Kudzu Reaches Northern Ohio

By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer

Kudzu has been called the vine that ate the South. Now it’s the North’s turn to struggle with it.


Workers in South Carolina try to remove the invasive plant kudzu. Kudza has been confirmed in Summit, Portage and Cuyahoga counties. (MCT File Photo)

Kudzu has reached our area [northern Ohio], with patches reported in Summit, Portage and Cuyahoga counties, said Kathy Smith, Ohio State University Extension program director in forestry. In fact, it’s been found as far north on our continent as Ontario and British Columbia. ...


That doesn’t necessarily mean the aggressive vine will soon drape our hillsides and choke our trees. It’s believed the growing season in Northern Ohio is too short to allow the plant to flower and produce fruit here, which keeps kudzu from spreading rampantly.

But that could change, said James Bissell, curator of botany at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The changing climate is warming our winters and stretching our growing season. Eventually the conditions could become ripe for kudzu to flourish in our area. “With global climate change, it could be a problem,” said Bissell, who tracks the distribution of plants in Ohio. “I expect it will be a problem.” ...

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New York Receives $1.4 Million for Invasive Species

On October 2, 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that New York State will receive $1.4 million to combat invasive species. The grants are a part of 21 grants offered the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

For a list of grantees and awards, please visit link.

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U.S. Army Corps Asks For Comments On Invasive Species Pathways

Morgan Sherburne
Petoskey News-Review
October 1, 2012

CHICAGO — The Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday it is midway through a public comment period regarding a paper released that outlines 18 points of entry for aquatic nuisance species to transfer between the Mississippi River Basin and the Great Lakes. "The purpose of the study was to assess the probability of other aquatic nuisance species transferring between the Great Lakes basin or vice versa," said Richard Ruby, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "The Army Corps of Engineers was tapped by Congress to look at all aquatic species, not just Asian carp." ...

Read the full story at link.

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Mile-A-Minute Spotted In Five More Connecticut Towns

NEW LONDON, Conn. (AP) - A rapidly growing invasive weed that chokes out native plants and damages habitat for native wildlife has been found in five more Connecticut towns.

Read more at link.

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