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Water Hyacinth
Oshuna crassipes
Water hyacinth is a free-floating, perennial, aquatic plant. In climates where it is unable to survive the winter, water hyacinth will grow as an annual. Its leaves are round, curved, glossy bright green and float above the water’s surface on bulbous stalks.
Water Chestnut
Trapa natans
Water chestnut is a fast-growing, floating annual that can grow to 16 ft. The most distinctive trait of this plant is its thorny nutlets.
Variable-leaf Watermilfoil
Myriophyllum heterophyllum
Variable-leaf watermilfoil is a submerged perennial that looks like many native plants, including native watermilfoil species. It has 4-6 feathery leaves whorled around the stem, but some leaves can be alternate. Its leaves are divided into 7-14 pairs of leaflets, the dense leaf arrangement gives this plant a bottle brush appearance. Stems are thick and reddish-brown. In mid to late summer, blade-like, serrated leaves with small, reddish pink flowers form an erect spike that emerges from the water.
Tree-of-Heaven
Ailanthus altissima
Tree of heaven thrives in disturbed habitats but is highly intolerant of shade. Infestations are most commonly found beneath powerlines and along rights of way, as well as in riparian zones, forest edges and openings.
Tench
Tinca tinca
Tench is a member of the carp family. They have dark olive to pale golden coloring, a white-bronze belly, bright red-orange eyes and a small barbel at the corners of the mouth. The fins are dark in color, rounded and lack spines. Tench have a deep, but thin body and grow up to 18 inches long.
Swede Midge
Contarinia nasturtii
Swede midges are small, light brown flies. They begin to emerge in May, lasting until mid-June. The adult females lay about 100 eggs throughout their short lifetime of 1-4 days.
Swallow-worts
Cynanchum spp.
Pale and black swallow-worts are herbaceous, perennial, twining vines. Pale swallow-wort (Cynanchum rossicum) has small maroon to pale pink flowers with 5 hairless, triangular petals that are twice as long as they are wide. Black swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae) has small dark purple flowers with 5 pointed, downy, triangular petals that are the same length as their width. Pods split open, releasing innumerable downy seeds that are easily carried miles by wind.
Starry Stonewort
Nitellopsis obtusa
Starry stonewort looks like a rooted plant, but is actually an algae related to the native Chara. It can form dense mats on the lake bottom, and has long, uneven-length, gelatinous branches that look angular at each joint. It may also have one cream colored bulb at the base of each branch cluster.