Please be on the lookout for purple loosestrife on your properties. Purple loosestrife displaces native wetland vegetation and degrades wildlife habitat. As native vegetation is displaced, rare plants are often the first species to disappear. Eventually, purple loosestrife can overrun wetlands thousands of acres in size, and almost entirely eliminate the open water habitat.
Purple loosestrife can be controlled, however. An easy way to help control its spread is by cutting the plant and burning it or throwing it away. Even better is to kill the plant (after cutting) by spraying it with an herbicide (like Roundup). For more information on control methods, please see the DNR website below.
For help identifying purple loostrife, see the photo below or the DNR informational sites.
http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/loosecontrol.htm
http://dnr.wi.gov/invasives/fact/loosestrife.htm
