• Photo of the Beaver Marsh by Jeffrey Gibson.

    Cuyahoga Valley

    National Park Ohio

  • Canal Road Partially Closed Monday May 14, 2012

    Canal Road will be closed to all traffic from Hillside to Tinkers Creek Road beginning Monday, May 14 until early September, 2012, for construction. Although Hillside Road will be open, the recommended route to Canal Visitor Center is from Rockside Road More »

  • Ice Box Cave Closed

    Ice Box Cave, located in the Ritchie Ledges, is now closed in an effort to slow the spread of a disease to our bat population. More »

Autumn Olive

Autumn Olive - Elaeagnus umbellate

General Description
Autumn olive is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 20 feet tall. It can tolerate drought and infertile soils, as its roots fix nitrogen. As a result, it invades grasslands, open fields, woodlands, and disturbed areas.

Identification
The leaves are egg shaped and alternate with a silvery, granular sheen to the underside. Small, light yellow, aromatic flowers appear in June and July on plants three years or older. Small, reddish fruits ripen in August and September.

Origin
Autumn olive was introduced from eastern Asia. It has been planted for wildlife food and shelter as well as for windbreaks, forest restoration, and as ornamentals.

How It Spreads
Seeds are widely distributed by birds, which eat the fruits. Each tree produces 2 to 8 pounds of seed per year and the number of seeds per pound ranges from 20,000 to 54,000.

Control Methods
Individual young plants can be pulled, making sure all roots are removed. From mid-April through October, cut larger plants at the main stem and paint the cut surface with a 10 to 20% solution glyphosate herbicide.

Did You Know?

Dragonfly image by NPS volunteer John Catalano.

Dragonflies and damselflies look almost alike while flying. However, if you wait until they land, dragonflies lay their wings to the side while damselflies lay them back and above their bodies.