People like plants.

People love plants.

As long as there have been people and plants, plant lovers have been sharing seeds and snips and starts, probably a holdover from our Garden of Eden days when humans were the Head Gardeners in Charge.

People love beauty, and what could be more beautiful than sharing our love of plants with other people?

Sharing new species of plants is how figs got to the United States, via settlers bringing starts.

It’s how corn and squash and lima beans got to Europe from the New World.

People love to try new foods and new recipes, and you can’t cook a new favorite dish unless you have the proper ingredients.

With new ingredients comes a lot of reward as people expand their palates. It can also come with some risk, as people who have cooked with a certain vegetable for a long time know all the ins and outs.

For example, I said something to an older friend of mine one Fourth of July about eating corn on the cob and how much Americans love it and asked if he and his wife were going to enjoy any while it was fresh and available. His wife was from England. His reply? “Oh no, no, no. The Brit doesn’t eat corn. That’s what you feed to hogs.”

Upon questioning him, he had no idea why, only that it’s the way things were done across the pond.

So, my little over-curious squirrel brain went into action. Researching it, I discovered that when corn was first brought back to Europe, people loved it. Loved it so much in fact, they tried to use it the way we do potatoes. For everything.

What the Europeans didn’t know, and the natives of South America had figured out over a long period of growing and eating corn was that — it’s a bit more involved than I’m making it out to be — but corn, eaten solely by itself, causes horrendous multigenerational birth defects.

Eaten in conjunction with squash and lima beans … Voila! No problem! The other vegetables fill in the missing nutrients, which the Europeans had no idea about, and why would they have?

Plant diversity is awesome. When humans depend on a single source of nutrition — think potatoes and the Irish potato famine — it can be devastating when that plant fails.

Diversity is part of why seed saving is so important, and I went more in-depth on that subject in one of my past articles.

Before there were cameras, thankfully there were explorers and plant junkies who drew scarily accurate renditions of plants they found or saw — intricate renderings of bark, leaves, flowers, and seeds. Thanks also to them for nabbing starts, seeds and seedlings, taking them back to their own countries, and nurturing their finds.

Plant names can often give you an idea of their origins. For instance, japonica means that plant originated in Japan. Chinensis, China. Think camellia japonica, or lorapetalum chinense. Otherwise known as camellias and fringe flowers.

We all know and love azaleas, but did you know that, while most of us are familiar with the gorgeous azaleas featured at Orton and Airlie and Wilmington in general, as well as in our yards, they are not natives. Go figure. North Carolina does have around 15 native varieties.

Many of the plants we know and love have been imported and planted to the point we think they’re indigenous. Some of them are beloved, and some of them, despite people’s best intentions — think kudzu, Pueraria montana — have become insanely invasive.

Kudzu, a native of Asia, was introduced to the U.S. in 1876, via the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. At its introduction to our country, it was initially praised for its fragrant flowers and ease of care. In the 1930s and ’40s, it was touted — subsidized even, by the government — for its uses in erosion control and as livestock feed. Farmers were encouraged to plant kudzu by the acre, and the Civilian Conservation Corps was enlisted to plant it. We all know how well that worked out.

An overabundance of the same type of plants in one place creates the perfect environment for insects and diseases that prey on said plants to thrive. Lantana is super popular here, not only because it’s beautiful and attracts butterflies by the score, but because it likes heat and tolerates drought. During the last few years, because of the excessive availability of their food source, lantana lace bugs (Teleonemia scrupulosa) have become a huge problem on this once carefree plant.

Same with diseases. The disease that’s currently wiping out most of Florida’s citrus trees? Citrus greening, huanglongbing — say that fast five times — is a bacterial infection. Spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, again, the overabundance of the insect’s food source only makes the problem worse.

So, what’s our take on mass plantings of the same nonnative plants? The results speak for themselves.

Not good.

Nonnatives that become invasive, i.e. Chinese privet, (Ligustrum sinense), which was imported as a hedgerow plant in the mid-1800s, while fast-growing and good for delineating fencelines and yard boundaries, yields berries that are attractive to birds, and thus easily spread.  Its rapid growth and dispersal rates make it one of the most invasive plants in the South. Often taking over and crowding out natives, privet is extremely hard to kill. Privet often forms dense thickets, impenetrable to wildlife.

Sharing plants can be a great, inexpensive way to expand our gardens, and plant people love to help other gardeners. Sharing is caring, right?

Am I advocating being selfish? Absolutely not! I am, however, urging a bit of caution. Do your research. We have so much information available to us, information that our ancestors didn’t have when they thought they were doing the right thing by introducing new plants. There are tons of gorgeous natives, and more and more nurseries specialize in native species.

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but sometimes it truly is only skin deep.

Learn how to identify invasive plants and get tips on how to manage them during the next installment of the webinar series, “Landscapes that Last.”

Featured speaker Robbie Davis, founder and owner of Native Plants Matter NC, will headline the Feb. 27 session, where participants will be given an invasive plant management overview that will delve into how to identify common species of concern and apply practical, effective strategies to control growth on different property types and scales.

North Carolina Sea Grant’s Gloria Putnam will provide opening comments, followed by Davis, who specializes in invasive species removal and native plant installation.

N.C. Environmental Education Certification Program Criteria III or continuing education professional development credits will be available through this session.

Registration is now open for the February webinar set for noon – 1:15 p.m. Space is limited.

Created by Sea Grant and the Coastal Landscape Initiative, “Landscapes that Last” invites coastal residents, local governments, home owners associations and nurseries to explore sustainable practices to protect the state’s coastal environment.

Session topics include expert advice on things like choosing salt-tolerant plants, tree conservation, stormwater pond improvements and sourcing eco-friendly plants.

For questions about the series contact Putnam by email at gloria_putnam@ncsu.edu or by phone at 919-999-7469.

There’s only a week left to register for a new webinar series created by North Carolina Sea Grant and the Coastal Landscapes Initiative that explores sustainable practices that protect North Carolina’s unique coastal environment.

The 2025-26 series, “Landscapes that Last,” is intended for coastal residents, local governments, homeowners associations and nurseries “to build shared knowledge and healthier coastal communities,” organizers said.

Registration is open for the first webinar but space is limited.

Each session will feature presentations by panelists with a variety of expertise and experience. These include practical strategies, such as choosing salt-tolerant plants and conserving trees to improving stormwater ponds, and tips for sourcing eco-friendly plants. Sessions will end with 15 minutes of audience questions.

The first in the series, “Local Policies for Native Plants,” is set for noon until 1:15 p.m. Dec. 11. The session will feature speakers from North Carolina communities who will discuss their policies to advance landscapes that protect native vegetation and discourage the spread of invasive plants.

This session’s speakers will share how local policies and community guidelines can make a lasting difference. Speakers include Pine Knoll Shores Planning Administrator Charlie Rocci, Bald Head Association Assistant Director Dora Richey and Raleigh City Council Member Jane Harrison.

