Beetles battle invasive plants

Showy purple loosestrife is bearing its color, which makes this the perfect time for the two largest lake associations in the county to attack the pest.

The Lake Leelanau Lake Association is pinning part of its control approach to a beetle that’s a picky eater while the Glen Lake Association is resorting to hand-to-hand combat.

“We’ve been at war with purple loosestrife along with yellow iris,” said Rob Karner, watershed biologist for the Glen Lake Association. “Every year we have less and less.”