Help Curtail Anoka County’s Noxious Weeds
Paula Mohr, Anoka County Extension Master Gardener
Anoka County residents are being encouraged to help keep an eye out for noxious weeds in our county. The Anoka Conservation District (ACD) is leading a targeted weed identification effort this year after recently being awarded a $14,530 grant by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) to identify, monitor and treat the county’s noxious weeds.
The MDA maintains a list of noxious weeds across the state. Noxious weeds have been identified as plants that have the potential or are known to be detrimental to human or animal health, the environment, public roads, crops or livestock.
Logan Olson, an ACD restoration technician based in Ham Lake, said they are focusing on early detection of species as they pop up in small and manageable populations. “We encourage the public to learn to recognize some of the most common noxious weeds in the area and to manage them on their properties,” Olson said. For example, staff have been working for several years to assist with eradicating a patch of red hailstone on a private property bordering the Mikkelson Wildlife Management Area in Linwood Township.
The top 10 Anoka County noxious weeds to know are:
• Red hailstone (Thladiantha dubia)
• Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)
• European common reed (Phragmites australis); according to Olson, a native species of common reed is present in Minnesota and can be difficult to distinguish.
• Knotweed species (Polygonum spp) that include Japanese, giant and a hybrid Bohemian knotweed. They are all present in Minnesota and can be difficult to distinguish.
• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
• Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe)
• Garlic mustard (Allaria petiolate)
• Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica)
• Glossy buckthorn (Frangula alnus)
• Round leaf bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus)
The ACD is specifically targeting treatment for two weed species this year—knotweed and red hailstone. “Knotweed is a tall, bamboo-like weed which has been seen in ditches and along woodland and wetland edges. The species is an aggressive spreader and poses a threat to the ecological health of native habitats,” Olson said.
Olson asked that residents contact him to report invasive species of concern. You can reach him at Logan.Olson@AnokaSWCD.org or 763-434-2030 x 180. Another option is to provide information about any noxious weeds you find on EDDMapS, an invasive species tracking tool. Those reports can be verified and followed up on by professionals such as ACD staff.
Noxious weeds are a threat to Anoka County’s native plants and wildlife habitats. By learning how to identify and report noxious weeds, we can all help our conservation district eradicate these invaders and preserve our native natural resources for future generations.
To find pictures and more information about the noxious weeds listed above, visit the websites of the MDA (https://www.mda.state.mn.us/plants-insects/minnesota-noxious-weed-list) and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/terrestrialplants/index.html). The Anoka Cooperative Weed Management Area program also has information available at https://anokaswcd.org/educational/anoka-cooperative-weed-management.html