flowering so you can identify it later in the year.
Copyright 2016 by Donald Drife

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Japanese Knotweed

Posted on November 22, 2015 by admin

Japanese Knotweed leaves and flowers with Monarch Butterfly

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) also called (Polygonum cuspidatum) is identified by its jointed stem, with a whitish bloom, that can be 20mm (3/4 inch) in diameter. Large, alternate leaves, with pointed tips are also distinctive. Its flowers are white and normally held upright in short inflorescences. The seeds are three parted and thankfully not all of them are fertile.

Japanese Knotweed flowers and seeds

Japanese Knotweed

This plant has a hollow stem and is also called Michigan-Bamboo. It grows up to three meters tall (10-feet) and forms a dense monoculture. I have seen colonies that cover several acres. It can spread by seed or grow from sections of the stem or roots. It is impossible to dig out a large colony because even a small section of root re-sprouts.

Japanese Knotweed in field

In central lower Michigan it is called bee-plant. I saw a large colony of it with numerous bees and wasps feeding on it. Eight Monarch butterflies nectared there. However, its period of nectar production is short and many native plants are better nectar sources. The DNR is correct in prohibiting the importing or sale of this plant. It should be destroyed wherever it is found. This is primarily an identification blog but information on the control of this species can be found on the DNR’s website.

Japanese Knotweed

Japanese Knotweed was first recorded in the wild in Michigan in 1919. It is now found throughout the state. I have started to see it in central lower Michigan were it previously was absent. It is becoming common in all parts of the state and will prove to be a serious pest that is difficult to control.
Copyright 2015 by Donald Drife

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The Michigan Nature Guy’s Blog

To get people looking at, enjoying, and understanding the natural world around them.

Category Archives: Invasive Species

Multiflora Rose

Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa) in Michigan

Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)

Beech Bark Disease

Notes on some Michigan Invasive Plants

Hunting Flowering-rush (Butomus umbellatus)

Is it Black Swallow-wort or Pale Swallow-wort?

Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Broad-leaved Helleborine’s Look-a-likes

Japanese Knotweed