Post by Will S on May 27, 2012 21:43:32 GMT -8
( Information on this page was coppied from www.squidoo.com/controlling-invasive-species-in-the-pacfic-northwest. P.S. I cant figure why the images are not all working.)
Weylen sat there at his computer looking up invasive species of the pacific northwest. the room was filled with computers and miss-matched electronics.
" Hum there seem to be a lot of these, how to put it into a short easy to read document that everyone can understand."
Weylen thought for a while then realized he could make a list with pictures of the species. this would make the species easily identifiable as well as east for those who could not read to understand.
He typed onto the computer.
" Invasive species"
If you see any of these species please contact the keeper of the land or myself before taking any action to remove the invasive species.
Alien Invaders of the Pacific Northwest
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are battling a multitude of invasive species. They are altering the structure of habitats and changing our native ecosystems. Here is a list of the Nine Most Wanted Invasive Species:
1. Himalayan Blackberry
2. Purple Loosestrife
3. Nutria
4. American Bullfrog
5. English Ivy
6. Common Snapping Turtle
7. Yellow Perch
8. European Starling
9. European Yellowjacket
Himalayan Blackberry
Friend or Foe?
Himalayan BlackberriesJust as common as rain is in the PNW, wild blackberries abound. They grow on vacant city lots, in the cracks of asphalt playgrounds, roadside landscapes and just about anywhere a bird can drop a seed. But most of these berry bushes are not native. They are probably either the Himalayan and Evergreen varieties. These are the most widely picked berries in the PNW. They are often mistaken for natives.
Naturalized in urban, agricultural, and wild areas throughout our region, they grow from sea level to 1500 m. It is an evergreen shrub that forms dense, impenetrable thickets. Their canes are covered with vicious, slightly curved thorns and grow upward to 5m then arch out and downward. It bears pinkish-white five-petaled flowers in clusters & shiny purple inch-long berries. The leaves are palmately compound with usually five large, course oval leaflets. The leaves are dark green on the upper side with grayish -green undersides.
What is the impact on our native ecosystems? Invasive blackberries are an important source of nectar & support the honey bee (another introduced species) in production but they alter ecosystems by shading out and killing smaller, native species; thereby reducing native plant and wildlife diversity. The Himalayan Blackberry is a food source for introduced vermin and birds and may help increase their populations. They can prevent large animals access to water, decrease useable pasture, trap young livestock, and shelter small animals from predation.
Purple Loosestrife
A Wetland Disaster
An Invasion of Purple LoosestrifeThe Purple Loosestrife is a pretty flower but the side effects of this exotic wetland weed is anything but pretty. It has small reddish-purple flowers arranged in dense, showy spikes and square stems with opposite leaves that are hairy and lanced-shaped. It superficially resembles native species and is a common wetland species across North America. It flowers from late June to September and is a prolific seed producer. An average mature plant can produce more than 2.5 million seeds a year.
The problem, however, is that it crowds out native aquatic vegatation destroying valuable wildlife habitat. Plant diversity is needed for birds and other animals to thrive, but this weed can take over an entire wetland. Purple Loosestrife forms incredibly dense stands that out compete native plants. It can clog waterways and reduce the food quality of livestock forage. Controlling large populations of Purple Loosestrife in natural areas is difficult. It entered the PNW in the 1940s and has spread widely since. Because of its wide spread impact, it is illegal to sell it in WA, OR, & AB (Alberta). Indeed, Purple Loosestrife is a wetland disaster
Nutria
A Beaver in Disguise
NutriaNutria are large aquatic rodents with thick, yellowish-brown to dark-brown fur and have white whiskers on their chin. They have a arched rat-like body & scaly tail. They also have prominent front teeth that appear to be orange. Nutria have clawed front paws and webbed back feet. Because of their appearance, people often mistake them for beavers. Like beavers in Oregon and Washington, they live near ponds, rivers, lakes, and in brackish or saltwater marine estuaries.
However, Nutria aren't as cute as they seem. They cause major destruction to wetlands in many areas. In high density, foraging and burrowing by Nutria can be very destructive to wild and agricultural lands. They can raid farmlands causing serious damage to alfalfa, corn, clover, & root crops. They damage dikes and irrigation facilities, weaken and erode banks, and obstruct wetland rehabilitation projects. They carry a variety of parasites and diseases. They also compete with the native Muskrat, damage native plants, reduce food, and reduce wetland habitat for native species like the beaver.
