INVASIVE PLANT RESOURCES:
Removing invasive plants is equally as important as planting locally native ones. Invasives pop up endlessly in yards and can easily spread from one property to another, or worse, find their way into nearby natural areas — land that no one is maintaining.
Take a look the some of the literature we’ve linked to. The materials present photographs of the Mid-Atlantic’s invasive plants for easy identification and advises on the best methods of removal. For instance, Japanese stiltgrass is an annual grass with a narrow window of opportunity for controlling because of it’s growth pattern and the timing of its seeding.
Many invasive plants are commonly sold in big box stores and in local garden centers. English ivy and Bradford Pear are two highly invasive plants that come to mind. Learn which plants are ecologically harmful before you make a purchase and our natural areas will function better for it.
Blue Ridge PRISM, Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management (Virginia):
Garden Escape Artists Factsheet (Do Not Buy!) (Downloadable pdf)
Delaware Invasive Species Council:
Controlling Backyard Invaders (Downloadable pdf)
Mistaken Identity? Invasive Plants and their Native Look-Alikes (Downloadable pdf)
Plants for a Livable Delaware (Downloadable pdf)
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control:
Invasive.org, Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health:
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas 2014
Maryland Department of Agriculture:
Maryland Invasive Plants Prevention & Control
Maryland Department of Natural Resources:
Maryland Invasive Species Council:
Invasive Species of Concern in Maryland
Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council:
National Invasive Species Council:
National Park Service/US Fish and Wildlife Service
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas 2014 (Downloadable pdf)
Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas – Field Guide 2022 (Downloadable pdf) Jil M. Swearingen & Judith P. Fulton
National Park Service/University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species & Ecosystem Health:
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States
The Nature Conservancy:
Taking on Maryland’s Invasive Species
Terrestrial Invasive Plants of the Potomac River Watershed (Downloadable pdf)
Handy Invasives Wallet Card (Downloadable pdf)
New Jersey Invasive Strike Team:
PennState Extension:
Invasive Forest Plants of the Mid-Atlantic (for purchase only)
Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources:
Invasive Plants in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Flora Project of Morris Arboretum:
Pittsburg Parks Conservancy (Pennsylvania):
Invasive Plants of Pittsburgh (Downloadable pdf)
Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation:
Natural Heritage: Invasive Alien Plant Species of Virginia
Virginia Invasive Plant Species List
Virginia Department of Forestry:
Non-Native Invasive Plant Species Control Treatments (Downloadable pdf)
Virginia Native Plant Society:
Do I Have to Mow All That? Homeowner’s Guide to Preserving our Natural Landscape (Downloadable pdf)
Native Alternatives to English Ivy (Downloadable pdf)
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):
A Field Guide for the Identification of Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Downloadable pdf)
A Management Guide for Invasive Plants in Southern Forests (Downloadable pdf)