Recognizing & Removing Invasive Species From Your Yard

No More Baseball Bats?

Many people love to buy new species of plants to add something new to their garden but have no idea that they could be introducing an invasive species to their landscape. One of the most common ways of introducing invasive species to your yard is by purchasing firewood. An unsuspecting homeowner can very well introduce such species as the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, which has been devastating the ash tree population of North America. This is now a major crisis in the Eastern United States and Canada, as 15-20% of the tree population is ash, genus: Fraxinus spp. (baseball bats are made from ash).

emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888)

emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, 1888.) Photo: David Cappaert

Buyer Beware

When home owners seek exotic plants and import goods from Asia or buy plants from mail order catalogs, nurseries, online plant sites, etc. such invasive species as honeysuckle, Lythrum (purple loosestrife), English ivy, burning bush, Bradford pears, etc. can quickly take over . So what options do you have in order to prevent your beautiful landscape from becoming a biological desert?

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Photo: June Stoyer

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Photo: June Stoyer

Common pokeweed is a plant often used in wreath making and other ornamental displays. It can spread just as quickly as the dandelion and has been a huge problem for homeowners.

pokeweed

common pokeweed (Phytolacca americana L.) Photo: June Stoyer

In this segment of The Organic View Radio Show, host, June Stoyer will speak to Horticultural expert, John Peter Thompson, who is President of the National Agricultural Research Alliance. John Peter will talk about how to recognize and remove some of the most common invasive species.  Click here for the interview.

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11 thoughts on “Recognizing & Removing Invasive Species From Your Yard

  1. I live in the North East and am aware of the bugs that are beginning to invade the landscape because it is in the news. What is very hard for many here and they won’t even be thinking about the bug problem, is Winter and fire wood. With the cost of oil there are many who are searching for fire wood. It would be great if they could find a ‘local’ supplier like we have who gets their wood locally and not from out of state.

  2. Hm, I have a honeysuckle by my front porch that I’ve babied for years! Our neighbors are swamped in ivy. My sister wages a constant war against bamboo, and this year something was eating my roses until we got ladybugs!

  3. I don’t think that pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) would be considered invasive in most states since it is a native plant. While it may be aggressive outside it’s intended ecosystem, there is a distinct difference between an invasive plant (which is introduced and not native) and an agressive plant which is native, but may be overwhelming if planted in the wrong spot.

    I encourage it’s use in my yard here in Florida, and also did in my yard in Staten Island NY, but then again, I have and had the proper conditions to see that it didn’t get out of hand.

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