Rocci, a coastal municipal planner, facilitated development of new landscaping requirements for forest management while updating the town’s Unified Development Ordinance.

Richey, a homeowners association director, is implementing planting covenants on new construction and renovated properties to enhance and protect island properties and the environment.

Harrison, in her capacity as an elected official, has promoted and helped to adopt ordinances to prohibit invasive species and encourage restoration of native landscapes in an urban area.                                                                                                              

Future webinar dates are to be announced as schedules are confirmed.

Professional development credits are available under the North Carolina Environmental Education Certification Program: Criteria III or Continuing Education.

Guest Commentary

To stimulate discussion and debate, Coastal Review welcomes differing viewpoints on topical coastal issues.

“They swam all the way to Ocracoke?”

I suppose I should not have been so incredulous upon learning that National Park Service employees were having to track down rogue coyotes on Ocracoke Island. During my time conducting surveys of colonial waterbirds across the North Carolina coast, the impacts of coyote predation on young chicks was impossible to not take seriously. Their presence posed a constant challenge for federal, state, and municipal authorities. It’s not only birds that are affected; coyotes, with their acute sense of smell, pose a serious threat to sea turtle nests as well.

Invasive species often pose a serious challenge for ecosystems that have not evolved alongside them, and the havoc they wreak often vastly outstrips the pace at which the environment can adapt to their presence. While we have come to think of coyotes as a part of our everyday lives here in the eastern U.S., they are actually only native to the Southwest.

As wolves were killed en masse and driven out of the eastern U.S., coyotes migrated eastward to fill in the ecological role that was left wide open. As they did so, they picked up genes from the retreating wolves along their way. Now native red wolves are restricted to the Albemarle peninsula of North Carolina, a remnant of a once-dominant population that would have kept the coyotes from ever reaching the barrier islands simply by virtue of their presence.

While red wolves and coyotes are somewhat similar in appearance, coyotes are solitary mesopredators (mid-level carnivores that are still threatened by apex predators) that are characteristically opportunistic when it comes to food sources such as sea turtle eggs. Red wolves on the other hand are cooperative pack hunters that go for much larger game than coyotes, and will drive coyotes away or attack them under normal ecological conditions.

I bring the expansion of coyotes up as one example of how North Carolina’s barrier islands have changed since the onset of European colonization in the 16th century. The changes have been numerous, catastrophic, profound, and formative all at the same time.

One of these changes are the wild horses that roam these dunes, in locations ranging from Corolla to Beaufort. I have enjoyed many meals from childhood to present dining on the Beaufort waterfront, looking across the narrow intracoastal waterway to find horses grazing on the Rachel Carson Reserve. For locals, they are a sight as ubiquitous as spotting dolphins in the waterway. Entire businesses and marketing promotions of the area have fixated on these horses as a unique part of the area’s culture and appeal.

I am presently a researcher with North Carolina State University studying the crystal skipper. The crystal skipper is a butterfly species only found on a 30-mile stretch of the North Carolina Crystal Coast from Bear Island to the Rachel Carson Reserve.

The Rachel Carson Reserve just so happens to be a location with resident horses, making it the only place where horse and skipper populations interact.

People frequently come to the Rachel Carson Reserve to hike or relax on the beach, whether they come by way of ferry or their own watercraft. As my coworkers and I work in our highlighter-yellow vests, visitors are frequently drawn to us with inquiries about where they can spot the horses. Their assumptions aren’t wrong, I have been coming here for years at this point and I can direct them where to go to have a good chance of seeing them. They are often surprised, however, to find us unenthusiastic about the horses when we are directly asked about them.

We usually address the visitors on the Rachel Carson Reserve surrounded by centipede grass, the only grass that remains after the horses have eaten their fill. Seaside little bluestem, the sole grass species the crystal skipper lays their eggs on and eats as a caterpillar, is nowhere to be found in the areas the horses frequent. It’s heart-wrenching to watch the horses stride into the one small section of the Rachel Carson Reserve that still contains a viable crystal skipper population, consuming who knows how many eggs and caterpillars as they satiate their hunger on seaside little bluestem. In a sharp contrast to the horses, the crystal skipper is not only from here, it is only found here.

Who are these horses for? For tourists?

I doubt the desire to see the horses would increase as people grow in their knowledge about the horses’ condition. When I am asked about how healthy the horses are here, I feel as though I am lying by omission if I don’t tell the truth as I see it.

For tourism boards?

North Carolina’s coast is replete with breathtaking sites and awe-inspiring nature, I doubt horses in particular are needed to promote the area.

For a rare and imperiled butterfly species found nowhere else on Earth?

Certainly not for them.

One could easily ask who the crystal skipper is for, to which I would reply that it is for the very island ecosystems that created it in the first place, whose selective pressures picked the genes that gave rise to its very body plan. Secondarily, the crystal skipper is for the people who live and visit here who are able to appreciate its beauty and intrinsic link to the land.

For all the problems I have highlighted here, I do believe that there is a solution to this problem that addresses the concerns of all involved. To anchor this solution in how I began the article, I once again want to return to the subject of Ocracoke.

Horses remain on the island but have been corralled into a pony pen, easily accessible to anybody visiting the island. These horses are given a proper diet, bereft of the hardy and sandy grasses that stitch the island together against the advances of the wind and waves. This keeps the island’s ecology and structure intact, enables visitors and residents alike to see this part of Ocracoke’s history, and keeps the horses protected from careless visitors.

It would be impertinent and wrong of me to dismiss the cultural and tourist value that the horses provide simply because I am approaching the topic as a conservationist. That said, if you are able to get a close look, the horses’ taught skin stretched over their hips and ribs represents a sharp contrast to the horses that folks are generally used to seeing.

If folks are going to come to see the Crystal Coast, I want them to see the best of the Crystal Coast, where we steward our ecological resources well and care for the animals in our charge.

Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of Coastal Review or our publisher, the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

Help protect native habitats and support local wildlife Sunday afternoon by lending a hand to remove the invasive Japanese stiltgrass from Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County.

North Carolina Wildlife Federation‘s Wildlife Habitat Stewards of Northeastern NC has organized the hands-on volunteer effort from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 19 to clear the invasive plant from along the park’s Coleman Trail.

“Japanese stiltgrass, originally from Asia, has spread rapidly across the eastern U.S. since its arrival in 1919. It crowds out native plants, offers little to no food for wildlife, and can produce thousands of seeds that linger in the soil for years,” according to the federation.

The state park in Gatesville is 10 miles south of North Carolina’s northeastern border with Virginia and centers on a 760-acre millpond more than 190 years old.

Parking and restrooms are available at the Coleman Trailhead. Register online for more details.

The North Carolina Forest Service has confirmed that laurel wilt, a tree-killing disease, has been detected in two more counties.

Forest officials announced this week that the disease that devastates plants in the laurel family was found on private property in Beaufort and Greene counties, and confirmed by N.C. State University’s Plant Disease and Insect Clinic pathologists.

