Keep an Eye Out For This Weed
While Iowa weed communities change constantly, it is rare that a species new to the region is discovered. Asian copperleaf (Acalypha australis) was first discovered in Iowa in 2016 in a corn field near Cedar Falls. Prior to this discovery, the only documented infestation in North America was within New York City. The plant was recently found in a soybean field in Grundy County, nearly 30 miles from the original infestation (Figure 1).