Volunteer Training

Wetland habitat must be protected from invasives to remain healthy.

Volunteers learn to identify
and map invasive species.

The Pondicherry unit of Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge acts as important wintering habitat for many migratory bird species and provides essential year-round habitat for a diversity of breeding birds like the Sora, Common Moorhen, Virginia Rail, American Bittern, and Marsh Wren.

Even though Pondicherry is not heavily infested with invasive species, preservation of the habitat requires preventing further spread of plants such as purple loosestrife, phragmites, spotted knapweed, multiflora rose, and Japanese barberry.

Spotted knapweed, a multi-branched biennial, produces a toxin that interferes with surrounding plants. Native to Europe, this plant blooms profusely in midsummer or early fall with white, purple or pink stiff, fringed flower heads, and reseeds abundantly; its seeds remain viable for up to eight years.

Purple loosestrife, a semi-aquatic plant with spikes of reddish-purple, wrinkled flowers, was introduced from Europe as a decorative but now degrades valuable riparian habitat by aggressively displacing native species. Preventing the spread of these and other invasives is essential for preserving diverse wetland habitats at Pondicherry and elsewhere.

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