The total number of counties where the tree-killing disease has been detected is now 21. In addition to Beaufort and Greene counties, laurel wilt has been found in Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Pitt, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland and Wayne.

“This winter, we surveyed more than 1,700 miles across 11 counties, spanning more than 43,000 acres, looking for signs of laurel wilt,” Forest Health Specialist Jim Moeller said in a release. “We detected the destructive disease in western Greene County, coming out of Wayne County, and in Beaufort County along the Bay City Highway near the Pamlico County line. So, we’ll be keeping an eye on its progression.”

The invasive redbay ambrosia beetle infects the trees with the fungus that causes laurel wilt disease. The beetle was first detected in the U.S. in 2004 near Savannah, Georgia, and has since spread to 12 states, from Texas to Virginia. Redbay ambrosia beetles are known to cover short distances flying tree to tree but humans aid in spreading the pest over long distances when transported in firewood.

Plants in the laurel family, including sassafras, redbay, swampbay, pondberry, pondspice and spicebush, can be affected by this disease.

Symptoms include drooping reddish-purple foliage. Evidence of a redbay ambrosia beetle attack may be found in the main stem. Often threads of chewed wood, called frass toothpicks, can be seen sticking out of entry holes. Removal of tree bark reveals black streaking in the outer wood. The tree typically dies within weeks or months of infection.

The forest service said that right now, there is not a reliable method of treating laurel wilt and insecticides have been ineffective at stopping beetle attacks. Fungicides can be used to prevent infection by the fungus, but the best defense continues to be slowing the spread by using local or treated firewood and by notifying the local Forest Service county ranger if laurel wilt is suspected.

Homeowners with dead redbay trees are encouraged to keep cut trees on their property. Dead trees should not be moved to a landfill or off-site. Proper disposal of redbay trees includes leaving wood on-site, cutting or chipping wood on-site, or burning wood on-site in compliance with local and state ordinances. Obtain a burn permit at any authorized permitting agent or online.

The service’s Forest Health Branch monitors the spread of invasive pests. People who suspect there is an infected tree in an area near them should contact their county ranger. Contact information can be found online.

The North Carolina Coastal Federation announced this week that the nonprofit was entering its third year of restoration efforts at Carolina Beach State Park.

The project aims to enhance wetland habitat, estuarine shorelines, and subtidal oyster reefs.

Wetlands are crucial for the health and resilience of North Carolina’s coast, says the Coastal Federation, which publishes Coastal Review. Wetlands act as natural barriers against storms, filter pollutants, provide habitat for diverse wildlife, and support the livelihoods of coastal communities.

“The goals for wetland restoration at Carolina Beach State Park were driven by the ecosystem services these habitats provide. The final phase of this project is the construction of an observation platform for visitors to learn about critical wetland habitats within our dynamic coastal systems,” said Coastal Federation Coastal Specialist Georgia Busch.

Previously overrun by the invasive plant, phragmites, the park partnered with the Coastal Federation to restore the habitat using native plants that benefit birds, mammals and aquatic life. To connect visitors with the ecosystem, the park is building an observation platform for educational talks and birdwatching opportunities.

“The addition of the overlook at Carolina Beach State Park will make an excellent area for observations of wildlife in their habitat that may otherwise be difficult to access,” said Jesse Anderson, lead ranger at the park. Anderson supervises natural resource management in the park, including the three-year restoration project. “We hope these educational opportunities will highlight the success of invasive species removal and wetland habitat restoration, allowing wildlife to call this space ‘home’.”

Carolina Beach State Park visitors are asked to exercise caution when hiking or accessing the Sugarloaf Trail via the marina parking lot. Hikers should pay special attention to signage and barricades indicating temporary trail closures during construction, which is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

The wetland restoration project at Carolina Beach State Park is a component of the Restoration Plan for the Natural Resources Damages Assessment for the Kerr-McGee EPA Superfund Site in Navassa. Trustees are the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, and the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.

Officials also thanked partners at the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation and the dedicated staff at Carolina Beach State Park.

Topsail Island towns are banding together to dramatically reduce the presence of an invasive plant that chokes out native vegetation on oceanfront dunes.

Beach vitex, a thick, woody vine that sheds its leaves seasonally, is growing on more than 170 properties spanning the three towns on the 26-mile-long barrier island.

Those properties were identified in what has been described as a cursory, “windshield” survey conducted to give officials an idea of where and how much of the plant is on the island’s oceanfront dunes.

“We know there’s more out there,” said Topsail Beach Assistant Town Manager Christina Burke.

The survey provided enough information for that town, North Topsail Beach and Surf City to jointly apply for a North Carolina Coastal Storm Damage Mitigation Fund grant.

In May, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resources awarded those towns a collective $690,060.50, enough to cover half of the total projected cost of the first two years of what will be a four-year project.

According to the interlocal agreement, the towns “will continue to work together to secure additional funding to carry the project out to completion.”

Each town will be responsible for matching its portion of the grant.

North Topsail Beach last week joined Surf City in adopting an interlocal agreement that sets the terms for the aptly named Topsail Island Vitex Eradication Project.

Topsail Beach commissioners are expected to consider the agreement at their meeting Wednesday evening.

If the board greenlights the agreement, a resolution to accept the grant funding will be put to a vote most likely next month, Burke said.

The idea is to put out a request for proposal, or a formal document asking for contractor bids, by either December or January.

Topsail Beach agreed to be the fiscal agent to administer the grant funds, which are the culmination of a partnership initiated by the Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission.

The commission functions as a collaboration to preserve the beaches and surrounding waterways of the barrier island and is made up of elected officials and local government appointees from each town and Onslow and Pender counties.

Commission members began a couple of years ago discussing the need for an island-wide project to tackle eradicating the invasive plant that has wound its way over and along oceanfront dunes in the Carolinas after being introduced to the Southeastern United States in the mid-1980s.

But what was originally planted for ornamental purposes and sand dune stabilization escaped cultivation, crowding out sea oats, American beachgrass, seaside panicum and other native plants, ultimately threatening endangered loggerhead sea turtle nesting habitat, federally threatened seabeach amaranth and other rare plants and animals.

The state initiated efforts in 2005 to document locations of beach vitex and control its spread by creating the NC Beach Vitex Task Force in February of that year.

“Knowing it’s an invasive species and threatening to the dune system and the ecological system that we have here, the turtles, we decided to do something about it,” Burke said.

Based on the survey, Topsail Beach has the most properties – 93 – where beach vitex is present. Surf City has 45. A total of 35 properties were noted to have the plant in North Topsail Beach.

“That is just so incomplete still,” Burke said.

Eradicating beach vitex can be a rather painstaking process, one that requires a scratch-and-dab method where the bark of a vine must be scratched off before an herbicide can be applied.

Glyphosate, a systemic herbicide that blocks an enzyme essential for plant growth, is a chemical commonly used in killing beach vitex.

