The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is encouraging residents to be on the lookout for an invasive berry.
According to the DEC, Japanese barberry can quickly take over a forest understory, preventing plant growth and providing a safe harbor for mice. These mice can carry ticks which may carry Lyme disease. The department adds that forests with Japanese barberry have been known to contain up to ten times the quantity of Lyme-infected ticks compared to similar forests without the plant.
As leaves fall from trees, the bright red berries of the thorny shrub become increasingly visible.
If you come across the plant on your property, the DEC encourages you to pick and remove it. If you believe you’ve found the plant on public land, you can report it on iMapinvasives.
Originally from Japan, Japanese barberry was first brought to the United States in 1875 when it was shipped from Russia to a Boston arboretum.
