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The State of Biological Control

Marc Imlay, Conservation Biologist

MAIPC Chair, Biological Working Group

The Maryland-National Capital Park and

Planning Commission

ialm@erols.com Marc.Imlay@pgparks.com

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Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council

Biological-Control Work Group

(Marc Imlay, Judy Hough-Goldstein, William Bruckart, Jil Swearingen, John Peter Thompson, Richard Casagrande, and Robert Tichenor) http://www.maipc.org/Workshop2014/MAIPC_BiocontrolWG_July2014.pdf

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Investigate biological control agents relevant to the mid-Atlantic region and the eastern U.S. affecting aquatic and terrestrial species and ecosystems and provide updates and status reports to the board.
Review the current status of host specific research on biological controls.
Provide land managers practical up-to date information on how to obtain bio-controls.
Obtaining the latest information on current distribution of bio-controls and success of the bio-controls in controlling target non-native invasive plants at the established sites. Potential or actual impact on non-target plants at these sites.

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I remain highly dedicated to saving our natural areas with mechanical removal and carefully targeted chemical control. For example. I was part of the team that saved a 1,200 acre park in Kauai that has one out of twenty of the plant species on the National Endangered Species list. Biological control and monitoring the borders would not have accomplished this wonderful work. At Magruder Woods in Hyattsville, Maryland, we have saved the primary natural area in the entire city. We did it just in time.

However, biological control is a critical tool in our tool kit.

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Invasive control requires many tools

Kokee State Park, Island of Kauai, Hawaii

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Magruder Woods in Hyattsville, MD

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Our Toolkit

Estimation: ~30 percent of the invasive plant species there is an effective, host specific, biological control.

Support Research!

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Ranges: A+ to F-

A+ Mile a Minute

F - Nodding Thistle

Several insect species imported for control of thistles have been found to impact native thistle species.

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New Biological Control Status

Japanese Knotweed - Permit pending
Garlic Mustard - Permit pending
Black Swallow-wort - Permit pending
Phragmites - Research
Thistles - Research
Japanese stiltgrass - Research

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Japanese knotweed - Fallopia japonica
Giant knotweed - Fallopia sachalinensis
Bohemian knotweed - Fallopia x bohemica

Potential Biological Control Agents:

Leaf beetle, two moths, and a psyllid

(Grevstad et al. 2013).

Between 2007 and 2012, four natural enemies from knotweed’s native range were tested as potential biological control agents for knotweeds in North America--a leaf beetle, two moths, and a psyllid (Grevstad et al. 2013). Partners in this biocontrol project include the U.S. Forest Service Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team, Washington State Department of Agriculture, CABI- Biosciences United Kingdom, and Agri-Food and Agriculture Canada. Only one of these species was found to be suitably host specific, the psyllid Aphalara itadori. Two different biotypes of the psyllid were evaluated—a northern biotype (from Hokkaido), collected from giant knotweed, and a southern biotype (from Kyushu) collected from Japanese knotweed. In 2011, the last of the pre-release laboratory testing was completed for both biotypes.

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Leaf blight: Japanese stiltgrass

The annual grass Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) can be highly invasive, especially on disturbed sites, and it is currently widely distributed in the eastern U.S.

In Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park, Tennessee, Japanese stiltgrass was ranked the most aggressively invasive nonnative species, based on distribution, abundance, relative difficulty of control, and ability to exclude native plant species (Fryer 2011). Two species of Bipolaris have been described as cause of leaf spots and necrosis of Japanese stiltgrass in the Eastern U.S.; some evidence is that disease may be suppressing local populations. Host range of these species has not been fully tested, although limited symptom development was reported on a few important grass (grain) species in artificial tests (Kleczewski et al. 2012).

Research is on-going about this pathogen(s), its host, and the potential for use in biological control of Japanese stiltgrass. If you see leaf blight on Japanese stiltgrass during the growing season please contact work group member William L. Bruckart, III.

Research Plant Pathologist

USDA, ARS, Foreign Disease-Weed Science Research Unit (FDWSRU)

1301 Ditto Ave.

Ft. Detrick, MD 21702

Phone: 301/619-2846

FAX: 301/619-2880

william.bruckart@ars.usda.gov

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Classic Biological Control Effectiveness

49 invasive plant projects in recent review
27% (13) achieved complete control
33% (16) provided partial control
49% (24) were still in progress.

