Starry stonewort confirmed in Lake Beltrami

By: News Director Larissa Donovan

TURTLE RIVER– Starry Stonewort was recently confirmed in Lake Beltrami.

Last August, a volunteer found a strand of starry stonewort in the lake, which is about 10 miles north of Bemidji near Turtle River, during the U of M’s “Starry Trek” event.

Subsequent searches of the lake didn’t reveal any additional starry stonewort until last weekend. DNR divers confirmed the invasive plant in a three-foot area, in two smaller areas, and separate strands tightly intermingled with other aquatic plants.

Starry stonewort’s tell-tale star shaped bulbils are not visible until this time of year, and Beltrami County is once again participating in the “Starry Trek” event coming up August 17th.