Invasives

Below is information on invasives in Connecticut curated by Deb Bennett. She notes that this list contains invasives that we need to be concerned about in varying degrees and has rated them in order of most threatening to Cornwall. Although not a complete list, you can learn more about invasive plants at these websites: Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group and Invasive.org.

We will continue to update and add to this list, so check back for more information.

Invasive Plants

Bittersweet (Celatrus orbiculatus) is a vine that smothers plants and uproots trees due to its weight.

Japanese Knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum), a familiar site in Connecticut, blooms in August.

Giant Reed (Phragmites australis) crowds out native plant species and modifies river hydrology.

Japanese barberry

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergia) competes with native trees and herbaceous plants.

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) has an extensive rhizome system forms large, fast-spreading patches along unvegetated roadsides.

Multiflora Rose (Rosa multiflora) forms dense thickets that invade pastures and crowd out native species.

Japanese Honeysuckle

Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) is a trailing woody vine that can quickly cover small trees, either stunting their growth or killing them completely.

Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) can grow in a variety of habitats where it forms dense stands and crowds out native species.

Common privet (Ligustrum obtusifolium) a woody, perennial, semi-deciduous shrub capable of escaping to form dense thickets that can crowd out native species.

Burning Bush

Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) forms dense thickets, displacing native vegetation.

Invasive Insects

In March 2022, Dr. Rob Clark presented “The Impact of Invasive Insects in Connecticut Forests”, a Zoom event co-sponsored by the Cornwall Conservation Trust, the Cornwall Conservation Commission, the Cornwall Association, and the Cornwall Library.