Japanese stilt grass continues its rampage across Floyd County.
Where in years past we would have had blue lobelia coming up, we have none. Resistance is futile. Native flora will be assimilated.
Background
Japanese stiltgrass was introduced into the United States in Tennessee around 1919 and likely escaped as a result of its use as a packing material for porcelain.
Distribution and Habitat
Stiltgrass is currently established in 16 eastern states, from New York to Florida. It occurs on stream banks, river bluffs, floodplains, emergent and forested wetlands, moist woodlands, early successional fields, uplands, thickets, roadside ditches, and gas and power-line corridors. It can be found in full sun to deep shaded forest conditions and is associated with moist, rich soils that are acidic, neutral or basic and high in nitrogen.
Ecological Threat
Stiltgrass threatens native understory vegetation in full sun to deep shade. It readily invades disturbed shaded areas, like floodplains that are prone to natural scouring, and areas subject to mowing, tilling and other soil-disturbing activities including white-tailed deer traffic. It spreads opportunistically following disturbance to form dense patches, displacing native wetland and forest vegetation as the patch expands.
If there is a (hidden) snake in the grass, this is the grass it would be hidden in. Oy.
We have a similar blight, broom, which was introduced by a Scottish pioneer quite by accident (we hope). We hate it, since it muscles it’s way into all our grassy areas, and we end up with a display of glaring yellow! Teams of volunteers work hard during the spring to pull it out, and some say we are winning the battle. I would think grass would be a lot harder to destroy!