Invasive Plant Series pt. II

The Barbarous Japanese Barberry

Marian Whitcomb and David Quimby

Deer

White Footed Deer Mice

(Peromyscus leucopus)

Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii)

Seedling

Many Cultivars

Ixodes scapularisblack legged deer tick

Dog tick is bigger

…but any mammal or bird can carry deer ticks.

Where Lyme is endemic now

Lyme Disease symptoms

Bullseye rash Bell’s Palsy and asymmetrical arthritis

…and there is more….

• Other diseases carried by the black legged tick

• granulocytic anaplasmosis (ehrlichiosis)

Similar to flu• Babesiosis protozoa can present as

malaria

Black Legged Tick

For safe removal-lift straight up

Tick Safety

• Tick check and bathe after being in woods.• Long sleeves, pants hems into socks• DEET repellent• Permethrin clothing repellents• Check your animals• Remove tick and identify. • If you find a deer tick, put in ziplock and

keep it. Monitoring is ongoing.

And there is even more…

• Prevents tree seedlings from growing

• Physical hazard of thorns

• Changes soil chemistry

• Contributes to

erosion

Suppression of forest growth

Spines! Ouch!

Erosion(and altered soil chemistry)

• Where barberry has taken over woodland areas, the plant can alter the soil chemistry (pH) and increase nitrate levels, making the soil inhospitable to existing woodland trees and understory plants who eventually decline along with the associated wildlife that depend on them.

What to do• Don’t buy or plant it• Closely monitor woods around it• Target where kids play, trails, special

natural areas.• Eradication often is a two step approach

taking 2-3 years.• Cut off the top growth just after flowering• Burn or dig it out the following year• Watch for seedlings or regrowth from roots

left in the ground.

Many alternatives

For more information:

Facebook: Cape Breton Invasive Plants discussion/latest info.

Pinterest: Invasive Plants of Cape Breton, Native Plants Cape Breton, and Weeds Common and Annoying photos, descriptions, eradication methods, garden worthy natives, and garden weeds

Blogspot: Invasive Plant of Cape Breton (in development) a place for documents, research, interactive tracking/reporting maps, and emerging threats.