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Great Lakes Center, SAMC 319
SUNY Buffalo State
1300 Elmwood Ave., Buffalo, NY 14222

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Photo by Paul Rischmiller
<em>Phragmites</em> or Common Reed

Phragmites or Common Reed

Phragmites australis ssp. australis

Common reed grass, or phragmites, is a tall, herbaceous perennial ranging in height from 3-15 ft. Leaves and stems are stiff and sharp. Large, feathery plumes of flowers change from purple-brown in July, to tan-grey later in the season.

Photo by Shawn Good, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Bugwood.org
Alewife

Alewife

Alosa pseudoharengus

Alewife is a species of ocean herring with a bluish-grey to olive back with silvery sides. The body is wide, narrows at the belly, and averages 6” in length. They have large eyes, a prominent black spot near the gill cover, and a forked fin.

Photo by U.S. Geological Survey Archive, U.S. Geological Survey, Bugwood.org
Asian Clam

Asian Clam

Corbicula fluminea

Asian clam is a freshwater bivalve mollusk. The outside shells are yellow-green to brown with elevated concentric rings. If the color chips away, white spots can be seen underneath. The inside of the shells may be light purple. Adults are small, usually less than 1 1/2" in length.

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Asian Longhorned Beetle

Anoplophora glabripennis

ALB has a glossy black body with white spots on top of the wings. Adults are 3/4" to 1" long. Antennae are roughly 2 times the body length with distinctive black and white bands. The legs and antennae have a bluish tinge. Adults are present from July to October.

Autumn Olive, Elaegnus umbellata, Photo by WNY PRISM
Autumn Olive

Autumn Olive

Elaeagnus umbellata

Autumn olive is a large deciduous shrub that can grow to a height of 15 ft, and a width of 20 ft. Its leaves are oval or lance-shaped with entire and wavy margins, dull green in color with silvery underside.

This image features beech tree leaves with striping between the leaf veins characteristic of beech leaf disease
Beech Leaf Disease

Beech Leaf Disease

Litylenchus crenatae mccannii

Beech leaf disease is a new threat to WNY and poses a serious threat to beech forests. Research is ongoing to learn more about the biology of this disease including its spread vectors.

Bighead Carp, (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis), close up, Photo by John Lyons/Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources
Bighead Carp

Bighead Carp

Hypophthalmichthys nobilis

The bighead carp is a large, narrow fish with eyes that project downward. The body coloration is dark gray, fading to white toward the underside, with dark blotches on the sides.

Black jetbead flower and fruit
Black Jetbead

Black Jetbead

Rhodotypos scandens

Black jetbead is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 5 feet tall. It forms a dense shrub layer that shades out native species and restricts the establishment of tree seedlings. Black jetbead is one of our Data Gap Species Priorities for 2024.

Black Locust

Black Locust

Robinia pseudoacacia

Black locusts threaten prairies, savannahs and upland forests. They have an extensive root system that allows them to reproduce clonally, sprouting many clones in one area. As they grow, they'll form islands of dense canopy which shade out any plants below them.

Bloody Red Shrimp (Hemimysis anomala) Photo Credit: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab
Bloody Red Shrimp

Bloody Red Shrimp

Hemimysis anomala

The bloody red shrimp are translucent ivory-yellow in color, and exhibit bright red to reddish-orange coloring around the head and tail. The threat to the Great Lakes is currently not well understood.