Starry stonewort: How'd it get here? Can its spread be stopped?

Itasca Waters' next "Practical Water Wisdom" webinar, set for noon Thursday, July 10, will focus on invasive starry stonewort, led by Daniel Larkin, a fellow at the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center.

Starry stonewort was first discovered in Minnesota in 2015 in Lake Koronis in the central part of the state. It is now known to exist in at least 30 bodies of water, with clusters in Northern Minnesota, as well as the Twin Cities and central Minnesota.

"We can never be one hundred percent sure how something got there, but the preponderance of evidence points to boater movement," Larkin said in a recent KAXE Morning Show conversation.

The plant is not super recognizable, but it does have small star-shaped structures called bulbils about the size of a split pea. Washing your boat after leaving any lake can be very helpful.

"If it fully dries out, it's toast and it will not come back, but if it retains moisture, then it comes back to life when it's put back in the water," Larkin explained.

Early detection of starry stonewort is key to preventing further spread.

"There can be a rapid response that's effective if populations are found when they're small," Larkin said.

Listen to our full conversation with Daniel Larkin above.

Have you seen starry stonewort in your lake? Let us know!