NATURE KNOWLEDGE: Invasive Plants in Winter at Mason Farm (Chapel Hill, NC)

Non-native and invasive species are rapidly changing the face of our planet. In the United States, our most insidious invaders come from southeast Asia and Europe. These species threaten local plant diversity and the greater community structure of American habitats. When plant composition changes, it can affect all aspects of biological communities, including soil microbes, avifauna, and mammals. For this reason, it is important to become comfortable with identifying non-native and invasive flora in your backyard and local outdoor haunts. Winter is an excellent time to start learning your local invasives, since many of them are evergreen or easily identifiable by bright berries.



Below are a number of non-native or invasive plants that can be found in the Triangle. These plants were all photographed at Mason Farm in Chapel Hill, NC, where a dedicated team of ecologists and volunteers work diligently to remove agressive invasives. If you're interested in learning more about North Carolina's invasive species, I recommend taking the Invasive Species class offered by the North Carolina Botanic Garden and taught by conservation ecologist Mike Kunz. Also, feel check out the following link, which illustrates some of North Carolina's invasive species and how to control them.

Japanese stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) on Hackberry Warbler Trail at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) & Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) on Hackberry Warbler Trail at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)


Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) on Hackberry Warbler Trail at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Lesser periwinkle (Vinca minor) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)

Non-native buckthorn (Rhamnus spp.) at Mason Farm, Chapel Hill, NC (© Nicolette L. Cagle)