Taunton Lake, Newtown - 2014
Taunton lake is a private 124-acre waterbody in Newtown, CT. CAES IAPP surveyed Taunton Lake in 2009 and again in 2010 to quantify the efficacy of suction harvesting on invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum). Our 2014 survey was done after the introduction of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella, a nonnative fish that feeds on aquatic vegetation. The grass carp were inserted into the lake in the fall of 2013.
The 2014 CAES IAPP survey found a total of 15 plant species. Both invasive species found in our 2009 and 2010 surveys, Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus), were found in 2014. Similar to previous findings Eurasian watermilfoil was found frequently throughout the lake while only a small amount of curlyleaf pondweed was found.
Western waterweed (Elodea nuttallii) was the most abundant native plant found in our 2014 survey and was established along a majority of the lake's littoral zone mixed with patches of Eurasian watermilfoil. We found six new native species settling along the shoreline including water plantain (Alisma species), spikerush (Eleocharis species), primrose-willow (Ludwigia species), and bur-reed (Sparganium species).
| Species recorded in our 2014 survey of Taunton Lake. Scientific Names *Invasive Species |
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| Arrowhead | Eurasian watermilfoil* | Spikerush |
| Bur-Reed | Great duckweed | Water plantain |
| Cattail | Leafy pondweed | Waterwort |
| Common duckweed | Primrose-Willow | Western waterweed |
| Curlyleaf pondweed* | Snailseed pondweed | Yellow water lily |