![]() More information available on page 131, Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas Miller & Ted Bodner, Southern Weed Science Society, If wintercreeper is discarded in or near a wooded area such as a park, it could easily take root and become established. I MPORTANT: This plant is a very good example of why one should be careful when it comes to disposing of invasive plants. The berries seen in the fall can also be a source of spread. The seeds are dispersed by birds and small animals. It can quickly grow up trees to reach the top of the canopy.With more sun at the canopy top, Wintercreeper matures, flowers and produces seeds. In woodland settings, wintercreeper forms dense mats that crowd out native plants. Like English Ivy, wintercreeper spreads in its juvenile form by producing rootlets that sprout new growth when it comes into contact with moist soil. An evergreen with glossy, dark green, elliptical leaves it can overtake and kill trees with dense growth that prevents photosynthesis, resulting in the death of the tree. Wintercreeper is a fast growing, highly invasive landscape vine (juvenile form) or shrub (adult form), that was introduced to the US in the 1900’s as an ornamental ground cover. IMPORTANT: Keeping ivy off of trees is key to limiting the spread to other places and saving our natural areas. A large ivy covered tree can produce many thousands of berries. Birds then eat the berries, fly away to perch somewhere else, and poop the seed where it will sprout and repeat the process. ![]() Some areas of our parks are becoming ecological wastelands in part due to English ivy and some of the other plants below and this needs our attention.Īs the vine grows it searches for a vertical surface, usually a tree, to climb so that it can mature, forming flowers, fruit and seed. In addition, this plant changes soil chemistry and produces chemicals that prevent other plants from sprouting and growing. It eventually smothers everything in its path, including trees. This vine is a terror, a very aggressive invader of natural areas that threatens every plant from the ground up. The problem is so bad that some ivy invasions can be seen in aerial photos. We hope the informaion below will be helpful. Please help us limit and reduce the spread by removing non-native invasive plants on your property. This demands our attention, both on our own properties and in our parks. These and other invasive plants are destroying habitat and elimating food sources for all the creatures living here with us.
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