Invasive Species in our watershed

Learning about the invasive species in this area, I started noticing how INVADED our landscape is. Before I used tobike/drive/walk by Nutley or 29, and think, "Oh how Green and Wonderful itis!" while in reality, we have a lot of Kudzu.

Kudzu (Pueraria montana) comes from Japan and means Trash (according to my friend Ikumi) and can grow one foot per day. As a vine, it covers everything and anything it can climb over, eventually suffocating the plants it's climbing on. The only way to eradicate this plant is by destroying the root system completely.

(http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/pumo.html)

Taking a walk by our water catchment area/ pond by Nutley and 66 I noticed that there was some plants on the surface of the water, and through further examination I noticed that it was Water Chestnut (Trapa natans).

This plant is not at all related to the chestnuts we eat (Castanea sativa), but named for the really pointed seeds that have a slight resemblance the chestnut fruit. Very slight. Mostly just pointy.

(http://www.invasive.org/eastern/midatlantic/trna.html)