Since finding Swollen bladderwort (U. inflata) in Tilton Pond last August, we are now beginning our first full season of monitoring and managing this newly listed invasive aquatic plant. Swollen bladderwort plants have been in full bloom for the last 4 weeks, but after our last visit on June 19th, many flowers and floats are showing signs of decay. 30 Mile and the Maine DEP have worked with Tilton Pond property owners, providing training so that they are able to remove the plant carefully by hand, under certain conditions, through a Permit by Rule (PBR) held by 30 Mile. In early June, Maine DEP and 30 Mile staff placed a fragment net across the pond’s outlet to catch any swollen bladderwort fragments heading downstream. The main goals for 30 Mile’s management of this infestation in 2024 are to prevent the plant from spreading downstream into David Pond and learning as much as we can about the plant’s tendencies, such as growth, flowering, life cycle, etc. This season, Maine DEP staff are testing other swollen bladderwort management and control methods on Little Ossipee Lake in Southern Maine, where the plant has been found in an isolated area. Including Tilton Pond, five lakes and ponds in the State are known to be infested with swollen bladderwort.
Swollen bladderwort, an invasive aquatic plant, is now widespread throughout Tilton Pond. When it is flowering, as it was this June in Tilton (above), it is very distinctive with its wagon-wheel floats and yellow flowers. Photo credit: Bob Capers.
This article was included in 30 Mile’s June 2024 newsletter. To view the full newsletter, click here.