Wyoming Medusahead/Ventenata Field Tour held 9 am-4 pm June 19th, 2018 in Sheridan, WY.
Save the date so you can join the Northeast Wyoming Invasive Grasses Working Group for their second annual “Medusa-nata” tour and educational day. Visit sites where they are actively managing these weeds, discuss the most current scientific research, and actively participate in breakout groups to discuss management scenarios.
Updated details and registration information can be found here.
What Are They?
Medusahead and ventenata (North African wiregrass) are invasive annual grasses with extremely aggressive characteristics. These invasive species have higher silica contents than other invasive species such as cheatgrass, leading to reduced palatability. Similar to cheatgrass, these species mature early, but often have less biomass resulting in reduced forage quality. Currently they are only known in Sheridan and Campbell counties.
What Happens Next?
Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR): To eliminate these species or reduce their impacts, we must find and manage populations quickly.
Play Clean Go: To prevent accidental spread of seeds: clean boots, clothing, animals, and equipment before entering or exiting an area (for example, clean seeds from pant legs, remove mud from tires and boots, etc.)
Reporting: Report these grasses through EDDMapS or to a contact listed on the right. This allows managers to start controlling the invasion and reduce additional spread. Your help in reporting these species is critical.
EDDMapS is a multiregional resource for reporting, tracking, mapping, identifying and managing weed species. Locations of weed species can be reported online (www.eddmaps.org) or through a smartphone app (free download). A photo and GPS location or knowledge of the exact location of occurrence (if not using the app) are required.
Management: These species can be managed much like cheatgrass – fallapplied herbicides may be most effective. In areas with small patches, plants can be hand-pulled and removed prior to seed production to prevent seed deposition.