Beach vitex usually requires a couple of treatment applications, after which the plant must be monitored to ensure it is dying back. Treatment must occur only in summer.

“You have to kill it first and then you have to cut it out,” Burke explained.

Precautions must be taken when removing dead beach vitex to ensure seeds do not fall from the vines onto the ground and recultivate.

Treating the 93 properties in Topsail Beach alone is expected to cost an estimated $584,000.

The Topsail Island Shoreline Protection Commission will provide up-to-date information on its website as the project moves forward and continue efforts to educate property owners about the pesky plant.

Property owners will receive a waiver to sign off on that will the contractor to access individual lots to begin treatment, Burke said.

“They see all this lush vegetation and they’re like, oh my gosh, look at my dune system, it’s great, it’s so healthy. I think with the education of vitex and how dangerous it is to the dune system, people are going to me more apt to allow us to come in,” she said. “We have people who call us that say, please put me on that list, I have vitex and I want to be part of this project so I think the attitude has changed with the education of vitex.”

If you love the sweet taste of a fresh North Carolina bay scallop you may want to stop reading this now … but please continue — it’s not all bad news.

Although the likely invasive species of parasite that a team of University of North Carolina Wilmington researchers have identified in bay scallops here in the state is gross, these scallops are not harmful when consumed.

That’s good news for the bay scallop lover, but it’s bad news for a shellfish that has never fully recovered from a red tide event in the late 1980s, struggles to thrive in polluted waters and dwindling habitat and gets picked off by predators.

“I view this parasite as just one more hit to the scallops,” said Dr. Julia Buck, an assistant professor in UNCW’s Department of Biology and Marine Biology.

After Buck was hired on at the university in 2019, a colleague asked her a question that would set the course for an investigation to determine what type of parasite was infecting some of the bay scallops in North Carolina, where it came from, how prevalent it is in the state’s waters where bay scallops grow, and how it affects scallops.

Dr. Ami Wilbur, director of UNCW’s Shellfish Research Hatchery, first noted the parasite, a squirmy ring of white, tiny, finger-like projections around the flesh of a scallop she was examining in 2012.

It would be several years before she would get the opportunity to meet Buck and ask the most basic of biological questions: What is it?

Buck promptly determined the parasite was a trematode. Trematodes are a diverse group of organisms in which thousands of species have been known to science for a long time.

But this particular species of trematode was a mystery.

The literature Buck and Wilbur dove into provided no clues. The pair fanned out pictures of infected scallops to fellow scientists up the East Coast (bay scallops are not commonly found from South Carolina south to Florida’s Atlantic Coast) and across the Gulf of Mexico.

Scientists responded with two very different answers. Those in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and Virginia had not seen the parasite.

A scientist on Florida’s Gulf coast had and, after researchers did some genetic sampling, they determine the parasites found off Florida’s west coast were the same as those found in North Carolina.

“The bay scallop is an iconic species that people care a lot about,” Buck said. “And yet, even though this parasite is very visible to the naked eye – when you open the scallop you see that it is infected – no one had described the parasite. There was no record of it in the literature whatsoever. That’s really weird. We would have seen it 100 years ago and there would have been a record of it in the literature. The fact that it’s not there tells us that it’s likely an invasive species.”

The team at UNCW conducted DNA sequencing, a laboratory process that allows scientists to learn the exact order of the four building blocks that make up DNA, and compared it to DNA in a database of genetic sequences known as GenBank.

They found the parasite’s closest known relative, a genus that was only recently described, in Australia.

Researchers can’t say with absolute certainly that this species of trematode came from Australia to the U.S.

Buck can only theorize that the parasite infected plankton that hitched a ride on a container ship.

What the team does know is that trematodes have a complex life cycle. They need to infect multiple hosts in order to make it to adulthood.

“We don’t actually know the specific identify of any of those hosts except for the bay scallop at the moment,” Buck said.

What they suspect is that this species of trematode initially latches onto a scallop before it goes on to a small crustacean, like a copepod, a tiny crustacean that is a key component in the marine food chain.

The theory is that infected copepods get eaten by smaller fish and smaller fish get eaten by larger fish. The adult worm develops in the larger fish, where the worm releases eggs, which then infect more bay scallops.

The team research, supported by North Carolina Sea Grant, found that the parasite is now found in most waterways where bay scallops live.

Fellow researcher and former UNCW graduate student Hailea Boggess, who earned her master’s last December, looked at wild scallops in places including Chadwick Bay and Core Sound.

“We basically covered the area in North Carolina where scallops exist because we wanted to know what the prevalence was throughout North Carolina,” Buck said.

Roughly speaking, Boggess found around 20% of the wild scallops she collected to be infected by the parasite.

Researchers found that infections are seasonal and that parasites are likely dropped off by larger host fish, perhaps tarpons, that migrate to North Carolina in the summer then head south back to Florida when the water turns cool.

“We see new infections happening over the wintertime,” Buck said. “This is just every single year we look this is exactly the same pattern we find.”

Ongoing research suggests that the parasite does not try to kill its initial host, but that it does try to steal as much energy as it can to put into its own reproduction.

Trematodes castrate their initial host, which means the parasite strips the scallops they infect of the ability to reproduce.

Buck said the team has also found that the parasites affect the growth of the scallops they infect, perhaps because the parasite lives in a scallop’s gills, making it hard for the scallop, a filter feeder, to eat.

Additional research, including physiological effects the parasite has on scallops, is expected to be published later.

Coastal Review reached out to Adam Tyler, owner and operator of Core Sound Oyster Co. in Smyrna, who recalled the days of his youth when the sound teemed with scallops, a shellfish he calls “sweet as candy.”

“At wintertime at low tide you would go down to the grass flats with a five-gallon bucket and fill it,” with scallops, he said.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries lists the status of the bay scallop fishery as “depleted,” with harvests in recent years decreasing to practically no landings.

“Used to (scalloping) was something you could bank on,” Tyler said. “If oystering was poor, you’d go scalloping. You could always go scalloping, go oystering in the wintertime if there were no fish and now, unfortunately with the decline of the scallops and the regulations, everybody is being forced commercially into the same fisheries, which is further straining resources, which leads to more regulation and more consolidation.”

He’s watched large schools of rays come through and decimate juvenile scallop beds. He “always swore” predation and water quality have been largely to blame for the population decline.

The discovery of the parasite, “was completely new to me,” he said.

If he’s come across infected scallops, he doesn’t know it. Tyler said he can shuck one scallop in about 25-30 seconds.

“When you’re cutting them that fast you really don’t look at it closely like that,” he said. “You just spent all day catching them and now you’ve got to spend half the night opening them.”

Shucking involves removing the gills, which means parasites are likely pulled and tossed aside.

Any remaining parasite is killed off if when the scallop is cooked or frozen, Buck said.

