Bradford Pear
Bradford Pear trees are being banned from sale in an increasing number of states due to their invasive nature. While they produce beautiful white flowers in the spring, the species comes with several serious drawbacks. Their weak branch structure makes them prone to splitting, often causing property damage. In addition, their fruit is spread widely by birds, allowing the trees to escape cultivation and form dense thickets that outcompete native plants.
English Ivy
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.
Mile-a-Minute
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.
Tree of Heaven
Tree-of-Heaven is a fast-growing invasive tree known for its ability to colonize disturbed areas, push through pavement, and sprout vigorously from roots and stumps. It forms dense monocultures that displace native plant communities and releases chemicals into the soil that inhibit the growth of other species (allelopathy). Its prolific seed production and rapid regrowth make it extremely difficult to control. It also serves as a preferred host for the destructive Spotted Lanternfly.
Japanese Honeysuckle
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.
Japanese Knotweed
Japanese Knotweed spreads through an extensive rhizome system capable of sprouting from fragments as small as a fingernail. Knotweed forms tall, bamboo-like stands that crowd out nearly all other vegetation, especially along waterways. Its roots can grow through cracks in pavement and foundations, causing structural damage and making removal costly.
Multiflora Rose
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.
Wineberry
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.
Japanese Barberry
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.
Porcelain Berry
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