Bright Notion

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

However, It did not stay there. Now it is believed to be an invasive species that threatens The northern Us fresh water streams, rivers, pools and lakes.

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

A Number Of theories 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 leaving occupied water, 25% carried some milfoil with it. The other main theory is it was introduced by people throwing away aquarium plants or packing material used to ship live worms.

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

Once established it spreads fast in waters that range from 2 feet to up to 30 feet, snarling just below the surface and choking out the native vegetation. Some floras like millet are given small chance to grow, which causes troubles because they are a food source for many and a home for small marine animals. This tangled growth also causes difficulty for any mammals or birds that fish for their food. Further more, the vast mats keep the wind from properly oxygenizing 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 decrease water quality but the mats make shoreline swimming hopeless. Milfoil impedes fish breeding, which means fewer fishermen. Milfoil is also a problem for sailors because it can become trapped on the engine, cause risks for water skiers and block navigation hazards from the watermen view.

Residential Districts and businesses are also put at a disadvantage because of this little water flora. Water intakes or over flows can get blocked leading to shortages in some areas and flooding in others. Dams and electrical energy output can also be affected if the water plant mats get caught up in the dams.

Milfoil control has been hard. Broadly Speaking poisons 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 bits that break off can form new plants elsewhere. 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 dredging, which can pick up any damaged 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 battle the weed.

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

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