“There are some shellfish-borne diseases, but by-and-large most marine parasites aren’t compatible in humans,” said Jeff Dobbs, a marine biologist with the Division of Marine Fisheries. “I definitely don’t want to be an alarmist about this parasite in particular. In fact, we have seen some promising upticks in Core Sound and Back Sound and Pamlico Sound.”

He encourages anyone with questions or concerns to contact the division’s Shellfish Sanitation and Recreational Water Quality section.

He also asked that anyone who sees shellfish die-offs contact the division.

An invasive, wood-boring beetle responsible for killing tens of millions of ash trees in North America is getting closer to North Carolina’s coast.

With the North Carolina Forest Service announcement Wednesday that Bertie, Anson, Duplin, Martin and Sampson counties have been deemed positive for the emerald ash borer, the total number of counties where it has been detected in the state is now 76.

The emerald ash borer, or EAB, has been found in more than 75% of North Carolina counties including all of western North Carolina, most of the Piedmont and continues to track east, officials said.

“Seasonal trapping for EAB typically runs from late March to early May. During that time, we were able to extract adult beetles from ash stands in Anson, Bertie, Duplin and Sampson counties,” Jim Moeller, forest health specialist with the N.C. Forest Service, said in a statement.

Host plants include all native ash trees and native white fringetree. The Chinese white fringetree, often planted for ornamental purposes, is believed to be resistant.

“While we weren’t able to physically uncover the insect in Martin County, current signs and symptoms found in ash trees indicate EAB infestations are already underway. We’re going to consider Martin County positive based on these indicators so landowners will know what to expect and can plan accordingly,” Moeller added.

Emerald ash borer is a metallic green beetle that bores into ash trees and feeds on tissues beneath the bark, ultimately killing the tree. Adult beetles are about a half-inch long and 1/8-inch wide and lay eggs on the bark of ash trees. When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore into the bark and feed on tissues of the tree. This disrupts the movement of nutrients and water within the tree, causing the tree’s slow death usually within three to five years.

In North Carolina, the adult emerald ash borer is typically active from late spring to early summer, likely April through June. Its larvae may be found under tree bark most of the year.

Officials said signs and symptoms of an emerald ash borer infestation include the following:

• Thinning and dying crowns.
• Increased woodpecker activity that causes the tree to look like it is losing patches of bark.
• Small, 1/8-inch D-shaped exit holes where adult beetles emerged from the trees.
• Galleries on the inside of the bark.
• Cream-colored larvae.
• Epicormic sprouting or sprouting from the main stem of the tree.

The entire state is under a quarantine for emerald ash borer, which prohibits the movement of ash plant parts, the insect itself, ash nursery stock and all hardwood firewood into nonquarantined areas such as central Tennessee, most of Alabama and Florida, officials said.

The spread of invasive insects in the state is often due to human activity through the transportation of infested wood products such as firewood. It is strongly recommended that people burn local or treated firewood to reduce the spread of invasive pests.

The N.C. Forest Service Forest Health Branch monitors the spread of invasive pests. 

People who suspect there is an infested tree in an area near them should contact their county ranger. Contact information can be found online at www.ncforestservice.gov/contacts.

For more information about EAB, visit ncforestservice.gov and follow the links under the “Forest Health” section. To view current federal EAB quarantines, visit www.emeraldashborer.info. 

From phragmites to feral hogs, coastal North Carolina is no stranger to nonnative, invasive species taking over and damaging habitat.

“It is estimated that $34.7 billion a year are spent managing invasive plants in the United States. Introduction of invasive plants is injurious to our economy, our environment, and can even lead to human health issues,” according to the nonprofit NC Invasive Plant Council, which promotes invasive species awareness and solutions.

The North American Invasive Species Management Association is highlighting the threats from these types of insects, plants and animals introduced into an environment that they do not naturally exist during National Invasive Species Awareness Week this week.

The association of land and water managers, agency and nonprofits coordinated the campaign that began Monday and ends Sunday, according to its website.

Wildlife biologist Jeff Hall explained to Coastal Review that nonnative, invasive species can be threats for many reasons, including that the invasive outcompetes native species and replaces them on the landscape, “which may equal loss of the native that is similar in niche and habitat use.”

Hall specializes in herpetology, or the study of reptiles and amphibians, for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

Another reason is that there are no predators for the invasive species. “Since it’s not native, native species have few defenses, if any, to escape and/or survive,” he said, and that can lead to loss of many natives.

“Some invasives cause extensive habitat damage since they are not in their normal environs,” Hall said, adding that this is especially the case with feral hogs and nutria. Plus, the invasive species could potentially introduce various diseases, fungi or other pathogens. “And since these are often new pathogens, natives have no natural defenses against.”

Here on the coast

Another charitable group is working with Craven County to help get rid of nonnative, invasive plants at its parks.

More than 20 volunteers Saturday morning from North Carolina Native Plant Society’s Central Coastal Plain Chapter helped remove Chinese privet from Creekside Park in New Bern.

“We got a lot accomplished,” Carol Peoples, co-chair of the Central Coastal Plain Chapter of the North Carolina Native Plant Society, told Coastal Review Monday about the work that took place over the weekend. “We hope that when the privet is removed, our native species will emerge from the seed bank and reestablish.”

The event held Saturday, which she called a “privet pull,” was the chapter’s second nonnative invasive species removal event. The first was held in winter 2023.

“Our chapter is working toward having more events like these in the future and they are open to the public,” Peoples added. The epicenter of the chapter is New Bern and most members reside within an hour’s drive.

Craven County Recreation and Parks Assistant Director Mark Seymour told Coastal Review that the removal Saturday went “fantastic.”

“We always welcome any chance we have to work with civic groups to clean up the parks.  We don’t have any clean ups scheduled presently, but we are always eager to partner with organizations looking to help us throughout our park system,” he said, adding the county has been working on invasive species with the North Carolina Cooperative Extension, its master gardeners, and the North Carolina Native Plant Society over the last couple of years.

“These invasive plants compete with native plants that insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals need to survive,” he said.

In addition to Chinese privet, Bradford pear is another invasive identified at the county’s parks. Bradford pears have “very brittle branches that need to be constantly cleaned up after thunderstorms,” Seymour said. “We still have plenty of both throughout our parks, but with the help of these groups, along with our maintenance staff, we’re continuing to work on eliminating them from our parks.”

About invasive plants

Peoples, who is a Carteret County master gardener, said that nonnative invasive species are a threat wherever they occur, “and we have our share” in eastern North Carolina.

She explained that nonnative, invasive plants are those that have been moved by humans, on purpose or by accident, from their “home” ecoregion, which is often an entirely different continent, to a new ecoregion.

“In general, invasives share characteristics of being vigorous and aggressive growers, they sprout readily when cut, produce a lot of seeds, self-sow easily, are evergreen or leaf out earlier than native species,” Peoples continued. Adding, because these plants did not evolve to have relationships with the insects and wildlife in the new ecoregion, they have no natural enemies that curb their growth. Insects, which are vital to the local food web and ecosystem, cannot eat their leaves.

