Invasive Plants

The term "invasive" means non-native plants that invade our natural areas and disrupt ecosystems. It does NOT refer to native plants that are too "enthusiastic" in your own yard!

Invasiveness can be location-specific, though many plants, such as Norway maple, show up as being invasive in many parts of the country. For example, a non-native plant that's invasive in Florida may not be invasive in New York State because it can't survive the winter - although even then, non-native plants aren't as beneficial for wildlife. NOTE: With global warming, non-native plants that formerly could not survive the winter may start surviving with warmer winters. Better to be safe than sorry and plant only plants native to your area.

Some native plants may be geographically invasive. A plant that's native to the Pacific Northwest, for example, may run amok in the different climate of New York State. Bottom line: Stick with plants native to our area.

• Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Regions - a wonderful tool for invasive plants; includes suggestions for alternatives.
• Invasive Plant Guide - Companion website to the new book on Invasive Plants by Sylvan Kaufman - a Syracuse native whom we heard speak at LeMoyne College in October 07.
• New England Wildflower Society - Information on invasive plants in New England (many of which are also NYS invaders)
• Invasive Plant Council of New York State
• Invaders of Texas: A Citizen Science Program - This is a project of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and despite its name, it represents a national project that hopes to expand in 2006. Early detection of invasives is the key, and it's too big a job for scientists. We all have to get involved!

Native plants

The following resources are REGIONAL. Find your own region (or a region that's close by). The Nature Conservancy's EcoRegion map can be a good tool to use since you want plants native to your ecoregion, not artificial state boundaries or even temperature zones. Here are some Ecoregion maps for various parts of the country.

• National EcoRegion map
• Illinois eco-regions

Here are the regional resources on native plants:

• Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping for the region of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed (which reaches into NYS, but not quite to Syracuse). Published by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. A wonderfully organized guide - thorough, but compact. Close enough to Central New York to be useful.
• New England Wild Flower Society
• Connecticut Botanical Society - a nice description of each native plant. Photos and info about the plants on left-hand menu.
• University of Connecticut Plant Selector - very useful. Plug in your desired characteristics and up pops a list of plants that match your criteria. NOTE: Unless you specifically indicate you want native plants, you'll get a list of every kind of plant.
• Wild Apple Trees for Wildlife - Maine Cooperative Extension
• New York Flora Atlas - a joint effort between the New York Flora Association, the New York Natural Heritage Program, the New York State Museum, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and other partner herbaria with the goal to provide users with a comprehensive searchable database of the vascular and non-vascular plants of New York State. Lists native plants by county!! CAUTION: Unless you go to the Advanced Search and select "native," your list will also include non-native and invasive plants i.e. anything that grows in your selected area - native, non-native, or invasive. Check the "native" box before searching!
• Finger Lakes Native Plant Society
• Green Landscaping with Native Plants - EPA's guide for the Great Lakes.

These resources cover ALL REGIONS of the country, so check the range maps.

• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Recommended species for each region of the country
  • Native plant database
  • Image gallery
• ENature.com: A guide to Native Plants searchable by state and plant type. Also, Field Guides for plants and wildlife.

Where to get native plants

• First, visit our local nurseries that sell native plants. See the links to our advertisers on our home page at the bottom right.
• New England Wildflower Society - Garden in the Woods and Nasami Farms - closer to Syracuse
• Prairie Nursery