Skaneateles Conservation Area/Invasive species/Vincetoxicum rossicum
<< Prohibited invasive plants at the SCA
Vincetoxicum rossicum (pale swallowwort)
[edit | edit source]Pale swallowwort (PSW), European swallow-wort, or dog-strangling vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum, syn. Cynanchum rossicum) is an invasive herbaceous vine, native to Europe. These plants can smother native vegetation and inhibit the growth of natives and alters the soil microbial communities.[1]
The monarch butterfly relies on native milkweed plants as place to lay their eggs. Milkweed has become less common due to development and herbicide use, so the monarchs are said to resort to laying their eggs on European swallowwort, which is a fairly close relative of milkweed, but apparently not close enough, because the eggs won’t survive on non-native swallowwort.[2]
It seems that monarch oviposition on swallowwort is actually very small, so swallowwort may be causing more of a threat by displacing milkweed than by acting as a milkweed impostor.[3]
European pale swallow-wort (Vincetoxicum rossicum) is arguably one of the worst invaders at the SCA and seems to have been introduced (at least in part) from yard waste dumped at the transfer station, which is located right in the center of conservation area and appears to be a continuing contributor to both invasive plants and general litter at the SCA.
- ↑ Swallow-wort, Pale and Black New York Invasive Species Information 2021.
- ↑ US Forest Service, Monarch Joint Venture
- ↑ Ditommaso, Antonio & Losey, John. (2003). “Oviposition preference and larval performance of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) on two invasive swallow‐wort species.” Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata. 108. 205-209. 10.1046/j.1570-7458.2003.00089.x.
Observations of Vincetoxicum rossicum at the SCA
[edit | edit source]The following photographs and corresponding iNaturalist observations of Vincetoxicum rossicum were made at or very near the Skaneateles Conservation Area. Click on images to enlarge and read details on Wikimedia Commons or on the "iNat obs" links to view the corresponding observations at iNaturalist.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 24 Jul 2011.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 17 Feb 2012
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 14 Jun 2012. iNat obs
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 14 Jun 2012. iNat obs
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 22 Jun 2012.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 22 Dec 2014. iNat obs
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 25 May 2015. iNat obs
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Guppy Farm, 31 Aug 2015.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 3 Oct 2015.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 16 Oct 2015.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 23 Oct 2015.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Gully Road, across from Guppy Falls parking lot, 31 Oct 2015.
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 30 May 2016. iNat obs
- Vincetoxicum rossicum, Federal Farm, 7 Jun 2016. iNat obs