“Nonnative invasive species escape into natural areas, where they outcompete and displace native plant species. This causes a loss of native plant communities and negatively impacts the wildlife that depends on them, resulting in loss of biodiversity,” Peoples said.

The most common invasives trees that Peoples said she’s observed in the region are Bradford pear and mimosa. As for shrubs, she’s seen thorny olive, autumn olive and Chinese privet. Invasive vines are English ivy, sweet autumn virgin’s bower, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese wisteria and Chinese wisteria. But the most common invasive herbaceous plants she’s spotted are Chinese silvergrass and Phragmites australis, or the common reed.

The NC Invasive Plant Council has ranked invasive species by region, Peoples added.

“Sadly, plant nurseries and big-box stores continue to sell most of these,” she said, and these plants continue to be purchased by homeowners and installed by landscapers and developers, compounding the problem. “Clearing invasive species from natural areas can feel like chipping away at a mountain with a spoon. The best way to control the spread of nonnative invasive species is for people to not purchase or plant them, and if they have them on their properties, to work to remove them.”

Peoples recommended the Coastal Landscapes Initiative’s free booklet, “Plant This Instead: Eco-friendly Alternatives to Harmful Ornamental Plants” available online.

“This is a guide to help our state’s coastal property owners, landscapers, and designers learn more about harmful landscaping plants, as well as North Carolina native plants that make better alternatives,” she said.

To help manage the invasive Bradford pear tree, the N.C. State Extension, the N.C. Forest Service, the N.C. Urban Forest Council, and NC Wildlife Federation properly remove and replace these invasive trees. To find out more and when the next event is taking place, visit the website.

Invasive animals

Forest Health Specialist Jim Moeller with the N.C. Forest Service told Coastal Review that he, along with fellow specialist Wayne Langston, are available to assist 58 eastern counties, and encounter invasive species in their day-to-day work.

Moeller explained that one invasive insect that is probably going to impact the coastal region soon is the emerald ash borer, which attacks all native ash trees.

This insect was first brought into the U.S. in the late 1990s, foresters suspect, and was found in Michigan in 2002. The insect was spotted in North Carolina in Granville County in 2013 and has been progressively moving east. It’s been found in Bladen, Craven and Hertford counties.

Another invasive insect to be aware of is the redbay ambrosia beetle, which he said are called “fungus formers.” These insects carry a fungus on their back, and when they bore into a tree, they introduce the fungus. The young of that beetle then eat the fungus.

“The problem is these beetles attack perfectly healthy red bay trees. The fungus spreads in the vascular system of the tree, and then it causes the tree to essentially be choked out and it wilts and dies,” he said. Though red bay is not a very commercially important species, there are a lot of different insects and animals that depend on it, including swallowtail butterflies.

The redbay ambrosia beetle was first found in Bladen County and is now in Brunswick, Onslow and Jones counties. “It hasn’t made it any further north than Carteret,” he said.

It’s believed this insect and the emerald ash borer was introduced to the area from transported packing materials.

Moeller added that these insects will travel 5 to 10 miles on their own, but humans help the spread by moving infested firewood to different parts of the state, for example.

“Our biggest threat is the unknown, the thing that’s on the horizon that we just don’t even know about,” he said.

Hall with Wildlife Resources Commission said that luckily, he sees few invasive reptile and amphibian species on the coast.

“The main invasives that I see are nutria and feral hogs, and both do quite a bit of habitat damage,” he said.

“The invasive that I worry about from a reptile perspective is the Argentinian black and white tegu,” Hall explained, referring to the large lizards, at 2 to 3 feet, and sometimes larger, “that devour anything that fits in their mouths, including many native reptiles and amphibians, ground-nesting birds, and small mammals.”

Tegus are not yet established in North Carolina and “we hope to keep it that way. We definitely hope the public will call in any sightings of this species so we can attempt to catch and remove them from the landscape.”

The Wildlife Resources Commission officials did identify two invasive species for the state last year: zebra mussels and apple snails.

The zebra mussel causes damage to waterways, filtration systems and boats. It is estimated that the U.S. spends $1 billion annually to mitigate zebra mussel damage, officials said.

“Zebra mussels can quickly take over an environment once they are established and affect the health of other aquatic wildlife by disrupting the food chain and changing the chemistry of the water. They are capable of clogging both public drinking and wastewater systems, as well as damaging recreational equipment,” the commission said in a news release.

Apple snails are a human health risk. Adult snails carry rat lungworm, which can infect humans if eaten raw or undercooked, causing a potentially fatal disease. Snail egg masses contain a toxin that can cause skin and eye rashes if they contact bare skin.

The public can report possible invasive species sightings through submitting a photo and information to the commission’s Aquatic Nuisance Species Reporting Tool. The agency’s Aquatic Nuisance Species webpage can help identify nuisance species that have been previously discovered in North Carolina.

“The best way to address invasive species is preventing their introduction in the first place,” the state agency said in response to questions. “Before planting or releasing any species, check to make sure it isn’t invasive or potentially invasive in your area.”

The agency warns that it can take time for a species to be listed as invasive, sometimes years after damage has been demonstrated, “so keep in mind that it may still have invasive potential even if it hasn’t yet been officially designated as invasive in your area.”

When it comes to managing invasives that have already been introduced to an area, “the right strategy really depends on what species is invading and how well established it has become. A good first step is to consult an expert to learn what methods will be most appropriate for you on your land,” according to the commission.

Moeller with the state Forest Service is one of those experts.

“A bulk of what we do is helping individual landowners. So somebody that has a few acres or a few hundred acres, we make recommendations for them as to how to get rid of a certain invasive plant or shrub or tree or insect,” he said. Adding if you’re concerned about an insect, disease or other forestry question, contact your county Forest Service office.

A species of snail harmful to native habitat, can make people sick and is outlawed in North Carolina has taken up residence in a south-central river in the state’s Coastal Plain.

North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission officials earlier this week announced that the first-known population of apple snails, the females of which can lay eggs weekly, are in the Lumber River.

This is the second time in less than a month that wildlife officials have confirmed reports of aquatic invasive species in the state.

It is too soon for state wildlife officials to determine whether the snails and their egg masses, found by the dozens along the river in downtown Lumberton, can be wiped out entirely.

“We don’t know if eradication is possible,” said Brena Jones, aquatic biologist and the commission’s central region aquatic wildlife adversity coordinator. “They’re already well established in that tributary and they’re spreading in the river. That’s a really large area to try and treat.”

Wildlife biologists would also have to consider the potential treatment impacts to native snails and mussels in the river.

“Our first triage measure is to prevent further spread,” Jones said.

Officials believe they have identified the tributary where the snails were initially released, but they do not know who or how the snails were put in that tributary.

Apple snails are native to South America, but popular among aquarium enthusiasts throughout the world because of their pretty gold and chestnut-striped shells.

