COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. — Invasive plants, insects and other organisms are challenging our natural areas by out-competing or decimating native populations. This impacts native plants, insects, birds, fish and wildlife. The issue is very important to woodland owners, hikers, boaters, anglers, hunters, gardeners, conservationists, and many others. Invasive species can spoil native habitats and the enjoyment of natural areas in many ways. Control efforts are very difficult, and very expensive. As you read on, ask yourself, “What can I do on my own property?”
February 25 – March 3 is Invasive Species Awareness Week, and following are some organisms to become more aware of and educate yourself about. Before we dive in, it’s important to note that not all non-native species are bad – some behave themselves just fine in our environment.
More and more homeowners are reconsidering the plants in their own home landscape, and favoring native plants (or at least better-behaved plants). Some common landscape plants have moved via birds, animals or other means into natural environments and have become a problem. Examples include burning bush, Euonymus alatus, English ivy, Hedera helix, and Privit, Ligustrum vulgare.
Other plants and organisms are not behaving themselves. As an example, our wonderful state parks are struggling with invasive plants that begin to dominate certain areas. Some examples of these “bad actors” include callery pear, Asian bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, and autumn olive. A common cultivar of callery pear (Pyrus calleryana) is Bradford pear.
Take some time this spring to go into a local woods or a state park just before most trees have leafed out. You may notice that there are smaller trees, shrubs, or vine species in the understory that are fully green already. Some of these may be invasive species. One competitive advantage of many of these species is that they leaf out before most native trees, and they stay green later in the fall after most trees have lost their leaves. Their dense growth inhibits natural regeneration of desirable native tree species.
An invasive herbaceous plant you might find growing in woodlands, yards or roadsides is garlic mustard. Each of these plants can produce up to 3,000 seeds, and the seeds can remain viable for at least 7 years, and up to about 10 years.
Some invasive insects that have been recent nuisances include emerald ash borer, spotted wing drosophila, and brown marmorated stink bug. Many homeowners are beginning to deal with these new stink bugs in homes, much like we did with Asian lady beetles a decade or more ago. Talk to a woodland owner about what their ash trees look like now, after emerald ash borer, and the timber value they have lost. An insect on our radar that hasn’t arrived yet is the spotted lanternfly. It is currently affecting areas in southeastern Pennsylvania, and we in Indiana hope their quarantine and control efforts are successful. As a side note, it may be one of the more beautiful “bad” insects.
For lakes, problems have resulted from people dumping their aquarium tanks with fish and live plants into the lake, people transferring plant fragments from infested lakes to non-infested lakes on boats, or by other methods. Hydrilla, curlyleaf pondweed, and Eurasian watermilfoil are invasive aquatic plant species.
For years, Purdue Extension has educated landowners about invasive species, and Purdue Extension-sponsored websites currently exist that extensively cover certain pests or groups of pests. However, we are stepping up efforts to develop a more robust central website for learning about and reporting invasive species. It’s still under construction, but check back from time to time at: https://ag.purdue.edu/reportinvasive/.
Various groups have identified and listed invasive species that threaten local ecosystems. Among these groups are:
- Indiana Department of Natural Resources: http://www.in.gov/dnr/3123.htm
- Indiana Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) Committee (Purdue and partner organizations): https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/CAPS/index.html
- Indiana Native Plant Society: https://indiananativeplants.org/
- Midwest Invasive Plant Network: http://www.mipn.org/
For more information on invasive plant species in forest habitats, access the Purdue publication FNR-230-W, Invasive Plant Species in Hardwood Tree Plantations, at Purdue’s Education Store, www.edustore.edu. Additionally, learn more about national efforts during invasive species awareness week at: https://www.nisaw.org/.
So, do you have any invasive species hampering your property, or ones that may invade nearby natural areas? What steps you can take to minimize their impacts?
— John E. Woodmansee, Purdue Extension Educator, Agriculture/Natural Resources
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