American Bullfrog
Croaking Its Way into Native Habitats
The American BullfrogThe American Bullfrog is North America's largest frog species. It is found around permanent freshwater ponds and lakes. It has olive to bright green skin and a yellow throat. Individual females can lay up to 20,000 eggs. Due to their size and voracious appetite, they consume anything they can catch and fit in their mouths. American Bullfrogs inhabit lowland habitats west of the Cascade Range, in WA, OR, and CA. But their charming croaking is not all its croaked up to be. American Bullfrogs are a significant threat to native pond communities. They may alter wetland ecosystems. They consume crustaceans, insects, fish, garter snakes, baby turtles, ducklings, bats, blackbirds, and other frogs. They are a threat to other native frogs including Northern Leopard Frog, Spotted Frogs, Red-legged Frogs, and possibly Tiger Salamanders as well as the Western Pond Turtle. They are very difficult to control and nearly impossible to eliminate, posing a severe challenge to conversation efforts.
English Ivy
The Pacific Northwest Strangler
English Ivy taking over treesHere in our region, English Ivy is almost as commom as the blackberry. The species is an evergreen, woody vine with waxy leaves. Small roots along the stem adhere to surfaces and allow the vines to climb. The plant has white flowers in tight clusters in the fall and purple berries in the spring. The fruits and leaves are toxic if ingested by humans. English Ivy is found throughout the PNW, from northern California into British Colombia.
English Ivy is most damaging in forests where it can take over the forest floor. Heavily infested ivy areas have less diversity of birds, mammals, and amphibians than none-infested areas. Ivy grows up tree trunks and branches, especially. deciduous tress that loose their leaves in the winter, allowing light to reach it. This can cause trees to weaken, fall over and increase storm damage. Birds contribute to very efficient seed dispersal. Forest Park, a popular place in Porland, Oregon is a prime example of how English Ivy can take over a native habitat. To combat this alien invader, there is a "No-Ivy League" organizaiton whose mission is to try to restore the native habitat by removing these invasive plants.
Common Snapping Turtle
Watch Out Fingers!
Common Snapping TurtleSnapping Turtles are gray, have long necks, and can strike quickly. Their large head, a long jagged-edged tail, and a small, serrated shell make them look prehistoric. Coloring varies from gray to dark brown or olive. Its most distinct characteristic is its powerful, pointed beak. They live from California north to British Columbia.
So why is this invasive species a problem in our area? The Common Snapping Turtle competes with native turtles for basking sites, nesting sites, and food. Disease is another threat they pose to native PNW turtle populations. Snapping Turtles can eat young ducks and young turtles. This invasive species was introduced into the wild by pet owners. The Snapping Turtle can break a child's finger in one bite. They are banned in California and Oregon.
Yellow Perch
Schools of Aliens
YellowYellow Perch is a medium-sized fish that Inhabits many lowland lakes, ponds, and rivers in the PNW. It has 6-9 dark bands or saddles on its dorsal surface, covering a yellowish or greenish scaly body. The head size is relatively large. Perch are often quite prickly with sharp spines. The spawning males can have bright orange-red fins. Yellow Perch often live in loosely aggregated schools and are most common in lakes with extensive aquatic plant cover and relatively clear water.
Anglers love to catch this often-stocked variety. But there is a problem. Perch are both competitors with and predators of native fishes and invertebrates. They are highly omnivorous and compete with a wide range of other fishes. Perch have been known to prey on native juvenile salmonids. Its highly likely to have a important effect on native aquatic communities in the PNW.
European Starling
A Nusiance Takes Wing
European StarlingThis small alien invader is an example of one that was introduced by humans. The European Starling is a small, glossy black bird with a short tail and pointed wings. It has a dark bill and feathers with tail spots at the tips, giving the bird an overall spotted appearance. When breeding, the bill turns yellow and the pale feather tips become a purple-green iridescence. Starlings prefer open areas for foraging and live in grasslands, semi-natural areas, agricultural areas, and most habitat types where there is some human development. They avoid large areas of undisturbed forest, scrub, and desert.
Starlings evict woodpeckers from their nesting cavities, destroying the eggs and replacing them with their own. They also evict other birds such as swallows, bluebirds, and wood ducks. Starlings contribute to the spread of invasive plants that have fleshy fruits, such as English Ivy and Blackberry. They can interfere with airplanes at airports. Their feces damage buildings and transmit diseases.
European Yellowjacket
A Sting with a Lasting Impact
European YellowjacketThe European Yellowjacket has a stubby or stocky appearance and yellow and black (or white & black) stripes. The head shield distinguishes the European Yellowjacket from native wasps. It has three black spots and an incomplete yellow ring around the compound eye. The first part of the antennae is completely black. When provoked, it can give a painful sting. It stings multiple times with a smooth stinger. It is found primarily near urban areas, field, gardens, and forests in the PNW.
It has become the dominant foraging wasp, often at the expense of native wasp populations. They consume large numbers of beneficial insect pollinators. They compete with butterflies for nectar, and displace hummingbirds from feeders. In the PNW, the European Yellowjacket competes with the Western Yellowjacket.
