Invasive Species Information
What is an Invasive Species?
Invasive species are non-native and cause harm to the environment, human health, and the economy.
Invasive species in an ecosystem disrupt the complex and critical relationships that our native species have with their environment and other organisms. They are responsible for degrading and destroying thousands of acres of Indiana’s native plant communities.
What is a Native Species?
A native species is an organism that occurs in its natural range where it has life supporting relationships with other organisms. For example, the Monarch Butterfly can only use the Milkweed plant as its host. Native plants are critical parts of food webs for our wildlife and pollinators -- native plants are the backbone of our ecosystems.
How You Can Help
Volunteer
Weed Wrangles are where a group of people come together on public property to remove invasive species. They are held across Bartholomew County throughout the year. They are hosted by many different organizations, but are open to the public!
Follow our Facebook page for upcoming Weed Wrangles
Remove Invasives
You can remove invasives in your own backyard! To get started, head to the Landowner Toolkit Page.
Plant Native
Making a conscious choice to choose native plants over foreign cultivars can make a big difference in our ecosystem. Invasive plants are not a valuable source of food for wildlife. Native plants provide much more food for insects, birds, and other wildlife.