Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) in Ralph Morgan Park, Cheltenham Township, PA

Photo of Japanese Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum)

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Taken on Aug. 12, 2014

This photo shows a monoculture of japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) in Ralph Morgan park in Cheltenham Township, PA; this is the small park adjacent to the Jenkintown SEPTA station. This park has a large stream, Tacony creek, running through the middle of it. This creek and the broader watershed are protected by the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, a non-profit organization.

Although this park is high in biodiversity overall, there are parts of it that have become overrun with invasive species, and the stiltgrass is one of these species. Here, there is almost nothing growing in with the stiltgrass. Stiltgrass is rather shade-tolerant and has a way of shutting out other vegetation, but it is also a shallow-rooted annual, and as such it is quite poor at holding soil. In this manner it contributes to soil erosion, which is especially troubling due to its tendency to occur in riparian habitats, like this park, where erosion is most damaging as it results in nutrient pollution in streams.