Adults grow anywhere from 2 to 6 inches, making them some of the largest freshwater snails in the world.

Their eggs contain a toxin that, when touched with bare skin, can cause skin and eye rashes. Apple snails may also carry rat lungworm, a parasitic worm that, if ingested, can lead to a rare and sometimes deadly disease known as eosinophilic meningitis.

As to how the species found its way into the U.S., fingers point to the aquarium industry. The invasive species has been confirmed in several states, Europe and Asia.

Jones said a man who has paddled the Lumber River for years notified wildlife officials about the snails, which lay large clusters of bright pink eggs outside of water on everything from tree trunks and other vegetation to concrete.

Snails and eggs have been identified near the Interstate 95 bridge crossing of the river, the commission’s High Hill boat access, and in a tributary of the river known as Fivemile Branch.

Eggs can easily be destroyed by crushing them and scraping them off hard surfaces into water. Snails may be crushed or frozen.

Jones cautions anyone who attempts to kill either the eggs or snails to avoid touching them with their bare skin.

Not just snails

The discovery of apple snails in the Lumber River comes at the heels of another discovery of an aquatic invasive species identified for the first time in the wild in North Carolina.

Zebra mussels, another fast-reproducing species that can deplete the food chain of other aquatic life and change a water’s chemistry, have been found in a private quarry in Iredell County in the Piedmont.

These mussels are also illegal in the state. They can clog public drinking water and wastewater systems and damage recreational equipment.

“Both zebra mussels and apple snails are really harmful to native systems and human health,” Jones said.

Wildlife officials believe the mussels are contained to the quarry and they are working on treatment options, according to a release.

The discovery of these species in the state has prompted the commission to launch a new online Aquatic Nuisance Species Reporting Tool, which allows users to download photographs of a suspicious species and provide a location to be shared with wildlife officials.

Reports from the public help the commission, which does not have adequate manpower to cover all areas of the state, Jones said.

Commission officials ask everyone to follow a few simple steps to help prevent the spread of these invasive species, including the following:

• Clean equipment of aquatic plants, animals and mud.
• Drain water from boats, live wells, bait buckets and all equipment.
• Dry all equipment thoroughly.
• Refrain from moving plants, fish or other organisms from one body of water to another.

Jones said the commission will release additional information about ways to keep apple snails from populating in the state.

“We’ve still got more to learn about them,” she said.

MOREHEAD CITY – Have you seen any blue land crabs?

North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries officials are asking that if you see one of these crabs, which look like enormous fiddler crabs, that you snap a photo and report the date and the location of your sighting through the online form.

There have been reports of the species in North Carolina and South Carolina. These sighting reports will help biologists learn more about where the nonnative species is spreading.

For more information on the species, visit the blue land crab profile webage.

“Blue land crabs are native to the Atlantic coast from Brazil to South Florida, but occasional sightings of the large crabs have been reported in South Carolina since 2008. The first confirmed blue land crab sighting in North Carolina occurred in the summer of 2023,” officials said Wednesday. “Researchers do not yet know the extent of the crab’s distribution throughout the Carolinas nor its impact on the environment and other wildlife. Whether the species arrived through natural expansion of its range or human-mediated sources is also not clear.”

The crabs vary in color. Adult males usually have the characteristic blue-gray coloring, but females can be white or ash-gray, and juveniles range from orangish to dark brown to purple.

Officials warn that blue land crabs are difficult to catch. In addition to their speed at retreating into burrows deep below ground, the crabs have a large claw that they can use to defend themselves. Biologists suspect the crabs may be more visible following heavy rains which can drive them out of their burrows.

For more information, contact Robert Corbett at Robert.Corbett@deq.nc.gov with the NC Division of Marine Fisheries or Bronwyn Williams Bronwyn.Williams@naturalsciences.org with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences.

A tall and looming reed grass, nonnative phragmites now extends pervasively into North Carolina’s marshes and shorelines.

Likely introduced to North America in the 18th or 19th century, it hasn’t taken long for Phragmites australis — more commonly known as phragmites or even casually referred to as “phrag” — to thoroughly establish its foothold in the U.S.

Phragmites has a tendency to take over wetlands, pushing out native marsh grasses. The toll of its dominance is significant. It can negatively impact the biodiversity of an area, and endanger other species that depend on native habitats. A leading example is the diamondback terrapin, a turtle native to tidal marshes in the eastern U.S. When phragmites encroaches their habitat, it becomes harder to find places to nest and lay eggs.

Phragmites has been studied for decades. Many people try to get rid of it, but eradication is not easy, said Tracy Skrabal, coastal scientist with the North Carolina Coastal Federation in Wrightsville Beach. The Coastal Federation publishes Coastal Review.

“It’s difficult to eradicate it,” Skrabal said. “The traditional techniques for eradicating involve using some pretty nasty chemicals.” 

In Skrabal’s past work addressing phragmites, she had some success with the eradication approach in a small, isolated patch. If you catch it early, you may get rid of it. But once it has taken hold, you are likely out of luck. The success rate of long-term eradication attempts is low. Continued — and often costly — action is needed to keep phragmites away once it has become established.

The chemicals used in eradication have been tied to adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. 

In the last several years, the phragmites discourse has started to evolve in a way that takes climate change into consideration more than before. A new wave of research has indicated that, while there are significant perils associated with phragmites, the reed can also help ecosystems adapt to some of the effects of climate change. This complicates the equation.

“As a scientist, it is not clear cut,” Skrabal said.

Potential benefits include protection against erosion due to phragmites’ extensive root systems, and effective carbon sequestration – the storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Both are things that make an environment more resilient to climate change.

In 2017, the Coastal Federation hosted a workshop about phragmites, bringing together leading researchers and managers from across the country to speak on the issue. The intention was to more comprehensively understand the plant and its effects on the ecosystem and discuss management options.

More recently, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration held several webinars about phragmites, with numerous researchers explaining the multiple facets of the phragmites issue. 

Mollie Yacano is a doctoral candidate at the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine Sciences based in Morehead City, and she was one of the presenters during the NOAA seminar series. Her research, which was recently published in Estuaries and Coasts, looks at the nitrogen removal capacity of microbes in the soil beneath phragmites in comparison to native grasses in salt marshes.

Salt marshes around the world can be responsible for removing or retaining between 20% and 50% of excess nitrogen. This is a very valuable service, because nitrogen pollution contributes to algal blooms and fish kills.

Yacano found that in her marine tidal marsh study areas, phragmites were better at denitrification than native grasses. In the brackish marsh study areas, all grasses performed equally. What this means is that, in this context, phragmites is just as good or better at denitrification than native grasses.

“So even that, when you’re thinking about it big picture,” Yacano said. “Is it worth killing this plant?”

This makes phragmites management complicated. It is impossible to overlook the downsides of phragmites, but it is becoming equally important to recognize its potential value, especially as marsh ecosystems are threatened by factors associated with climate change.

