Good Plants
- Main species present is Fern-leaf pondweed. This is a good plant for the lake. The pondweed flowered in late June, and the seeds on the flowers provide valuable food for wildlife.
- Other good plants that were found include white water-lily and Canadian waterweed.
Fern-leaf pondweed
Leaf: Has olive-green to brown leaves. The leaves are stiff and linear, and single leaves are attach in an alternating
pattern around the stem.
Habitat: Fern-leaf pondweed grows completely underwater in shallow waters up to 15 feet deep.
Flower: Small flowers with 4 petals on spikes near the surface of the water.
Value: Provides food and cover for aquatic animals and waterfowl.
Not-So-Good Plants
- Curly-leaf Pondweed was also found, which is an invasive species (not naturally found in Minnesota lakes) and can harm the lake. It is important to be careful to not provide places for it to grow, as it can begin growing under the ice in the spring and out-compete native plants.
- The best way to deter Curly-leaf Pondweed is to help native plants grow. If an herbicide treatment is considered, it must be done early - such as late April or early May.
- Remember to clean, drain, and dry your boats and docks!!! Stop the spread of curly-leaf pondweed to other lakes.
- 2021 Curly Leaf Pondweed Treatment: Brown’s Creek Watershed District completed a curly leaf pondweed (CLP) survey in April 2021 on Goggins Lake. Four areas (red circles on map) were identified as the only locations with curly leaf pondweed and treated with herbicide in spring 2021. CLP had not previously been identified in Goggins Lake.
Curly-leaf pondweed
Leaf: Has olive-green to brown leaves. The leaves have distinct “teeth” and wavy edges. They are also attached in an alternating pattern to the stem, but may have multiple leaves.
Habitat: Curly-leaf pondweed grows completely underwater in shallow waters up to 15 feet deep. It is generally the first pondweed to come up in the spring, and dies back in the midsummer.
Turions: Curly-leaf produces turions, or small buds that look like greenish-brown pinecones.
Value: This plant is INVASIVE and harmful to lake ecosystems. It has been seen in the areas around docks where landowners have attempted to remove aquatic plants, especially along the south shore. The best way to deter Curly Leaf Pondweed is to help native plants grow.