To the CIPWG community,

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Penni Sharp on Sunday, December 14, 2014.

Penni was an excellent botanist and wetland biologist.  She was very active in numerous organizations, including the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group, where she served as Co-chair for many years, the Connecticut Botanical Society, and the Connecticut Association of Wetland Scientists.  It was truly an honor and a privilege to have known Penni as both a colleague and a friend.  She inspired so many of us with her passion for protecting the environment, and she will be dearly missed.

Please follow the link to Penni’s obituary in the Hartford Courant: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?pid=173545258.

Sincerely,

Donna Ellis

The 2014 Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) Annual Report is now available.  Click here to view the report.

Invasive Plant Walk

A natural area in Mansfield, CT was heavily invaded with invasive plants.  In June 2013, CIPWG, UConn, and other organizations teamed up to install the Les Mehrhoff Invasive Plant Walk.  The walk provides informational signage for nine common invasive plants. Continue reading →

 

Oriental or Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a highly invasive, non-native vine that grows vigorously, damaging trees and other plants and forming dense stands. Bittersweet produces an abundance of bright fruits, which are spread by birds and other animals to new locations.

The sale of Oriental bittersweet has been prohibited in Connecticut since 2004. The law also prohibits the importation, purchase, and cultivation of bittersweet and other listed plants. Fines for violations of the law are listed at $50 per plant. The law includes all reproductive portions of the plant, including seeds.

Review the full text of the law here.

CIPWG’s 1 page fact sheet for this species is available here.

Read a DEEP press release about bittersweet and alternatives: here.

If you see invasive Oriental bittersweet for sale in Connecticut, please contact CIPWG at info@cipwg.org.