(Van Driesche et al. 2010)

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Sierra Club 2015 Jamboree Bioblitz Workshop, Saturday, October 17, 2015

Location: Brown’s Farm Trail, Catoctin Mountain Park – Species identified –Note taker, David Conrad 202-365-0656/conrad.david.r@gmail.com

Species Identified on walk:

Woolly Bear caterpillar

Stitchwort

Sensitive Pea

Smartweed – (non-native) (Persicaria longiseta) Asian smartweed

Mock strawberry

Japanese stiltgrass

Wineberry

Asiatic Bush honesuckle

Bedstraw

Lamiam sp

Burdock

Virginia creeper (native)

Mile a minute

Dogbane

Aster

Beefsteak plant

Centipedes - 2 sp

Earthworm

Spicebush

Japanese Barberry

Clematis virginiana

Foxtail (grass – non-native)

Deer tongue

(at area with deer control)

White ashe

Carpinus carolinia – Ironwood (American Hornbeam)

Japanese barberry

Note: in this area very little Japanese stiltgrass

Goldenrod (Solidago sp?)

Common greenbriar – Smilax rotundifolia

Garlic mustard

Marginal wood fern –Dryopteris marginalis (also sometimes called marginal shield fern)

Red maple

Spicebush – Lindera benzoin

Christmas fern - Polystichum acrostichoides

Deer tongue (native grass)

Redbacked salamander (numerous identified)

Tulip tree

Common blue violet

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Red maple

White vervain

Garlic mustard – basal rosette – first year

Mile-a-minute

Poison ivy

Black Cherry (tree)

Ironwood

Shagbark hickory

Wild grape

River birch (numerous)

Dogwood – Cornus florida

New York fern

Lady fern

Northern Twoline salamander

Partridge berry Mitchella repens L

Black Birch Betula lenta

Broad beech fern

Cinnamon fern

Witch Hazel – Hamamelis sp?

American persimmon

American beech – Fagus grandifolia

Clear weed – Pilea pumila

Jewelweed – Impatiens

Russula – (mushroom)

White wood aster (Heartleaf aster)

Hepatica

Poison Ivy

Deer tongue

Whitewood aster (have photos) - contact Sally Gagne sgagne@erols.com

Also send list to Judy Fulton – jfulton5@gmail.com and Robert Frezzarcfrezza@yahoo.com

And MargaritaCorradamejia@gmail.com and Anthony.Iacovelli@yahoo.com

Skunk cabbage

Indian pipe

Virginia creeper

Many river birches

Northern Red Oak

Lots of Eastern hop hornbeam – Ostrya virginiana (keyed)

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Sierra Club 2015 Jamboree Bioblitz Workshop, Sunday morning, October 18, 2015 starting 9:45 AM - II

Location: Brown’s Farm Trail, Catoctin Mountain Park – Species identified –Note taker, David Conrad 202-365-0656/conrad.david.r@gmail.com

Species Identified on walk:

Sassafras – very large trees

Black locust – [I looked it up – appears to be native in this general area]

Tulip poplar

Dogwood – Cornus florida

Red maple

Sugar maple

Common Milkweed

Burr cucumber

Mile-a-minute

Gallium 6 leaf sp – bedstraw

White vervain –

Jumpseed – Virginia knotweed / Nettleleaf- Persicaria virginiana

Ironwood – Carpinus caroliniana

Virginia creeper

Basswood (also called American linden) - Tilia Americana

White Oak – Quercus Alba

Christmas fern

Tupelo – Black Gum – (Genus) Nyssa

Witch Hazel

Black Birch

Yellow Birch

Interrupted fern – (a three cut fern)

Skunk cabbage

Partridge berry

At this point about an hour into the walk, I, David Conrad (note taker) had to leave for another workshop. Michael (from Maryland National Capitol Parks and Planning Commission) also kept notes for this walk, and would have further notes beyond this point.

These notes are being sent to Mark Imlay, trip leader. He may forward to others who requested to receive them.