Killer ferns starving Prospect Park lake
It’s getting harder to tell where the lake begins and the meadow ends in Prospect Park.
A thick green carpet of algae-like plants has blanketed the Prospect Park Lake since last fall. Known as azolla caroliana, they are an invasive and relatively rare species that, under ideal circumstances, can double in size every four or five days and reach thicknesses of up to a few feet.
These mats of azolla are currently thriving in our park’s water because, among other reasons, Prospect Park Lake is filled with nutritious city drinking water.