new galls & frolicking invasives in Spencerville

[Frederick W. Schueler]

Everyone,

Ever since we started doing Unionid mussels in the 1990s, the South
Nation River at Spencerville has been one of our sampling sites -
https://karstaddailypaintings.blogspot.com/2010/04/spencerville-heron-oil-on-canvas-5-x-7.html
- and when we found spectacularly scarlet Physalis alkekengi - Chinese
Lantern - below the Drummond Gas parkinglot near the pumphouse there in
2018 we began to notice the invasive terrestrial plants, including big
Norway Maple saplings, Dame's Rocket, Japanese Knotweed, and pervasive
Dog-strangling Vine.

After an early morning 401 dash yesterday to get Aleta to her ride to
BiotaNB, I stopped at Spencerville and all the invasives were pretty
much status quo ante, though I not seeing any Chinese Lanterns may just
be due to being squeamish about descending the steep slope behind the
pumphouse, if they're not red yet.

The frightening novelty was a vast sprawl of golden-flowered Thladiantha
dubia, "Manchu tubergourd, goldencreeper, wild potato, or (French)
thladianthe douteuse... a herbaceous perennial climbing vine of the
gourd family... native to Russia, northern China, and Korea, but...
introduced to Japan, southeast Europe, the Galapagos Islands, and
scattered locations in North America (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec,
Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
York, Wisconsin)" (wikipedia) below the pumphouse. We've known this
species as "Keevil Vine" from some that Matt Keevil gave us around 2008,
before we realized what a dangerous invasive it could be. We've seen it
in the wild in Manotick, Loughborough Lake, and Kemptville, and despite
attempts at complete control at home since 2015, we keep having a few
little vines poking up from tubers in our (fairly wild) garden every
year. You can google up photos of roadsides completely covered with the
vines in the midwestern States.

The much more cheerful discovery was some hollow hemispherical scraps
(attached) under some Sumac (Rhus typhina) behind the pumphouse. I
initially took these to be weird young Black Walnut hulls from overhead
trees, until I saw the Sumac leaflet on one and googled them up as galls
from Melaphis rhois (Sumac Gall Aphid). I suppose one explanation for
why they were on the ground would be that Squirrels were opening them to
lick out the contained Aphids, but I really have no idea.

It's really sad to have so many invasives along the South Nation where
their propagules can get into the river and be swept downstream. The
Dog-strangling Vine and Norway Maples are doubtless drifting seeds into
the river each fall, and while the Japanese Knotweed isn't right on the
bank, rhizomes washed downstream are credited with spreading this
species in New York, and Tubergourd tubers would also be moving
downstream as soon as the stand expands to the river bank.

fred.
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---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
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14 August 2024 - Canada: Ontario: Grenville County: Edwardsburgh:
Spencerville at Drummonds Gas lot. (100m site), 44.84308° N 75.54462° W
TIME: 0834-0853. AIR TEMP: 19°C, sunny, hazy, Beaufort light air.
HABITAT: Acer negundo/mixed woods around parkinglot between rocky
brownwater river & village. OBSERVER: Frederick W. Schueler. 2024/223/k,
visit (event). natural history, walk. checking plants previously seen
here. NO:Physalis alkekengi (Chinese Lantern) seen, but I didn't go down
behind the pumphouse into the area where it was. Also NO:Echinocystis
lobata (Prickly Cucumber) but again it may have been down behind the
pumphouse. Scattered Arctium minus (Common Burdock) and Arctium cf lappa
(Great Burdock) in bloom & green burr - some with leaf-mining that looks
like it might be Calycomyza flavinotum (Burdock Leaf-miner).

(same location) 2024/223/ka, Vincetoxicum (Dog-strangling Vine) (Plant).
common herb, in fruit, seen. sparsely all through the woods around the
parkinglot.

moved 20m SE.
Spencerville at Drummonds Gas lot along South Nation River. (20m site),
44.84295° N 75.54445° W TIME: 0834-0853. AIR TEMP: 19°C, sunny, hazy,
Beaufort light air. HABITAT: treed/herbaceous bank rocky brownwater
river along parkinglot near village. 2024/223/kb, Acer platanoides
(Norway Maple) (Plant). common sapling, ill, specimen. robust saplings
along bank between river & lot. Rhystisma acerinum (Black Spot Fungus)
spots maturing on leaves.

moved 51m NNW.
Spencerville near Drummonds Gas lot. (20m site), 44.84337° N 75.54470° W
TIME: 0834-0853. AIR TEMP: 19°C, sunny, hazy, Beaufort light air.
HABITAT: Acer negundo/mixed woods near rocky brownwater river & village.
2024/223/kc, Acer negundo (Manitoba Maple) (Plant). codominant tree,
seen. site opened up by fall of large tree.

(same location) 2024/223/kd, Polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese Knotweed)
(Plant). 1stand herb, seen. sparse stand in shade of open woods.

(same location) 2024/223/ke, Thladiantha dubia (Manchu Tubergourd)
(Plant). abundant herb, male, in bloom, specimen. yellow-blooming vines
sprawling all over shrubs. Hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket) seed
stalk picked with sample.

moved 33m SE.
Spencerville Pumphouse at Drummonds Gas lot. (10m site), 44.84313° N
75.54445° W TIME: 0834-0853. AIR TEMP: 19°C, sunny, hazy, Beaufort light
air. HABITAT: Acer negundo/mixed woods near rocky brownwater river &
village. 2024/223/kfa, Rhus typhina (Staghorn Sumac) (Plant). abundant
shrub, in fruit, specimen. robust shrubs with big fruit heads behind
pumphouse. Shreds of Melaphis rhois (Sumac Gall Aphid) galls under one
shrub.

(same location) 2024/223/kfb, Melaphis rhois (Sumac Gall Aphid)
(entomological). few gall, prey of predator, specimen. opened galls on
ground under Rhus typhina. Initially taken to be weird young Juglans
nigra (Black Walnut) hulls from overhead tress.

moved 80m S.
South Nation River at Spencerville bridge. (20m bridge), 44.84242° N
75.54457° W TIME: 0850-0853. AIR TEMP: 19°C, sunny, hazy, Beaufort light
air. HABITAT: bridge over clear rocky brownwater river near village
below milldam. 2024/223/l, Chrysemys picta (Painted Turtle) (herp). 2
adult, dead on road, specimen. 81 mm PL juv crushed flat & dry, larger
fragment, both on span. River very high, washing up among vegetation,
with clots of foam, all along the shores.

[Naomi Langlois-Anderson]

Doug Culver sent me his observation of Thladiantha dubia that he found growing along the shoreline of the St Lawrence River earlier this summer. Invasive species seem to dominate in certain places. I was reminded of this while visiting Shippigan, New Brunswick last week. Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is everywhere along roadsides, fields, river banks, and parking lots. At first glance, you could mistake the yellow for a goldenrod. Spencerville seems to be another hot-bed for invasives. Add to your list the Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae), and European Flowering Rush (Butomus umbellatus) and the notable resurgence of Purple Loosestrife, it's very disheartening to me. My role at work has me taking on more invasive species management, and it is a never-ending, exhausting, up-hill battle!

Naomi

-----Original Message-----
From: natur...@googlegroups.com <natur...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Frederick W. Schueler
Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2024 9:49 AM
To: Eastern Ontario Natural History listserve <natur...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [NatureList] new galls & frolicking invasives in Spencerville

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Naomi Langlois-Anderson | Senior Fish & Wildlife Technician
38 Victoria Street, Box 29, Finch, ON K0C 1K0
Tel: 613-984-2948 or 1-877-984-2948 | Fax: 613-984-2872
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[Frederick W. Schueler]

On 15-Aug-24 2:59 p.m., Naomi Langlois-Anderson wrote:
> Spencerville seems to be another hot-bed for invasives. Add to your
> list the Frogbit (Hydrocharis morsus-ranae), and European Flowering Rush
> (Butomus umbellatus) and the notable resurgence of Purple Loosestrife

* here's an account of the resurgence -
https://ngtimes.ca/alien-purple-unleashed/ In addition to the Frogbit
and Flowering-rush along the river, we have old records of Water Cress
in Spencerville, which we'll have to wait for the water level to go down
before deciding if it's still there (I wonder if Water Cress may not be
declining in Eastern Ontario).

Also in yesterday's Times there's -
https://ngtimes.ca/native-creekside-purple/ - about the Joe Pye Weed
that often grows mixed in with the Loosestrife.

fred.
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[Frederick W. Schueler]

On 15-Aug-24 9:49 a.m., Frederick W. Schueler wrote:

> The frightening novelty was a vast sprawl of golden-flowered Thladiantha
> dubia, "Manchu tubergourd, goldencreeper, wild potato, or (French)
> thladianthe douteuse...

* I'm writing this species up for one of my articles in the Times, and I
wonder if others have tales of their experience with it. You can watch a
frightening youtube about its invasiveness in Wisconsin -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV_cfYTpyI8 - or a calmer wikipedia -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thladiantha_dubia

One English name is "Red Hailstone" from the appearance of the fruit,
but the species is diecious, and eastern Ontario seems to have only male
plants, that are spread by tubers. Amanda Bennett has a couple of
iNaturalist records from the Keevils' place whence we got ours around
2008, but I'd appreciate any accounts of others experience with it.

fred.
======================================

> a herbaceous perennial climbing vine of the
> gourd family... native to Russia, northern China, and Korea, but...
> introduced to Japan, southeast Europe, the Galapagos Islands, and
> scattered locations in North America (Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec,
> Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New
> York, Wisconsin)" (wikipedia) below the pumphouse. We've known this
> species as "Keevil Vine" from some that Matt Keevil gave us around 2008,
> before we realized what a dangerous invasive it could be. We've seen it
> in the wild in Manotick, Loughborough Lake, and Kemptville, and despite
> attempts at complete control at home since 2015, we keep having a few
> little vines poking up from tubers in our (fairly wild) garden every
> year. You can google up photos of roadsides completely covered with the
> vines in the midwestern States.

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