Invasive species are harmful in a number of ways. Many invasive plants change soil chemistry making it unsuitable for other plants. Invasive vines smother and strangle important trees and shrubs. Still others are aggressive spreaders that create monocultures in our woodlands and wild places, outcompeting native flora. These are the ways invasives disrupt healthy ecosystems and displace plants essential for providing food and habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Often one can justify a negative aspect of something because of some perceived benefit it may offer. When it comes to an invasive plant, we should never make that mistake. Invasives have been determined by scientific evaluation to be harmful in a way that is detrimental to the environment and/or detrimental to human health.

In autumn, we marvel at the spectacular colors provided by our native trees and shrubs. Many home landscapes also include non-native ornamental trees and shrubs. Unfortunately, some have escaped cultivation and are wreaking havoc with our environment. Burning bush is one such plant, widely planted for its bright red fall color. Burning bush, Euonymus alatus, also known as winged euonymus, is a deciduous shrub native to Eastern China. It has corky wing-like stems and can grow up to 15 feet tall. Burning bush is considered an exotic invasive plant because it has invaded wooded areas, especially hardwood forests, forming dense thickets to outcompete and displace native species, aided by its extremely dense and complex root system.

Spotted lanternfly (SLF for short) is a destructive sap-feeding planthopper. SLF is a relatively new plant pest to the United States. While just two small populations were verified in Fairfield County in 2020, it is now found across CT and widespread in Fairfield and New Haven counties.
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A pretty distinctive insect, adults are about one inch long and a half inch wide. Their forewings are tan with black spots. Hindwings, noticeable when wings are spread, are colorful red and black patches separated by a white patch. Adults are active from July to November and will crawl, jump, or fly short distances. ​

We asked Hannah Hudson, founder of the Worldwide Japanese Knotweed Support Group to answer
commonly asked questions for battling Japanese Knotweed. Hannah started the Support Group in 2015, after
discovering that accurate data and up-to-date guidance was lacking in the U.S. compared with the United
Kingdom.

Invasive plants that produce fruits must be dealt with during the summer months before their fruits ripen. Otherwise, birds and other animals will spread the seeded berries into new areas, sometimes over great distances. The territory of an overwintering bird like our Northern Cardinal can be up to ten acres. Of course, birds that migrate in fall will spread seeds much farther. The issue with invasive plants is that they are displacing native vegetation essential for many wildlife species. Fruit-bearing invasives of concern include Japanese Barberry, Burning Bush, Autumn Olive, Mile-a-Minute vine, Wineberry, Porcelainberry and Oriental Bittersweet vine.

​Do you know what plants are growing on your property? Chances are there are some non-native invasive
plants on borders and wooded areas. Invasive plants are aggressive exotic plants that were introduced either
intentionally for ornamental purposes, or accidentally by hitchhiking on other plants or products. Invasives
thrive in a variety of growing conditions with no natural enemies to control their rapid spread as would occur
in their own place of origin.