After weylen put together the list he printed out several copies.
Weylen sat there at his computer looking up invasive species of the pacific northwest. the room was filled with computers and miss-matched electronics.
" Hum there seem to be a lot of these, how to put it into a short easy to read document that everyone can understand."
Weylen thought for a while then realized he could make a list with pictures of the species. this would make the species easily identifiable as well as east for those who could not read to understand.
He typed onto the computer.
" Invasive species"
If you see any of these species please contact the keeper of the land or myself before taking any action to remove the invasive species.
Alien Invaders of the Pacific Northwest
Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are battling a multitude of invasive species. They are altering the structure of habitats and changing our native ecosystems. Here is a list of the Nine Most Wanted Invasive Species:
1. Himalayan Blackberry
2. Purple Loosestrife
3. Nutria
4. American Bullfrog
5. English Ivy
6. Common Snapping Turtle
7. Yellow Perch
8. European Starling
9. European Yellowjacket
Himalayan Blackberry
Friend or Foe?
Himalayan BlackberriesJust as common as rain is in the PNW, wild blackberries abound. They grow on vacant city lots, in the cracks of asphalt playgrounds, roadside landscapes and just about anywhere a bird can drop a seed. But most of these berry bushes are not native. They are probably either the Himalayan and Evergreen varieties. These are the most widely picked berries in the PNW. They are often mistaken for natives.
Naturalized in urban, agricultural, and wild areas throughout our region, they grow from sea level to 1500 m. It is an evergreen shrub that forms dense, impenetrable thickets. Their canes are covered with vicious, slightly curved thorns and grow upward to 5m then arch out and downward. It bears pinkish-white five-petaled flowers in clusters & shiny purple inch-long berries. The leaves are palmately compound with usually five large, course oval leaflets. The leaves are dark green on the upper side with grayish -green undersides.
What is the impact on our native ecosystems? Invasive blackberries are an important source of nectar & support the honey bee (another introduced species) in production but they alter ecosystems by shading out and killing smaller, native species; thereby reducing native plant and wildlife diversity. The Himalayan Blackberry is a food source for introduced vermin and birds and may help increase their populations. They can prevent large animals access to water, decrease useable pasture, trap young livestock, and shelter small animals from predation.
Purple Loosestrife
A Wetland Disaster
An Invasion of Purple LoosestrifeThe Purple Loosestrife is a pretty flower but the side effects of this exotic wetland weed is anything but pretty. It has small reddish-purple flowers arranged in dense, showy spikes and square stems with opposite leaves that are hairy and lanced-shaped. It superficially resembles native species and is a common wetland species across North America. It flowers from late June to September and is a prolific seed producer. An average mature plant can produce more than 2.5 million seeds a year.
The problem, however, is that it crowds out native aquatic vegatation destroying valuable wildlife habitat. Plant diversity is needed for birds and other animals to thrive, but this weed can take over an entire wetland. Purple Loosestrife forms incredibly dense stands that out compete native plants. It can clog waterways and reduce the food quality of livestock forage. Controlling large populations of Purple Loosestrife in natural areas is difficult. It entered the PNW in the 1940s and has spread widely since. Because of its wide spread impact, it is illegal to sell it in WA, OR, & AB (Alberta). Indeed, Purple Loosestrife is a wetland disaster
Nutria
A Beaver in Disguise
NutriaNutria are large aquatic rodents with thick, yellowish-brown to dark-brown fur and have white whiskers on their chin. They have a arched rat-like body & scaly tail. They also have prominent front teeth that appear to be orange. Nutria have clawed front paws and webbed back feet. Because of their appearance, people often mistake them for beavers. Like beavers in Oregon and Washington, they live near ponds, rivers, lakes, and in brackish or saltwater marine estuaries.
However, Nutria aren't as cute as they seem. They cause major destruction to wetlands in many areas. In high density, foraging and burrowing by Nutria can be very destructive to wild and agricultural lands. They can raid farmlands causing serious damage to alfalfa, corn, clover, & root crops. They damage dikes and irrigation facilities, weaken and erode banks, and obstruct wetland rehabilitation projects. They carry a variety of parasites and diseases. They also compete with the native Muskrat, damage native plants, reduce food, and reduce wetland habitat for native species like the beaver.
