Photo: Japanese Barberry, Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org, CC BY 3.0 US , via Wikimedia Commons
Tom Blackburn
The April Potomac Flier ran my essay outlining reasons to remove invasive plants such as Japanese Barberry. If Barberry’s painful thorns; berries that are poisonous to people, birds and other animals; and tendency to create dense, impenetrable thickets isn’t enough to convince you to get rid of it, here’s another reason. Barberry creates ideal conditions for the survival of black-legged ticks, which transmit Lyme disease. Lyme disease can cause fever, fatigue, joint pain, muscle weakness, heart problems and long-term neurological conditions. There is no vaccine for Lyme disease. You can learn more about Barberry, black-legged ticks and Lyme disease in reports of studies by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and researchers from Trinity College and South Dakota State.
So, take out your Barberry before it takes you out! And remember to check yourself carefully for ticks afterwards.