A couple of roadside invasive species are beginning to show up in the Northwoods.
While attractive, Vilas County Invasive Species Coordinator Cathy Higley says be wary of Big Leaf Lupine and Smooth Bedstraw...
"....that is one you'll see blooming down the right-of-ways during the next couple of weeks. That is not a regulated plant by the DNR. That one is being sold. It's beautiful, it's showy, kind of hardy...."
The problem is Big Leaf Lupine takes over pastures and is tough to remove, and while deer and livestock don't necessarily like the plant, it can be poisonous to livestock. It also takes over fields. While not regulated by the DNR, Higley says lupine is not ecologically in tune with the Northwoods.
Smooth Bedstraw is regulated by the DNR. It invades fields and pastures and eventually forces out the native plants. She says getting the plants when they are seeding is a way to control it, or plowing and putting another crop over the top of it works.
More information on Big Leaf Lupine and Smooth Bedstraw are available at your local land and water conservation office.
