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The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is issuing a warning to homeowners and gardeners about two invasive nonnative plants — purple loosestrife and mile-a-minute weed. Both of these plants can take over an area in a short time, choking out native vegetation and destroying habitat.
Mile-a-minute weed was discovered in Virginia in the fall of 1994 in Rappahannock and Hanover counties and the area around Reston.
Mile-a-minute weed, also known as Devil’s Tail and Tearthumb, is a vine that is covered with many small curved barbs on the stem and the triangular-shaped leaves. Its small white flowers are inconspicuous, but the seeds are a brilliant iridescent blue.
An annual that reseeds itself easily, sometimes producing two generations in a year, it favors disturbed environments such as roadsides, stream banks, and edges of wooded areas. Its rapid growth, often 25 feet in a season, makes it a very successful competitor for habitat. It prefers sunny areas, and like most invasive species, colonizes bare soil areas.
Mile-a-minute weed, which comes from Eastern Asia, may have been introduced into the U.S. with
Home Fixup
Loan Funds
Available
Rural Economic and Community Development (RECD), formerly Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) has loan funds available in our 504 Loan Program.
This program is available to very low income homeowners to repair, modernize or remove health and safety hazards. The maximum loan amount is $15,000, with a one percent interest rate and a term of up to 20 years.
Interested individuals should contact the local RECD office at 8254200 for more detailed information about this program.
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