– The Bugwood Network, The University of Georgia Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrical) is a perennial colony-forming grass that grows up to 3 feet tall. Leaves have an off-center and whitish midrib and rough edges. Sharp, branched, white rhizomes help identify this plant. It is best identified by the large fuzzy panicle of flowers and seeds, giving the plant a cottony or silky look. Flowering occurs in late spring. A native to Southeast Asia, it was first introduced into the southeastern Untied States in the early 1900’s. It was initially planted for forage and erosion control; however it is unpalatable for livestock and not well suited for erosion control due to its aggressive behavior. Currently it is found in the southeastern United States and is sparse in South Georgia. It is an extremely aggressive invader with the capability to invade a range of sites. It forms dense mats that exclude all other…
Category: Newsletters and Member Articles
Poisonous Plants And Mushrooms In The Landscape
La Rochefoucauld said that “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” Nearly everybody in his or her life has had at least a small desire to get out of the fast lane and resort back to a simpler way of life. Not the least of these instincts are the pleasure of eating foods provided by nature and becoming, at least for a day, independent of the supermarkets. Edible wild plants and mushrooms grow in our woodlands, marshes, fields, pastures, and in our own landscapes. Some of the best tasting and healthy foods are available “free” for the eating, provided you know which plants and mushrooms are edible! One of our early cave dwelling ancestors encountered a pretty cluster of mushrooms on the ground and asked: What can I do with it? Will it feed me? Will cure my ills? An intrepid ancestor ate it and…
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Alert
from the Lumpkin Coalition (Ed. Note: Lumpkin Coalition is a non-profit organization in Lumpkin County.) Our forests are threatened with the loss of our native hemlocks, eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (T. caroliniana). They are being decimated by the hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), a tiny, aphid-like insect accidentally introduced to the east coast from Asia in the 1950s. The HWA attaches to the stems at the base of the needles making an incision and draining the tree of its sap. The tree often dies within just a few years. The devastation from this tiny parasite has spread from Virginia, north to Maine, and then south to Georgia. Infestations of the HWA have already reached Rabun, Towns, Habersham, Union, White, Fannin, Whitfield, and Lumpkin Counties and are traveling fast. If nothing is done to combat HWA, more than 80 percent of our hemlocks may die in the next six…