WVXU's Cincinnati Edition invited a University of Cincinnati biologist onto its gardening program to field listener questions about this summer's regional drought and invasive species.

UC College of Arts and Sciences Professor Theresa Culley is an expert on invasive species and is an avid gardener.

She told host Lucy May about a new project she is leading to organize public gardens into an early warning network for emerging nonnative, invasive species. So far she has organized a collection of more than 50 public gardens across North America to share expertise about potentially problematic plants that they are observing.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the costs of eliminating invasive species get exponentially greater once the plants become well established. If gardens can warn property owners earlier, they might be able to stem their spread before they can take hold, she said.

Culley helps states such as Ohio identify invasive plants that pose a threat to the economy, the environment or agriculture.

“We really need to know what plants are rising up to be a problem. Plants like Amur honeysuckle are already a huge problem that take a lot of time and effort to remove,” she said.

Culley said experts who maintain public gardens often are the first to notice nonnative plants that one day could become problematic.

Culley was joined on the show by Turner Farm Community Garden program director Peter Huttinger and Jon Butcher, CEO of Madison Tree Care & Landscaping.

Listen to the Cincinnati Edition episode.

Featured image at top: WVXU Cincinnati Edition host Lucy May, left, and UC Professor Theresa Culley sit in the WVXU studio. Photo/Michael Miller