Invasive Plants

Although some of our native plants can be “aggressive,” we usually reserve the term “invasive” for non-native plants that have been introduced by humans, either purposely or by accident.  Many of the invasives we deal with today originated in Europe or Asia. Because they aren’t exposed to the natural controls in their native environments, they degrade habitats by out-competing the native plants. So as we add native plants to our landscapes, we also need to remove as many invasives as possible.

Some of the invasive species we deal with in the Oak Openings region include common buckthorn, amur honeysuckle, lesser celandine, and autumn olive.

To read more about identifying and controlling invasive plants, check out these resources:

The Ohio Invasive Plants Council is a non-profit that promotes public awareness about efforts to eradicate invasives in our state. Their website gives information about workshops and other events, as well as legislative updates.

The Invasive Plant Atlas – This excellent collaboration between the National Park Service and the University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species includes species profiles and distribution maps.

The US Forest Service website has a section devoted to information about invasive plants. The provide free, downloadable Non-native Invasive Species (NNIS) Learning Kits to educate adults and children about invasives.

The US Department of Agriculture’s National Invasive Species Information Center also has plant profiles of invasive species.