Milfoil, an Unwanted Threat to U.S. Lakes

Eurasian milfoil is a soft looking plant that was once a common plant to find in fresh water fish tanks.

All The Same, It did not stay there. Now it is considered an predatory species that threatens The northern Us fresh water streams, rivers, ponds and lakes.

In its domestic Eurasian surroundings it is a comparatively innocent plant (but still a bit of a pest) but here, out of its normal waters, it takes over and demolish ecosystems, clogs water intakes and power plants, and makes them undesirable for recreational purposes.

Several hypotheses are around that explain its foundation. One is that it caught a ride on the ballast of a ship coming from Europe or Asia. That is a good guess. When they tested boats departing invaded water, 25% carried some milfoil with it. The other main possibility is it was introduced by individuals throwing away fish tank plants or packing material used to ship live worms.

The most hazardous thing about this plant is that it can adapt to live in almost every kind of aquatic habitat in the Northern states. It can live in the cold of Washington State or the warmth of Florida. From clear waters of the Rockies to the salty waters of the salt marshes it can thrive. To make its life easier, nothing seems to like eating it.

Once established it propagates rapidly in waters that range from two feet to up to thirty feet, matting just below the surface and clogging out the native vegetation. Some plants like millet are given little chance to grow, which causes troubles because they are a food source for many and a home for small aquatic animals. This matted growth also causes trouble for any mammals or birds that fish for their food. Further more, the large mats keep the wind from properly aerating the water and suffocating adult fish as well as helping spawn algae blooms which further aggravate the problem.

These plants are problematic to people as well. Not only does milfoil reduce water quality but the mats make shoreline bathing impossible. Milfoil impedes fish breeding, which means fewer fishermen. Milfoil is also a problem for boaters because it can become trapped on the engine, cause risks for water skiers and block navigation hazards from the boaters view.

Residential Areas and companies are also put at a disadvantage because of this small water flora. Water intakes or over flows can get clogged leading to deficits in some areas and flooding in others. Dams and electrical energy output can also be touched if the water flora mats get caught up in the dams.

Milfoil control has been hard. Generally poisonous substances are out of the question as they demolish the very ecosystem they were meant to save. Manual removing the plant isn’t fully productive because the parts that break off can form new plants somewhere else. For that reason the large automatic harvesters are only used in the worst cases and then only as a first step. Milfoil has been more successfully removed by vacuum dragging, which can pick up any broken pieces left behind. A weevil maybe the answer to the milfoil dilemma as it love to eat the water flora and is a natural way to fight the weed.

Milfoil is just one type of invasive species that has overstayed its welcome; many other invasive aquatic plants are still thriving across the country. When plants or creatures are inserted outside their natural surroundings, you can’t anticipate the significances.

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