Aggressive Invasive Plant Found On Shetucket River

One of the more aggressive invasive plant species has been found in a new location in Connecticut. WNPR’s Nancy Cohen reports the Mile-A- Minute vine has been found in the Shetucket River.

The name alone is frightening. The Mile A Minute vine, also known as ‘Kudzu of the North’ can grow six inches a day and wipe out native plants by blocking out sunlight and preventing photosynthesis. Donna Ellis, the co chair of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group, says there are already populations of this plant, which is native to Asia, growing in Fairfield and Litchfield counties. She says a fisherman alerted her last month to a 100 by 300 foot patch found in Sprague, on a gravel bar on the Shetucket River.

“It’s called a Velcro plant because it sticks to other vegetation, has barbs on it and its kind of nasty to handle. We have no idea where this patch came from we don’t know how much more of it there is, but we’re at least happy to have found it and been alerted by someone who frequents the area.”

Ellis says volunteers are trying to pull out the plant. The state may decide to introduce a beneficial weevil, which has been used in other parts of the state to get rid of Mile A Minute. The adult weevils chew on the leaves and the larvae tunnel into the stem, destroying the plant.

For WNPR, I’m Nancy Cohen.