Common Invasive Plants

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Japanese Honeysuckle is a vigorous, semi-evergreen vine that climbs trees and shrubs, twining around them and restricting growth. It spreads rapidly by runners and birds, forming the same dense mats seen in bush honeysuckle. Once established, it can girdle saplings, suppress native undergrowth, and destabilize habitat structure.

Native alternatives: Coral Honeysuckle, Virgin's Bower, Passionflower

English Ivy is a fast-spreading, fast-growing woody vine with aggressive root systems that can damage foundations, fences, and paved surfaces. While it may appear harmless as a groundcover, once it climbs trees it becomes destructive—its weight and dense foliage can smother the tree’s bark, limit photosynthesis, and ultimately weaken or kill the host tree. Mature ivy can also introduce moisture and decay, increasing the risk of tree failure.

Native alternatives: Allegheny Spurge, Virginia Creeper, Partridgeberry

Mile-a-Minute is a highly aggressive annual vine capable of growing up to six inches per day. Its barbed stems allow it to climb rapidly over native vegetation, blocking light and smothering everything beneath it. Dense mats can form in a single season, overwhelming young forests, fields, and streambanks. Its blue, berry-like fruits are easily spread by birds, helping it invade new areas quickly.

Native alternatives: Trumpet Vine, Climbing Hempvine, American Hog Peanut

Japanese Barberry is a thorny shrub that forms dense, inhospitable thickets in forests and fields. Its ability to tolerate deep shade allows it to spread widely in woodland understories, where it displaces native plants and disrupts natural regeneration. Barberry also alters soil chemistry and creates humid microclimates that increase tick populations, raising concerns for public health. Its abundant seeds are readily dispersed by birds, enabling rapid invasion.

Native alternatives: Northern Bayberry, Virginia Sweetspire, Ninebark

Multiflora Rose is a thorny, arching shrub that forms impenetrable thickets, reducing biodiversity and hindering wildlife movement. It spreads easily through seeds dispersed by birds and through root suckers. Its dense growth outcompetes native shrubs and tree seedlings, and its hooked thorns make infested areas difficult and sometimes dangerous to navigate.

Native alternatives: Virginia Rose, Carolina Rose, Pasture Rose

Wineberry is an invasive raspberry relative that spreads aggressively along woodland edges, trails, and disturbed soils. Its bright red, hairy stems and prolific seed production help it form dense, sprawling patches that crowd out native wildflowers and shrubs. Because it leafs out early and thrives in partial shade, it often dominates the understory and prevents native regeneration.

Native alternatives: Black Raspberry, Blackberry, Purple Flowering Raspberry

Although Asian wisteria is known for its beautiful, exotic-looking flowers, it is an extremely aggressive invasive vine that can quickly overtake and kill trees by choking and shading them out. Vines as young as 3 years old have been found reaching diameters of 6–7 inches.They will quite literally strangle a tree to death. 

Native alternatives: American Wisteria, Kentucky Wisteria

Porcelain Berry is a fast-growing, woody vine often mistaken for native grapes but far more destructive. It climbs aggressively over trees and shrubs, forming heavy, tangled masses that block sunlight and eventually topple the vegetation beneath it. Its brightly colored berries—ranging from turquoise to deep purple—are spread by birds, allowing it to invade forests, edges, and waterways quickly. Once established, it can smother acres of native habitat and is extremely difficult to eradicate.

Native alternatives: Virginia Creeper, Riverbank Grape, Summer Grape

Garlic Mustard is a highly invasive woodland plant that spreads rapidly through forests and floodplains, often creating dense monocultures that crowd out native wildflowers and tree seedlings. Unlike many invasive plants, it can release chemicals into the soil that disrupt beneficial fungi relied upon by native plants, making forest recovery even more difficult. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds, allowing infestations to expand quickly if left unmanaged.

Native alternatives: Golden Ragwort, Foamflower, Wild Ginger

Some non-native Mahonia species can spread beyond cultivation into natural areas, where they form dense thickets that displace native understory plants. Their evergreen foliage allows them to persist year-round, reducing light available to native wildflowers and seedlings. Birds spread their berries into nearby forests, helping infestations expand gradually over time.

Native alternatives: American Holly, Inkberry, Spicebush

Japanese Stiltgrass is a shallow-rooted annual grass that spreads rapidly across forests, trails, and streambanks, forming dense carpets that crowd out native wildflowers, tree seedlings, and groundcover. It thrives in disturbed areas but can quickly invade healthy forests as well, altering soil conditions and reducing biodiversity. Its seeds spread easily by water, wildlife, footwear, and equipment, allowing infestations to expand rapidly once established.

Native alternatives: Virginia Wild Rye, Bottlebrush Grass, Pennsylvania Sedge

Wintercreeper is an evergreen vine and groundcover that spreads aggressively across forest floors and climbs trees using dense aerial roots. It forms thick mats that smother native plants and prevent natural regeneration, while climbing vines can weaken trees by blocking sunlight and increasing stress. Because it remains green through winter, it gains an advantage over many native species and can rapidly dominate woodlands and park edges.

Native alternatives: Allegheny Spurge, Green-and-Gold, Virginia Creeper