invasive

Arizona introduced bullfrogs for food and sport in 1926; invasive frogs now prey on young northern Mexican garter snakes

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Introduced to Arizona in 1926 for hunting and food, bullfrogs now threaten the northern Mexican garter snake by preying on juveniles and reducing native prey. Conservation teams are removing bullfrogs and restoring native frogs, but continued monitoring and funding are needed to prevent their return. (Wikimedia Commons)

A frog introduced for hunting and food has become a threat to one of Arizona’s native snakes. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species assessment traces bullfrogs’ arrival in Arizona to 1926, following a systematic introduction effort by the State Game Department to provide opportunities for sport hunting and a source of food. The assessment … Read more

California brought in ice plant for erosion control in the early 1900s; the invasive succulent can form dense mats and grow over 3 feet wide in a year

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Once planted to control erosion, South African ice plant has spread along California’s coast, forming dense mats that displace native species and alter dune habitats. Park monitoring found it in eight of 12 plots, and volunteers work to remove it. (Wikimedia Commons)

In the early 1900s, California planted the ice plant on railway embankments as a means to control erosion, and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) later planted it in roadside areas. This succulent plant, known as Carpobrotus edulis, is native to the coastal regions of South Africa, which has the same type of climate as … Read more

Washington planted 507 Norway maples in 1920 to honor WWI soldiers; the trees later spread into nearby Rock Creek Park as an invasive species

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A Norway maple, the species Washington used to line 16th Street as a World War I memorial. (Wikimedia Commons)

You have probably walked down a leafy street without giving a second thought to who planted the trees. On 16th Street in Washington, D.C., the answer is a city remembering the people it lost in World War I. The Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District of Columbia notes the city planted the first … Read more

Florida brought in Brazilian pepper as an ornamental shrub; it later infested over 700,000 acres and became one of the states worst invasive plants

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Known for its bright red berries, Brazilian pepper was introduced to Florida as an ornamental plant. (Wikimedia Commons)

A shrub with bright red berries sounds like something nice to plant in a garden. But in Florida, one such bush became a big problem. Brazilian peppertree was introduced into the state as an ornamental plant, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA estimates that more than 700,000 acres in Florida are infested with … Read more

In 1994, invasive lake trout appeared in Yellowstone Lake; spawning cutthroat fell up to 95%, but removing 4.9 million has aided recovery

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Yellowstone’s lake trout suppression program has removed 4.9 million invasive fish, helping cutthroat trout and wildlife begin to recover. Yet native trout remain below management targets, and officials say sustained removal, funding, and monitoring are needed. (Wikimedia Commons)

During summer mornings at Yellowstone Lake, workers in rubber boots and life jackets pull up gillnets in an effort to reverse years of ecological damage. By October, the seasonal fishing operation typically winds down after deploying thousands of miles of gillnets, according to the National Park Service (NPS). The target is an invasive fish first … Read more

A 16-foot Burmese python weighing 147.9 pounds was released after radio-tagging in Florida; US scientists are now testing drones to track invasive snakes across the Everglades

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A 16-foot Burmese python weighing 147.9 pounds was released after radio-tagging in Florida; US scientists are now testing drones to track invasive snakes across the Everglades

Deep in the Florida Everglades, a vast and difficult landscape, scientists are trying a new way to find invasive Burmese pythons; they are looking from above. Researchers are testing small drones fitted with radio tracking equipment or cameras to locate snakes more efficiently, follow their movements across difficult terrain, and cut the cost of searching … Read more

In 2013, Arizona’s rare leopard frogs were under threat from invasive bullfrogs, but by 2019 conservationists had expanded their recovery network from 7 sites to 19

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In 2013, Arizona’s rare leopard frogs were under threat from invasive bullfrogs, but by 2019 conservationists had expanded their recovery network from 7 sites to 19

The Arizona project began with a problem that was easy to see but difficult to solve. American bullfrogs had established themselves in the Cienega Creek watershed, where they could prey on Chiricahua leopard frogs and carry the fungal disease chytridiomycosis. The response involved more than removing the invasive frogs. Managers also had to keep them … Read more

Illinois volunteers removed invasive plants from 43 acres; they then planted nearly 9,000 native plugs and more than 1,100 pounds of seed

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Illinois volunteers removed invasive plants from 43 acres; they then planted nearly 9,000 native plugs and more than 1,100 pounds of seed

PC: US Fish and Wildlife Service In northeast Illinois, the Greenbelt Forest Preserve covers 607 acres between North Chicago and Waukegan. Invasive plants, including teasel, Canada thistle, canary grass, buckthorn and common reed, have displaced native vegetation there. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, working with the Lake County Forest Preserve District and … Read more

More than 575 Nevada volunteers worked across 26 Truckee River watershed sites and removed 120,125 pounds of waste in one day, including 2,500 pounds pulled directly from the river and 64,320 pounds of invasive weeds

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More than 575 Nevada volunteers worked across 26 Truckee River watershed sites and removed 120,125 pounds of waste in one day, including 2,500 pounds pulled directly from the river and 64,320 pounds of invasive weeds

More than 575 Nevada volunteers worked across 26 Truckee River watershed sites and removed 120,125 pounds of waste in one day (Image Credit: KTMB) A single day of community cleanup across Nevada’s Truckee River watershed resulted in more than 60 tons of waste being removed from public spaces, waterways and surrounding areas. According to Keep … Read more

In 2020, Tasmania treated invasive rice grass in Duck Bay; three years later, fish species had more than doubled from 5 to 11 and average catches rose from about 2 to 45 per net

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In 2020, Tasmania treated invasive rice grass in Duck Bay; three years later, fish species had more than doubled from 5 to 11 and average catches rose from about 2 to 45 per net

Among the species benefiting from the restoration are yellow-eye mullet. A major effort to remove invasive rice grass from Tasmania’s Duck Bay is showing major signs of recovery, with native vegetation returning and the number of fish species rising from five to 11. The changes came within just two to three years of the weed … Read more