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Purple Loosestrife
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• Prolific plant with brilliant purple flowers
• Out competes native cattails
• Has been successfully controlled in some areas using a natural beetle predator
Purple loosestrife is a prolific plant with brilliant purple flowers that was introduced to the Atlantic coast of North America in the early 1800s and spread inland along railroads and canals. The construction of the Erie-Barge Canal may have hastened this plant’s arrival to Oneida Lake. Stands of loosestrife occupy wetlands and ditches around the lake, and stretches of the lake’s shoreline as well.
In areas where purple loosestrife dominates, native cattails (Typha latifolia) are usually absent. The loss of cattail stands means the loss of prime habitat for waterfowl and other marsh animals. In addition, the replacement of the native cattail by introduced purple loosestrife negatively impacts other smaller organisms including the survival and development of American toad tadpoles (Bufo americanus) through a combination of direct toxicity and shifts in algal communities.
Biocontrol can be effective in reducing the abundance of purple loosestrife. Biocontrol involves the release of a natural predator, the purple loosestrife leaf beetle (Galerucella calmariensis). This beetle, when present in large numbers, can totally defoliate the purple loosestrife making it impossible for plants to reproduce. The beetles are host-specific. That means they will only atack purple loosestrife, allowing native species like cattails to rebound.
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