How to Find and Report Incised Fumewort
Welcome to the Invader Detectives project page! Invader Detectives is a project of the National Invasive Species Council, and it's pilot is being implemented by the National Capital Partnership for Invasive Species Management (NatCap PRISM).
Incised fumewort is a highly invasive plant that is new to our region. It has a devastating impact on our native wildflowers, and is very difficult to manage National Park Service. You can help protect your park by scouting for incised fumewort and reporting it. To do this, head out to a stream valley park when the stalks of little purple flowers are conspicuous, from the second week of March into the first week of April. Take photos and upload them using the iNaturalist app. Here's a great video about how to make an observation on your smartphone.
Here are some tips for making an incised fumewort observation. Take at least one picture of the whole plant and one to help others to find the precise spot. Include any distinguishing landmarks in the location photo, like the edge of a path or a larger tree. In the notes section, please tell us anything you think we need to know about the plants, the size of the infestation, or the location. In late March and early April we are especially interested in whether the seed pods have started to explode. If you are making the observation in a garden, information from the gardener can be very useful (when the infestation arrived, how it got there, management efforts).
You’re done! You can go to your observation at any time by using your phone app, or by visiting the iNaturalist website.
Volunteers in Arlington County map a small patch of incised fumewort. March 17, 2023.
Photo credit: Toni Genberg
A few things to keep in mind: 1. Unfortunately, a park system that lacks sufficient resources (staff, money, volunteers) may be unable to manage the incised fumewort that you have reported. 2. Most park systems prohibit visitors from managing vegetation. Unless you are authorized by park staff, please just report the infestation, do not attempt to manage it.
Incised fumewort is just one of the Early Detection / Rapid Response species being tracked by Invader Detectives. If you would like to join the Invader Detectives listserv, email stangren@mwcog.org and put “listserv” in the subject line.
Visit us on Instagram @NatCap.PRISM.