American Bullfrog
Croaking Its Way into Native Habitats
The American BullfrogThe American Bullfrog is North America's largest frog species. It is found around permanent freshwater ponds and lakes. It has olive to bright green skin and a yellow throat. Individual females can lay up to 20,000 eggs. Due to their size and voracious appetite, they consume anything they can catch and fit in their mouths. American Bullfrogs inhabit lowland habitats west of the Cascade Range, in WA, OR, and CA. But their charming croaking is not all its croaked up to be. American Bullfrogs are a significant threat to native pond communities. They may alter wetland ecosystems. They consume crustaceans, insects, fish, garter snakes, baby turtles, ducklings, bats, blackbirds, and other frogs. They are a threat to other native frogs including Northern Leopard Frog, Spotted Frogs, Red-legged Frogs, and possibly Tiger Salamanders as well as the Western Pond Turtle. They are very difficult to control and nearly impossible to eliminate, posing a severe challenge to conversation efforts.
English Ivy
The Pacific Northwest Strangler
English Ivy taking over treesHere in our region, English Ivy is almost as commom as the blackberry. The species is an evergreen, woody vine with waxy leaves. Small roots along the stem adhere to surfaces and allow the vines to climb. The plant has white flowers in tight clusters in the fall and purple berries in the spring. The fruits and leaves are toxic if ingested by humans. English Ivy is found throughout the PNW, from northern California into British Colombia.
English Ivy is most damaging in forests where it can take over the forest floor. Heavily infested ivy areas have less diversity of birds, mammals, and amphibians than none-infested areas. Ivy grows up tree trunks and branches, especially. deciduous tress that loose their leaves in the winter, allowing light to reach it. This can cause trees to weaken, fall over and increase storm damage. Birds contribute to very efficient seed dispersal. Forest Park, a popular place in Porland, Oregon is a prime example of how English Ivy can take over a native habitat. To combat this alien invader, there is a "No-Ivy League" organizaiton whose mission is to try to restore the native habitat by removing these invasive plants.
Common Snapping Turtle
Watch Out Fingers!
Common Snapping TurtleSnapping Turtles are gray, have long necks, and can strike quickly. Their large head, a long jagged-edged tail, and a small, serrated shell make them look prehistoric. Coloring varies from gray to dark brown or olive. Its most distinct characteristic is its powerful, pointed beak. They live from California north to British Columbia.
So why is this invasive species a problem in our area? The Common Snapping Turtle competes with native turtles for basking sites, nesting sites, and food. Disease is another threat they pose to native PNW turtle populations. Snapping Turtles can eat young ducks and young turtles. This invasive species was introduced into the wild by pet owners. The Snapping Turtle can break a child's finger in one bite. They are banned in California and Oregon.
Yellow Perch
Schools of Aliens
YellowYellow Perch is a medium-sized fish that Inhabits many lowland lakes, ponds, and rivers in the PNW. It has 6-9 dark bands or saddles on its dorsal surface, covering a yellowish or greenish scaly body. The head size is relatively large. Perch are often quite prickly with sharp spines. The spawning males can have bright orange-red fins. Yellow Perch often live in loosely aggregated schools and are most common in lakes with extensive aquatic plant cover and relatively clear water.
Anglers love to catch this often-stocked variety. But there is a problem. Perch are both competitors with and predators of native fishes and invertebrates. They are highly omnivorous and compete with a wide range of other fishes. Perch have been known to prey on native juvenile salmonids. Its highly likely to have a important effect on native aquatic communities in the PNW.
European Starling
A Nusiance Takes Wing
European StarlingThis small alien invader is an example of one that was introduced by humans. The European Starling is a small, glossy black bird with a short tail and pointed wings. It has a dark bill and feathers with tail spots at the tips, giving the bird an overall spotted appearance. When breeding, the bill turns yellow and the pale feather tips become a purple-green iridescence. Starlings prefer open areas for foraging and live in grasslands, semi-natural areas, agricultural areas, and most habitat types where there is some human development. They avoid large areas of undisturbed forest, scrub, and desert.
Starlings evict woodpeckers from their nesting cavities, destroying the eggs and replacing them with their own. They also evict other birds such as swallows, bluebirds, and wood ducks. Starlings contribute to the spread of invasive plants that have fleshy fruits, such as English Ivy and Blackberry. They can interfere with airplanes at airports. Their feces damage buildings and transmit diseases.
European Yellowjacket
A Sting with a Lasting Impact
European YellowjacketThe European Yellowjacket has a stubby or stocky appearance and yellow and black (or white & black) stripes. The head shield distinguishes the European Yellowjacket from native wasps. It has three black spots and an incomplete yellow ring around the compound eye. The first part of the antennae is completely black. When provoked, it can give a painful sting. It stings multiple times with a smooth stinger. It is found primarily near urban areas, field, gardens, and forests in the PNW.
It has become the dominant foraging wasp, often at the expense of native wasp populations. They consume large numbers of beneficial insect pollinators. They compete with butterflies for nectar, and displace hummingbirds from feeders. In the PNW, the European Yellowjacket competes with the Western Yellowjacket.
After weylen put together the list he printed out several copies.
