Aquatic plants can be beneficial or detrimental to a waterbody, depending on if they are native or invasive.
Steps on how to take a good photo for submission
- Take your photo on a white or light solid color background
- Only include 1-2 plant stems with leaves easily visible
- Include something to show the scale, like your hand
Extra tips
- Do not zoom in as blurry photos are hard to ID
- If you’re photographing at the water, ensure there is minimal glare
- If you have polarized sunglasses, carefully put your phone camera up to the inside of your sunglasses lens to take a polarized photo of the water
What to submit
- 2 to 3 clear photos, more is fine but please limit them to 1 email
- Waterbody name and town
- General location in waterbody where plant was found and approximation of size of plant area
Where
Send your photo submissions to dcr.lakesandponds@mass.gov
If you believe you have found an invasive aquatic plant, please refer to our Aquatic Invasive Species Guide via the QR code:
