We have a huge ash borer prob here too. I totally agree with NOT bringing anything to the UP - can't even imaging the devestation that could cause.

A couple who came to my yard sale had some experience with horticulture and the man was telling me the botanical names of half the plants in my yard, starting with the prickly pear, lol, as luck would have it. So I asked him.

He told me the biggest problem would be the thing could go nuts down there. They do really well in central FL. I should be prepared to hack the thing back often. It likely will not go dormant there as it does here and so will have a lot more grow time per year - I get one layer of lobes per year, and a lobe is about 7 inches high, so far.

It takes some time for it to plump back up after its winter shrivel, then it has to regroup before it can grow. If it didn't have to do that, it would be constant growth. You have to wonder how fast it could grow.