Chicago bans 14 plants to protect local flora

The City of Chicago Tuesday banned 14 plants as "invasive species" that

threaten native plant life.

The list includes:

• Akebia quinata - Chocolate Vine
• Ampelopsis brevipendiculata - Elegans Porcelain Berry Vine
• Anthriscus sylvestris - Wild Chervil
• Celastrus orbiculatus - Oriental Bittersweet
• Humulus japonicus - Japanese Hops
• Leymus arenarius - Lyme Grass
• Ligustrum spp. - Privet
• Miscanthus sacchariflorus - Amur Silver Grass
• Paulownia tomentosa - Princess Tree
• Phellodendron amurense - Amur Corktree
• Phellodendron japonica - Japanese Corktree
• Polygonum cuspidatum - Japanese Knotweed
• Quercus acutissima - Sawtooth Oak
• Ranunculus ficaria - Lesser Celandine

See the following link for the full article text: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=125281

Flax, Crambe, Safflower, Sunflower, Canola and other oilseeds

We've recently added some new commodity areas to our system and we are now looking for images to help illustrate these commodities before we update IPM Images. If you have images of oilseed crops, production, pests, diseases or other related subjects and would like to share them with others, please see our image submission form.

Llamas, Alpaca, Deer, Elk, Cattle, Swine, Goats, Sheep and Horses

In addition to the recent additions to the oilseed commodities in our system, we are including some new commodity areas to our system for livestock. We are now looking for images to help illustrate these commodities before we update IPM Images. If you have images of livestock animals, production, pests, diseases or other related subjects and would like to share them with others, please see our image submission form.

Cogongrass seed found at the Baltimore seaport

See article at: http://wbal.com/apps/news/templates/story.aspx?articleid=23007&zoneid=3

Pythons, Pythons, and more Pythons

With Miami's Nonnative Amnesty Day this weekend (March 21, 2009), pythons are all over the news:

More information about Nonnative Amnesty Day:

http://myfwc.com/WILDLIFEHABITATS/Nonnative_AmnestyDayEvents.htm

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/florida/news-article.aspx?storyid=134132&provider=rss

Recent features on Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/21971200/snakes_alive.htm#q=python

http://www.foxnews.com/video-search/m/21966918/slithering_swamps.htm#q=python

On Sun-Sentinel website

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-flbpythons0306sbmar06,0,7773882.story

On Planet Green:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4ElK6MThuc

On NBC News:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/#29030728

More Images and Information:

http://www.evergladescisma.org/species/subinfo.cfm?sub=20461

Looking for Images of Trees

We are looking for some good images of some alternative trees for some of the non-native invasive options that are out there. If you have some that you would like to share, please let us see them. You can forward them to us using the upload form at http://images.bugwood.org. Here are the tree species we are looking for:

• Acer buergerianum (Trident Maple)
• Acer japonicum (Full Moon Maple)
• Acer truncatum (Shantung Maple)
• Chionanthus retusus (Chinese Fringetree)
• Lagerstroemia indica x L. fauriei (Hybrid Crapemyrtle)
• Parrotia persica (Persian Ironwood)
• Prunus x 'Okame' (Okame Cherry)
• Prunus salicina (Ruby Sweet Plum)
• Stewartia monadelpha (Tall Stewartia)
• Stewartia pseudocamellia (Japanese Stewartia)
• Styrax japonicus (Japanese Snowbell)
• Acer leucoderme (Chalkbark Maple)
• Crataegus viridis (Winter King Hawthorn)
• Halesia diptera (Two-winged Silverbell)
• Halesia tetraptera (Mountain Silverbell)
• Magnolia macrophylla (Big Leaf Magnolia)

Wanted: shrub images

We are seeking images of shrubs that can be used (or suggested) to replace invasive species. You can forward them to us using the upload form at http://images.bugwood.org Please let us know if you have photos of any of the following species:

• Buxus microphylla (Japanese Boxwood cultivars)
• Callicarpa dichotoma (Purple Beautyberry)
• Cephalotaxus harringtonia (Creeping Plum Yew cultivars)
• Chamaecyparis pisifera (Japanese Falsecypress)
• Illicium henryi (Henry Anise Tree)
• Lagerstroemia indica (Crapemyrtle; dwarf and semi-dwarf forms)
• Loropetalum chinensis (Loropetalum white and red cultivars)
• Osmanthus x fortunei (Fortune's Osmanthus)
• Osmanthus heterophyllus (Holly Osmanthus)
• Prunus laurocerasus (English Laurel cultivars)
• Raphiolepis indica (Indian Hawthorne cultivars)
• Ternstroemia gymnanthera (Cleyera)
• Viburnum odoratissimum var. awabuki (Awabuki Viburnum)
• Viburnum utile (Service Viburnum)
• Viburnum macrocephalum (Chinese Snowball Viburnum)
• Viburnum setigerum (Tea Viburnum)
• Eubotrys racemosa (Sweetbells Leucothoe)
• Hypericum densiflorum (Bushy St. Johns-wort)
• Hypericum frondosum (Golden St. Johns-wort)
• Illicium parviflorum (Small Anise-tree)
• Pinckneya bracteata (Feverbark)