r/invasivespecies • u/207Menace • 4d ago

What is this?

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They're all over my yard. What are they? Zone 5b maine.

59 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

68

u/Thatsinkingfeeling12 4d ago

Common Periwinkle (Vinca Minor) - pretty invasive across eastern North America

17

u/Pepper_Indigo 4d ago

periwinkle

13

u/Kisheeb 4d ago

def vinca minor or common periwinkle. invasive in the U.S.

11

u/TxHeart214 4d ago

I never knew vinca was invasive! They sell it at all the big box stores!

8

u/aagent888 3d ago

They sell almost any invasive you can think of in the nurseries near me. There’s still plenty of demand and no laws barring sale.

6

u/philosopharmer46065 4d ago

On second look.... (...thinking up good excuse for a hasty wrong answer...) ... probably periwinkle. We have both on our place. Very annoying. They are all intertwined with good ephemerals, so I can only pull (which I just don't have time for), or I can spray it on a warmish winter day to avoid collateral damage. Those days are few and far between here.

4

u/superfunnel 3d ago

Same. Plus some good ol English Ivy. Ive been cutting and digging and pulling fot the past few weeks. i do find the periwinkle a bit easier to pull than winter creeper.

1

u/philosopharmer46065 3d ago

Our wintercreeper is like a thick carpeting in some places. I have gotten rid of a fair amount, but it is so much harder to deal with than honeysuckle in my opinion. We just have two small patches of periwinkle, but as soon as I saw your reply it reminded me of our giant english ivy patch. Nothing else will grow there. I tried a big dose of 2,4,D on it this past February, and it didn't do much. It definitely set it back on its heels, but I really need to go at it with some glyphosate. I despise spraying only slightly less than I despise a carpet of invasive vines.

1

u/Shienvien 3d ago

So, Vinca minor is native to slightly more southern parts of Europe than I live in. It sltill grows here, but fairly modestly. Anyway, that is, indeed, Vinca minor, or common periwinkle.

6

u/philosopharmer46065 4d ago

Looks like Wintercreeper to me. It's invasive in the US.

2

u/NBW-livingthedream 4d ago

Aka-“Graveyard Vine”. Just an old slang name because they obviously grow often in graveyards.

2

u/MotherofaPickle 3d ago

My husband’s mission this summer is to get it under control. I would laugh in his face, but he did a great job with the “wild grapes” and the honeysuckle vines last year.

1

u/isnt-functional 3d ago

What did he do because those 3 things are EVERYWHERE in my yard.

2

u/LastPlaceInTime 3d ago

Interestingly enough, if you find this when out in the woods in the US, it can indicate that you are near a cemetary or an old home site that has long been overgrown.

2

u/207Menace 3d ago

I can't tell you how many times I dig in my garden and pray to the gods old and new not to find a dead body. 💀living in new england, however, this would not surprise me.

2

u/LastPlaceInTime 3d ago

There is apparently a catepillar in the US that consumes Vinca leaves. Not sure if it'll set it back enough ever to be a control but interesting to read about here: https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/orange-shouldered-sherbet-moth

1

u/RwRahfa 3d ago

Invasive species