From Russian, With Love

A while back, I posted about the spread of the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis, EAB) in Russia, but I didn't really have much to say about it, since the article I was referencing was in Russian and I could not translate it. Now I have discovered that John Peter Thompson of the Invasive Notes blog has poked and prodded his Russian wife until she translated the entire article. From the translation we learn that problems with Russian ash trees were first observed in 2002 - it seems to have taken scientists a while to nail down the cause as the EAB. More important may be the fact that the EAB has several different host plants, including not only several ash (Fraxinus) species, but walnut (Juglans) and elm (Ulmus) as well! It is definitely worth a moment to click over to John Peter's blog and read the post. Thanks, John Peter! John Peter's wife! ;-)

New And Notable

The EPPO Reporting Service, in the April 2007 issue of their newsletter (.pdf only, unfortunately, so no direct links!), noted the following new arrivals:

• The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) is spreading in both the European and Far East parts of Russia. Russian ash trees are not amused...and neither are the people that planted them. The import of many Russian street trees in Russia from Canada is being eyed as one possible vector. There is more information here, if you can read Russian.
• Australia is reporting the first known instances of downy mildew (Plasmopara obducens) infecting Impatiens plants (Impatiens walleriana). Well, "busy lizzy" is an invasive in its own right, so I am not sure how I feel about that one. It cannot be good for the Aussie nursery industry though.
• Germany recently reported the discovery of three newly naturalized aquatic plants in that country: variable-leaved milfoil (Myriophyllum heterophyllum), hygrophila (Hygrophila polysperma), and lizard's tail (Saururus cernuus).

We also have two new aquatic invasive plant discoveries in the USA, courtesy of the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Alert System:

• Eurasian water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) has been found in Montana, in the Noxon Reservoir and in the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir as well.
• Yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata) has been found in Nebraska, in a lake in Omaha.