Each month, we offer a fun scavenger hunt-style EcoQuest challenge to help us document invasive species in New York State and New Jersey. The scavenger hunt utilizes an easy-to-use mobile app, iNaturalist, to take and upload photos of (a) focal species of the month. This month, our theme will be “Wisteria Hysteria!”, and will focus on documenting and photographing three varieties of wisteria that you may find in both cultivated and wild/naturalized forms in New York and New Jersey: the nonnative Chinese and Japanese varieties (Wisteria sinensis and floribunda, respectively) and native American Wisteria (Wisteria frutescens). All three varieties of wisteria are in the legume family and are hardy, fast-growing woody vines that twine around most any structural support, including our native trees! They have been historically popular ornamental plants due to their showy, fragrant lavender-purple flowers that hang in dangling clusters about 6-20 inches long. Typically, the nonnative Asian varieties bloom in May in most parts of New York and New Jersey and the American variety a few weeks to a month later. The easiest way to distinguish between the two Asian varieties is to look at the twining direction of their vines. When viewed at eye level, Chinese Wisteria stems ascend a tree or other support diagonally up to the right. Japanese Wisteria spirals in the opposite direction, ascending diagonally up to the left (see photos below).
To join the Ecoquest, all you need to do is 1) register to participate here 2) visit our EcoQuest webpage for more ID tips and to link to the full Wisteria article 3) download the free iNaturalist App, 4) hit the trail, head to a park or look around your property for the target species, and then 5) point, click and upload photos of this month's species! Graphics courtesy of bugwood.org |