Scientists at the University of Connecticut together with principals at the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) have identified numerous plant species that pose a threat to habitats, human health and economy. The list below is a partial inventory of non-native species that are considered to be an existing threat or potential threat. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Picture | Scientific Name | Common Name |
---|---|---|
Acer platanoides | Norway maple | |
Ailanthus altissima | tree of heaven | |
Alliaria petiolata | garlic mustard | |
Ampelopsis glandulosa | porcelain berry | |
Aralia elata | Japanese angelica tree | |
Berberis thunbergii | Japanese barberry | |
Celastrus orbiculatus | Oriental bittersweet | |
Centaurea maculosa | spotted knapweed | |
Cirsium arvense | Canada thistle | |
Egeria densa | large-flowered waterweed | |
Euonymus alatus | winged spindle, burning bush | |
Euphorbia esula | green spurge | |
Ligustrum vulgare | European privet | |
Lonicera maackii | Amur honeysuckle | |
Lythrum salicaria | purple loosestrife | |
Microstegium vimineum | Japanese stiltgrass | |
Miscanthus sinensis | maiden silvergrass | |
Ranunculus ficaria | lesser celandine | |
Reynoutria japonica | Asian knotweed | |
Rhodotypos scandens | jetbead | |
Rosa multiflora | multiflora rose | |
Rubus phoenicolasius | Japanese wineberry |
Chatfield Hollow State Park is a public recreation area occupying 412 acres (167 ha) that lie adjacent to Cockaponset State Forest in the town of Killingworth, Connecticut. The state park offers hiking trails, a swimming beach, trout fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and picnicking areas. Park attractions include 6.67-acre (2.70 ha) Schreeder Pond, Indian caves, historic sites, a restored water wheel, and a reproduction covered bridge. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Rocky Neck State Park is a public recreation area on Long Island Sound in the town of East Lyme, Connecticut, United States. The state park's 708 acres (287 ha) include a tidal river, a broad salt marsh, white sand beaches, rocky shores, and a large stone pavilion dating from the 1930s. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Cockaponset State Forest is the second largest forest in the Connecticut state forest system, encompassing over 17,000 acres (6,900 ha) of land. Most of the land is in Middlesex County though some parcels lie in New Haven County. The forest is disjointed, and comprises land in the towns of Haddam, Chester, Deep River, Killingworth, Durham, Guilford, Madison, Clinton, Westbrook, Middletown and Middlefield.
Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum is a state-owned natural history preserve occupying 80 acres (32 ha) in the town of Rocky Hill, Connecticut. The state park protects one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America. The park was created in recognition of fossil trackways embedded in sandstone from the beginning of the Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago. The facility is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Indian Well State Park is a public recreation area occupying 153 acres (62 ha) on the west bank of Lake Housatonic, an impoundment of the Housatonic River, within the city limits of Shelton, Connecticut. The state park's scenic features include a 15-foot (4.6 m) horsetail waterfalls with splash pool at bottom. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
The environment of the United States comprises diverse biotas, climates, and geologies. This diversity leads to a number of different distinct regions and geographies in which human communities live. This includes a rich variety of species of animals, fungi, plants and other organisms.
Wharton Brook State Park is a public recreation area located off U.S. Route 5 in the towns of North Haven and Wallingford, Connecticut. Activities in the 96-acre (39 ha) state park center on Allen Brook Pond, a 5-acre (2.0 ha) pond that empties into Wharton Brook. The park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Burr Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 438 acres (177 ha) adjacent to Paugnut State Forest in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The state park surrounds Burr Pond, an 85-acre (34 ha), man-made body of water with facilities for swimming, boating, and fishing. It is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
Haystack Mountain is a 1,680-foot-high (510 m) mountain topped with an observation tower that is the chief features of Haystack Mountain State Park, a 354-acre public recreation area in the town of Norfolk, Connecticut.
Invasive species are a significant threat to many native habitats and species of the United States and a significant cost to agriculture, forestry, and recreation. The term "invasive species" can refer to introduced/naturalized species, feral species, or introduced diseases. Some introduced species, such as the dandelion, do not cause significant economic or ecologic damage and are not widely considered as invasive. Economic damages associated with invasive species' effects and control costs are estimated at $120 billion per year.
Erynnis martialis, commonly known as the mottled duskywing, is a species of butterfly in the family Hesperiidae. It is found in most of the eastern United States and in southern Ontario, and southeastern Manitoba. It is listed as a species of special concern and believed extirpated in the US state of Connecticut.
Quaddick State Park is a public recreation area located on 203-acre (82 ha) Middle Quaddick Reservoir in the town of Thompson, Connecticut. The state park is managed by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and offers opportunities for boating, swimming, fishing, and picnicking.
Stillwater Pond State Park is a public recreation area covering 226 acres (91 ha) in the town of Torrington, Connecticut. The state park surrounds Stillwater Pond, a 100-acre (40 ha) impoundment on the West Branch Naugatuck River. Fishing, boating, and a paved boat ramp are offered.
Dart Island State Park is a public recreation area comprising an undeveloped 19-acre (7.7 ha) sandbar island in the Connecticut River that is only accessible by boat. The island is within the corporate boundaries of the city of Middletown, Connecticut, its nearest neighbors being the Middletown Generating Station and Pratt and Whitney plant on the river's west bank. The island is wooded with "typical river trees like willow, poplar and red maple." It is managed by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, which lists boating, fishing, and bird watching as activities for visitors.
James L. Goodwin State Forest is a Connecticut state forest covering approximately 2,000 acres (810 ha) in the towns of Chaplin and Hampton. The lands became public property when James L. Goodwin donated the personal forest he had been developing since 1913 to the state in 1964.
Algonquin State Forest is a Connecticut state forest located in the towns of Colebrook and Winchester. The forest is managed for wildlife habitat and passive recreational activities. It contains two areas of special ecological importance: Sandy Brook Natural Area Preserve and Kitchel Wilderness Natural Area Preserve, the later donated by Helen Binney Kitchel in 1961, both protected as Forever Wild by state statute. The forest offers opportunities for hiking, wildlife viewing, and letterboxing.
Asclepias variegata, commonly called the redring milkweed or white milkweed, is a plant in the family Apocynaceae. It is native to eastern North America, where it is found in Canada and the United States. It is most common in the Southeastern United States, and becomes rare in the northern edge of its range.
Viola brittoniana, known as coast violet, northern coastal violet and Britton's violet, is a rare, acaulescent blue-flowered violet that is endemic to the eastern United States. It has distinctive leaves with narrow lobes and deep sinuses. It is a perennial.
Scleria verticillata, known as low nutrush or whorled nutrush, is a plant in the sedge family Cyperaceae. It is native to Ontario, Canada, the eastern United States, The Bahamas, and Cuba.