We offer free invasive species identification services!
There is a need for a national early detection and rapid response system to prevent invasive species from becoming established. We need your help protecting our treasured natural resources in the Catskill region. Cornell Cooperative Extension is here to help you learn about the invasive species of concern in our region. We can identify plants and insects at our office in Hamden.
If you find a plant, insect, or animal that you suspect could be invasive . . .
- Please bring it to our office for confirmation OR
- Send a clear photo (Close-up with white or neutral backgrounds are helpful) along with your contact information. Mail & Email accepted.
If an invasive species is confirmed, you will receive a current fact sheet including management strategies for the particular species. Please consider getting involved. Together we can make a difference and stop the invasion!
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County is working with the Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP) to develop an early detection and rapid response system in the Catskill region. Research has shown that the best strategy to deal with invasive species is to identify and eradicate them before they become established. We urge people in our region to join us for this important task. The more eyes we have looking for these invaders, the better able we will be to deal with them quickly and effectively.
A few examples to watch out for…
Swallow Wort
Flowering black swallow-wort (left) and pale swallow-wort (right)
Have spread across NE U.S. and S.E Canada and are appearing further west.
Related to milkweed, each swallow-wort plant produces hundreds of seeds.
Here is the result:
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Knotweed
Member of the buckwheat family.
Introduced into the U.S. from Eastern Asia in the late-1800s.
Can grow from three to 15 feet tall. Has bamboo-like stems.
Reproduces mainly by rhizomes, sometimes by seed.
Once established can spread rapidly, creating monoculture stands that threaten native plant communities.
Oriental Bittersweet
Oriental Bittersweet
Grows as a vine.
Introduced in the 1860s as an ornamental and for erosion control.
Girdles and smothers plants.
Uproots trees due to its weight
More information on Invasive Species:
- Ash Management Guidelines for Private Landowners – Recommendations for private landowners on how to manage their ash.
- Beetle Busters – USDA APHIS resource for ALB.
- Catskill Regional Invasive Species Partnership (CRISP)
- CRISP Recordings & Presentations – Copies of meetings and presentations hosted by CRISP.
- Didymo or “Rock Snot”
- Emerald Ash Borer Information Network – Multinational effort to bring you the latest information
- Firewood Warning – Link to NYS DEC about the risk of moving firewood.
- Guidelines for Disposal of Invasive Terrestrial Plants – A resource from University of Connecticut.
- iMapinvasives
- Invasive.org – Partnership between the University of Georgia’s Bugwood Network, USDA Forest Service and USDA APHIS PPQ.
- National Invasive Species Information Center – A project of the USDA National Agricultural Library providing invasive species information at the National, State, and Local level.
- New York State Invasive Species
- New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
- Pest Detectives – Organizations can report their findings in a friendly competition
For more information, contact Carla Hegeman Crim, Ph.D.
Horticulture & Natural Resources Extension Educator
(607) 865-6531