just a quick question

While walking a creek I stumbled upon about 500 feet of elodea. It was stunning even thought it is not a plant native to Michigan. Now I am wondering if you come across non native plants do you remove them or just let them be? Often times I find myself removing plants like non native mustard. For some reason I don't find myself removing aquatic plants.

While walking a creek I stumbled upon about 500 feet of elodea. It was stunning even thought it is not a plant native to Michigan. Now I am wondering if you come across non native plants do you remove them or just let them be? Often times I find myself removing plants like non native mustard. For some reason I don't find myself removing aquatic plants.

It's rather a losing battle to try to combat invasive plants by pulling a handful here and there. Kinda like killing carp; it may be a little gratifying, but has no real effect in most situations. So do it or don't, whichever you prefer.

However, you should be sure of your native status first. Elodea canadensis is native throughout most of North America, including Michigan. The online USDA Plants is great for this; there is a "see native status" button at the bottom of each distribution map that quickly tells you which states that plant is native to.

Be careful moving pond weeds around. It is illegal in many states right now and IMO, a more sensible idea than the fish bans coming out.
The tiniest, wizzeled half rotten sprig of weed can turn a pond into a marsh in ten years.

As an experiment, I picked up a sprig of milfoil the length of the first joint on my little finger. It had fallen to the ground while i was working in my tanks and was almost dessicated. I imagined it was similar to what might lodge in a boat trailer. I tossed it into a well lit tank and in a few months it was the dominant plant. I was adding it to other tanks and throwing it away.
Somewhere I have pics of the whole thing.

I believe it is now illegal to possess.

From a practical point of view, IMO, removing invasive pond weed by hand is like draining the ocean with a spoon.
Weed removal is a constant problem that is costing huge money and very few options are both effective and ecologically sound.

Edited by mikez, 13 June 2010 - 07:33 AM.

One of my new favorite places to collect was overrun with weeds the first time I went there.. The starhead topminnows were scurrying across the top.. there were a few of them, but it was nice to actually see some as they are protected in our state. Last time I went there, all the weeds were gone, and I didn't see ANY topminnows.

I kind of wish that the lake wouldn't be removed of its plant life like that, it may be part of the reason why the fish is threatened... once its cover is gone.. its open hunting.