Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News
The Newsletter of the Great Lakes
Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund
The Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat News is the newsletter of the Great Lakes Aquatic Habitat Network and Fund, published five times per year. The News is intended to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas among citizens and organizations working to protect aquatic habitats in the Great Lakes Basin.
Volume 15, Number 2 • Summer 2007
Lake Erie
Basin Update - Ontario Side
Friends of Fort Erie’s Creeks Tackle Invasive Purple Loosestrife
Yvonne Hopkins, Project Coordinator
Several native species of vegetation in the Fort Erie, Ontario area,
including the swamp rose mallow, are being forced into extinction
by the spread of purple loosestrife. By crowding out the native vegetation,
loosestrife diminishes the area's ecological value. No
waterfowl will nest in the plant, no fish will survive in the clogged
waterways, and no animal will graze on the loosestrife or burrow
between its dense web of roots.
The Friends of Fort Erie’s Creeks decided to introduce Galerucella
beetles to eat the loosestrife foliage and are seeing some success.
They have been battling loosestrife manually for over 10 years and
biologically for three. Since release of Galerucella beetles in 2004,
loosestrife on their study area has been reduced from 80% to 60%
coverage. Read more about the Friends’ efforts on their website:
http://www.friendsofforteriescreeks.com/.
You can help control purple loosestrife by cutting the plants back
(particularly the flowering spikes, since each plant produces up to
2.7 million seeds/yr.), or digging or hand pulling. Digging and hand
pulling are best done when the plants are young and roots can be
most readily removed, since any part of the root left in the ground
can re-sprout. Be sure to contain the plants completely for
disposal, since the seeds may not be destroyed!
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