T H E P U R P L E

L O O S E S T R I F E
I N VA S I V E
S P E C I E S
B Y: AV I N A
 INTRODUCTION
Hello everybody! Today I will be presenting
to you my power point presentation on the
Purple Loosestrife invasive species. I will
also be showing you my wanted poster
about the Purple Loosestrife invasive
species. I hope you enjoy my presentation
and learn something new! :)
WHAT IS THE PURPLE
LOOSESTRIFE?
You may be wondering what exactly the
Purple Loosestrife is. Although the purple
Loosestrife may look like a pretty flower,
they are actually an invasive species in
North America. The purple Loosestrife
(also known as Lythrum Salicaria) is a
wetland plant that is native to Europe
and Asia. They were first brought to
North America in the 19th century.
Fireweed (Epilobium agustifolium), blue
vervain (Verbena hastata), blazing stars
(Liatris spp.), native winged loosestrife
(Lythrum alatum) and native swamp
loosestrife (Decodon verticillatus), are
similar species that may be mistaken for
purple loosestrife.
HOW WAS THE PURPLE
LOOSESTRIFE
INTRODUCED INTO THE
ONTARIAN ECOSYSTEM?
The Purple Loosestrife was first brought to the
Atlantic coast of North America in the early 19th
century. From there on, with the exception of
Florida, Alaska and Hawaii, it spread westward
across the continent into Canadian provinces and
American states. The plant has grown extensively
in Ontario around the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence
River Basin, and around cities and towns such as
Timmins, Geraldton, Sioux Lookout and Rainy
River to scattered places in the North.
WHAT PROBLEMS DOES
THE PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
CAUSE?
The Purple Loosestrife has been a serious
invader of wetlands, roadsides and
disturbed areas ever since it was
introduced to North America. Also, the
plant forms dense stands with thick mats
of roots that can spread over large areas,
degrading habitat for many native birds,
insects and other species. They also
decrease biodiversity by crowding out
native plants and taking up large amounts
of space. Lastly, large stands of Purple
Loosestrife can block irrigation canals,
degrade farmland and decrease pasture
forage value.
WHAT ACTIONS ARE
BEING TAKEN TO STOP
THE SPREAD OF THE
PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE?
In 1992 the Canadian and American governments
approved the release of Galerucella Calmariensis
and G.Pusilla, two European leaf-eating beetles.
The beetles are natural enemies of purple
loosestrife and feed mainly on the plant, although
sometimes other species of loosestrife are
occasionally eaten. This biological control of purple
loosestrife will reduce populations by up to 90%
and allow the re-establishment of native plants. In
Ontario, the beetles have been widely released and
purple loosestrife populations have been drastically
reduced at many of these locations.
HOW DO YOU IDENTIFY
THE PURPLE
LOOSESTRIFE?
The Purple Loosestrife has a few main
features that you can use to identify it.
The first feature is the stem. The stem is
woody and squared, and each one can
form a plant up to 2.4 meters high and 1.5
meters wide. The other feature is the
leaves. The leaves are opposite or
whorled, with smooth margins and are
about three to ten centimeters long. The
last feature is the flowers on the Purple
Loosestrife. The individual flowers have
five to seven pink-purple petals, about 10
millimeters long, arranged at the top of
the stems on long flower spikes.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO
IF YOU SEE THE PURPLE
LOOSESTRIFE?
If you see any type invasive species (not just the
Purple Loosestrife), then you should report sightings
of invasive plants to your local stewardship council.
The best time to cut the purple loosestrife from your
garden is when they start blooming in June, July and
early August. Small areas can be dug up by hand.
Cutting the flower stalks before they produce seeds
means that future plants will not be produced by
the seeds. Also, you should plant native species in
your garden. Native species attract lots of beautiful
birds, butterflies and wildlife, making your garden
twice as beautiful. Another good thing about
planting native species is that our climate is also
adapted to native species and therefore they need
less intensive treatment than exotic species.
There's still one more
thing…
 My Wanted
Poster
This is my wanted poster
on the Purple Loosestrife
Invasive Species.
 CITATIONS
 I only used 2 sites since the both had lots of detailed information
 https://www.ontario.ca/page/purple-loosestrife#:~:text=Purple%20loo
sestrife%20is%20a%20wetland,and%20discarded%20in%20North%2
0America
.
 https://www.natureconservancy.ca/en/what-we-do/resource-centre/inv
asive-species/purple-loosestrife.html
 CONCLUSION
Thank you for listening to my presentation
about the Purple Loosestrife invasive species. I
hope you enjoyed and learned something
new! :)