GoGardenNews - Items of gardening and ecological interest — invasive species

As you've read here before, the Pyrus calleryana (Bradford pear and its iterations) was introduced by the USDA decades ago as a desirable ornamental tree. OOPS, they did it again. As it turns out, the USDA made another big mistake. Now some states are trying to eradicate it, even offering rewards for the public spirited persons who help.

Theodore Bunker reported in Newsmax that "the first nest of 'murder hornets' discovered in the United States...contained about 200 queens that were capable of producing larvae." The hornets were discovered a couple of years ago in Washington State. Could they become an invasive species?

An article in Newsbreak by Alissa Rose warns of hammerhead worms. "Recently, a dangerous species of worm called hammerhead worms were found in North Carolina. But they're not limited to North Carolina. The photo above was taken in Austin Texas by PvilleSteve, (CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons).

John Pitarresi in a "Special to the Observer-Dispatch" declared that "Japanese knotweed is a menace.Even more than we knew. Knotweed is that tall, big-leafed plant that grows most commonly along creeks and rivers in dense stands that can be almost impossible to walk through. Some call it bamboo, which it superficially resembles. It makes recreation in some areas very difficult, and it displaces native plants in a big way. And more than that.

Photo by Karan Rawlins; University of Georgia

If there's not enough for you to fear, we're being warned about Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica). It's native to Southeast Asia and possibly to East Africa. It was introduced to the U.S. by accident, then intentionally. It's a beast.