Substitutes for Commonly Used Invasive Plants
Plants, animals, insects and humans live together in a balanced ecosystem. If one part of the system is altered, the effect impacts all the species in the ecosystem. Non-native invasive plants create changes when they enter an ecosystem. Consider some of these native plants instead of commonly planted invasive species.
Remember, never collect a plant from the wild. Always plant nursery propagated plants.
| Choose a Native! | Invasive or non-native | This non native can… | ||
| Red Maple, Yellowwood, River Birch | Norway Maple | Create stands of dense shade, displacing native trees, shrubs and herbs. | ||
| Trumpet vine, native honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), virginia creeper, native bittersweet (Celastrus scandens),Dutchman Pipe | Oriental bittersweet | Grow over trees, killing and uprooting them. | ||
| Sweetspire (Itea), Bayberry, Roseshell Azalea, Lowbush Blueberry, | Japanese Barberry | Displace plants in woods, pastures and meadows. | ||
| Serviceberry, Chokeberry, Red Twig Dogwood, Witherod Viburnum, Arrowwood Viburnum, Clethra | Burning Bush | Produce hundreds of seedlings that threaten habitats. | ||
| Blazing Star (Liatris), Purple Coneflower | Purple Loosestrife | Replace native grasses and wetland plants, reducing food supply and habitat for native waterfowl and plants, including some federally endangered orchids. | ||
| PawPaw, Fringe Tree | Empress or Princess Tree (Paulownia) | Grow rapidly in disturbed forests, streambanks, and steep rocky slopes, where it may compete with rare plants in these habitats. | ||
| Foamflower, Allegheny spurge, Bearberry, Yellowroot, Virginia Creeper | English Ivy | Climb up and kill trees, creep along the ground forming a dense cover that smothers other groundcovers. | ||
| Serviceberry, American Fringe Tree, Silverbell | Bradford Pear | Aggressively seed and invade natural areas, displacing native plant communities. | ||
| Native Oaks, Native Linden, Hackberry | Siberian Elm | Quickly overtake native vegetation, opening area for additional weedy species. | ||
| Bayberry, American Snowbell | Russian Olive, Autumn Olive | Outcompete native vegetation, disrupting natural cycles. Although it does provide food for birds, it has been found that bird species richness is higher in areas of native vegetation. |