Elizabeth Pittman was the guest speaker at the February member’s meeting. She is a Virginia Cooperative Extension Associate Agent and Unit Coordinator for Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Her presentation was on Invasive Species of Southeast Virginia. She described what the definition of invasive species is and the varying invasiveness levels of each plant. Some of the plants she discussed included the Tree of Heaven, Yellow Flag, Japanese Honeysuckle, Japanese Stiltgrass, Common Reed and Kudzu. Their habitat, their impact to the environment and methods to control each type of plant were explained.
Elizabeth distributed a flyer containing a list of Virginia invasive plant species. The list contains the scientific name, the common name, and the Virginia invasiveness Ranking as well as the region of the state the plants are generally located. This list as well as additional information can be found on the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) website at www.dcr.gov.
When discussing various means of controlling invasive species, Elizabeth cautioned everyone that before using chemicals to control invasive plants you should check the Virginia Cooperative Extension’s Pest Management Guide (PMG). This guide describes the correct chemicals to use for the specific plant species as well as precautions to take when using the chemicals. Treating areas around water sources may require a permit in order to use the product. The guide can be found at the Virginia Extensions document website at www.pubs.ext.vt.edu.
For additional information or general questions, Elizabeth can be contacted at 757-514-4337 or emailed at elizp16@vt.edu .