On the positive side, researchers like Yacano may be able to help inform management practices moving forward.

“I think one of the really cool things (about) being part of that NOAA group was seeing how many other people are interested in trying to understand how we can use all of this different research to put together resources on best management practices,” Yacano said. “How can we understand better what we’re doing, and then make decisions better based on that.”

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says invasive, nonnative and destructive gypsy moths have been detected in coastal areas including Currituck and Dare counties, and a decision on how to treat the infestation is being considered.

The decision on treatment alternatives is to come after area residents have had an opportunity to weigh in, including during an in-person meeting set for Tuesday, Feb. 8, in Duck. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Paul F. Keller Meeting Hall, 1200 Duck Road.

Residents may also submit comments through an online portal.

Proposed treatments

Organic products are to be used for all proposed gypsy moth treatments in 2022, according to the department.

One product is Btk, or a variant of Bacillus thuringiensis known as kurstaki, which is marketed under trade name Foray 48B and is a bacterium commonly found in forest soils worldwide. Btk, which, according to department information, is harmless to humans, must be consumed by caterpillars to be effective. Once ingested, the caterpillar’s alkaline gut activates the bacteria.

Another proposed method is mating disruption. This method uses a compound that serves as the female gypsy moth’s sex pheromone, decreasing mating success and suppressing the gypsy moth population. The compound is specific to gypsy moths only and does not affect off-target species, according to department information. Such a treatment is only effective at lower population densities. Three products are available for this treatment, including one in which the active ingredient is sandwiched between two outer layers of PVC plastic. All are are aerially applied.

Areas affected

Treatment areas on the North Carolina coast include the following:

Lake Drummond area: A 5,673-acre proposed treatment block is in Camden County and continues north into Virginia. On the North Carolina side, this block consists mostly of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Dismal Swamp State Park. There are no residences in the block. In 2020, the department caught a total of four male moths in this block. In 2021, that number increased to 147, signifying that a reproducing population is present. One application of mating disruption is proposed for this block in late May or June.

Knotts Island area: This 311-acre proposed treatment block is in Currituck County and continues north into Virginia. In 2020, 482 male moths were captured in this block. In 2021, that number increased to 852. One application of mating disruption is proposed for this block in May or June.

Martin Point area: This 3,168-acre proposed treatment block is the Duck area in Dare County. In 2020, two male moths were captured in this block. In 2021, that number increased to 27. One application of mating disruption is proposed for this block in May or June.

Mossey Island area: This 1,933-acre proposed treatment block is in Currituck County. In 2020, no male moths were caught in this block, but in 2021, 23 were captured. One application of mating disruption is proposed for this block in May or June.

Buxton area: This 1,194-acre proposed treatment block is on the west side of Buxton in Dare County and includes a mix of residential areas, commercial development and a large maritime forest. There are small streams, canals and swamps in the block and the Pamlico Sound borders the north side. Wooded areas are composed of oaks, pines, and various other hardwoods and conifers. Past treatments of mating disruption and Gypchek and Btk at this site reduced the population significantly, but follow-up trapping indicates there is still a reproducing population present here. In 2020, 39 male moths were captured in this block. In 2021, that number decreased to 20. One application of mating disruption is proposed for this block in May or June.

From an OBX Today report

Gypsy moths have been found in new locations along the Outer Banks, with the state planning to treat the affected areas in late spring 2022.

The invasive species feeds on the leaves of more than 300 species of trees and shrubs, predominantly oaks and hardwoods.

When areas become heavily infested, trees may be completely stripped of foliage, leaving yard trees and entire forests more susceptible to attacks from other pests. Severe infestations often lead to tree death.

Gypsy moth caterpillars can also pose public health concerns for people with respiratory problems. In areas with high-density gypsy moth populations, the caterpillar hairs and droppings may cause severe allergic reactions.

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has addressed spot introductions of the gypsy moth across North Carolina since the 1970s. The treatment is to be done in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service and the Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Foundation, Inc.

An area of Buxton Woods on Hatteras Island has been undergoing treatments for gypsy moths multiple times over the last decade.

Three additional areas on the Outer Banks, in Southern Shores and Duck, southern Corolla and Carova Beach, have now been identified by agriculture officials as needing treatment. Two other areas are on Knotts Island and northwest Camden County.

Public meetings are planned for the coming months on the proposed treatments. One has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 8 at the Duck Town Hall.

If you are unable to attend the in-person meeting, you can find out more information, submit a public comment, or to request email/text notifications about treatment dates by visiting www.ncagr.gov/GypsyMoths/treat.

OBX Today is the community website of JAM Media Solutions’ Outer Banks radio stations: Beach 104, 94.5 WCMS, 99.1 The Sound and Classic Rock 92.3. The website is managed by local newsman Sam Walker and journalist Kari Pugh. Coastal Review is partnering with OBX Today to provide our readers with more environmental and lifestyle stories of interest about our coast. 

The National Forest Service is calling for public comment on a proposed plan to control terrestrial and aquatic nonnative invasive plant species on its lands in North Carolina.

The plan for the Uwharrie and Croatan National Forests would use a combination of manual and mechanical, such as hand-pulling and the use of light equipment; cultural, such as the use of mulch, livestock grazing and other agricultural techniques; biological, such as native pathogens and pests; and chemical treatments to control various nonnative species and eastern baccharis or groundsel tree (Baccharis halimifolia). Eastern baccharis is native to marshes and marsh borders on the outer coastal plain in the state but has spread along road corridors to invade disturbed areas in the Piedmont, which is not considered its native habitat.

The project area includes Craven, Carteret, Jones, Davidson, Macon and Randolph counties. Documents and other relevant information are available online.

The Forest Service will use the latest inventories of nonnative invasive plant species provided by the North Carolina Invasive Plant Council and the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health as reference points to determine what species should be controlled. The goal is to treat as much as 1,000 acres per year of nonnative infestations in the two national forests combined, based on needs, capacity and funding. Treatment acreage would vary annually and could be greater than 1,000 acres if additional capacity or funding allowed.

The proposed combination of treatment methods “and not relying solely on herbicides” is often referred to as integrated pest management, the Forest Service said. “Anything that weakens the plant, prevents spreading, or prevents seed production can be an appropriate management tool.”

The Forest Service said that “substantive comments” that are specific to the proposed plan in the project area should be provided by Dec. 30. Submit comments in writing, through one of the following methods:

• Via email to sm.fs.R8nccrocom@usda.gov. Include “Uwharrie Croatan NNIS ” in the subject line.
• By mail to Croatan Ranger District, Attention: Uwharrie Croatan NNIS, 141 E. Fisher Ave., New Bern, N.C. 28560.
• By facsimile to 252-637-9113.

Comments received, including names and addresses of those who comment, will become part of the public record for the project.

For more information contact National Environmental Policy Act Planner Victoria Payne, Croatan Ranger District, at Victoria.Payne@usda.gov or 252- 639-0304.