I originated in Northern Europe and Asia.

North America became my new home between the late 1800s and the early 1940s. Some speculate that I was brought over intentionally and others say that I was a stowaway in ship ballast water and snuck into the Chesapeake Bay area. One theory is that I was used as packing material for worms and sold to fishermen in Oklahoma. I can now be found in over 40 states.

My motto is, “You can never have too much of a good thing.” I reproduce from fragments and spread rapidly. I’ve been known to cover a lake surface from shore to shore, making it difficult for a boat to travel over the lake. Once I create a dense mat on the surface, I shade native species causing them to disappear and the lake is mine! My infestations not only affect the plants, but the birds and fish, too.

Millions of dollars are spent each year on trying to control little ol’ me. Many control methods have worked out pretty well. You’ve experimented with harvesting and chopping me down, which works but not if you are not careful.  The plant fragments you cut off can be carried downstream to easily infest a new site or even multiple sites.  Humans have figured out that there are fish and insects that eat me. They are growing those nasty things and letting them go around me to keep me in check.

The most important way to keep me from spreading is to wash and inspect your boats after a day on the lake. My fragments cling to your boat and trailer and when we get a chance, we attack another body of water.