Pesky Plant Trackers is a citizen science opportunity focused on wild parsnip and knotweed.
- What do volunteers do?
- What are volunteers seeing? Check the Community Blog!
- Training available
- Subscribe to the Pesky Plants newsletter
What are folks seeing now?
See photos from observers across Minnesota on the Community Blog.
What you see depends on where you observe. Although this makes it difficult to predict exactly what you will see when, it reinforces how important your observations are. Pesky Plants research is improved by having observers in a variety of locations. Your observations matter!
Wild parsnip
As of October 4, 2021:
- Leaves: Only 8% of observations report "yes", down from 26% a month ago. Most wild parsnip plants that flowered have died. Younger plants may still have green leaves.
- Flowers or flower buds: 0% of observations report "yes".
- Ripe fruits: 0% of observations report "yes," down from 8% a month ago.
- Recent fruit drop: 0% of observations report "yes," down from 8% a month ago.
Knotweed
As of October 4 2021
- Leaves: About 91% of observations report "yes," down from 97% a month ago.
- Flowers or flower buds: 23% of observations report "yes," having peaked at 52% in mid-September
- Fruits: 36% of observations report "yes".
- Ripe fruits: 10% of observations report "yes".
Note: The records being summarized are from across North America and are not limited to Minnesota.