Invasive Species Resources

See also: Hobby and Small Flock Poultry in Arkansas for more factsheets

Boxwood blight (also called "box blight" in Europe), caused by the fungal pathogen Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum (=C. buxicola), was found for the first time in the United States in North Carolina, Virginia and Connecticut in 2011. The first reported infestation in the U.S. was in a North Carolina nursery and the disease was introduced to Virginia on plants from that nursery. Spread outside the two Virginia locations, both of which are fields owned by a single nursery, has not been reported. However, growers should be aware of the symptoms of boxwood blight and monitor nursery and landscape boxwoods for symptoms.

Native to Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer is an exotic beetle that was unknown in North America until June 2002 when it was discovered as the cause for the decline of many ash trees in southeast Michigan and neighboring Windsor, Ontario, Canada. It has since been found in several states from the east coast spanning across the midwest and in June 2006, we discovered that it had taken up residence in Illinois.