Lower Columbia River Watershed Council

Purple loosestrife, a noxious weed from Europe, has been invading the American West for several decades, our area included. The weed is a vigorous competitor and grows predominantly in wetland areas and is more aggressive in areas that have been disturbed. Once established, its thick root masses can quickly fill ditches and canals. It also tends to crowd out native cattails and bulrushes, depleting nesting spots for waterfowl, seed for song birds, and habitat for muskrats. The Lower Columbia River Watershed Council (LCRWC) and the Columbia Soil and Water Conservation District (CSWCD) have received funds from the Oregon Department of Agriculture to control the spread of this undesirable plant. The groups plan to identify stands of purple loosestrife this spring and then, with the assistance of an Oregon State University graduate student, release biological control beetles and weevils beginning late May, 2001.

The plant flowers from mid-June through September, so rather than using its massive purple-magenta floral displays as markers for our spring search, we will be looking along waterways and in other wetland areas for dense stands of dried stalks up to 10 feet tall. Purple loosestrife stems are several sided and woody, and its leaves are covered with fine hairs.

We have already located several stands on Wallace Island and the Clatskanie River. We anticipate that the weed has taken hold in other locations as well. If you spot any plants you think might be purple loosestrife or would like a color brochure with further information about this weed, please contact the Lower Columbia River Watershed Council by E-mail.

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