16-05-2025
Hair-raising study reveals invasive species network spreading across state lines: 'We should really encourage better understanding'
You can buy almost anything on the internet, including invasive plant species. According to Agweek, the University of Minnesota's Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture looked to see how easy it was to get invasive plants delivered to your door. They were shocked by the results.
The team aimed to purchase 77 plant samples from various sellers and collect the data. The Minnesota Noxious Weed Law regulates 57 of them, and 20 are unregulated but considered potentially harmful.
Amy Morey, the principal investigator, used Google Chrome to search for the samples and purchase them. She found most of them quickly but didn't spend more than 10 minutes looking. Morey bought 57 of the regulated plants, and only 8% of the purchases were denied. She bought them from 30 U.S. states and 20 countries.
"The result was surprising," she said. "We got all sorts of plant material, things that were in pots, that were a couple feet high, bare roots, that were dormant, rhizomes and seeds were the predominant type of material that we received. But those also came in various shapes and sizes in terms of packaging and where they came from."
Morey said that many people who buy invasive species online may not know they are doing so given how many plants there are, how difficult it can be to keep track of the problematic ones, and the fact that the threat may vary by state. However, the plants she purchased are invasive in Minnesota.
Exotic plants may look cool, but if they are invasive to your area, they can harm the economy, your health, and the environment.
Invasive species include not only plants but also animals and aquatic life. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, some invasive plants in the state are wild parsnip, creeping meadow foxtail, Norway maple, and porcelain berry.
Not all foreign plants are invasive, but once invasive species are introduced to an area, they grow quickly and make it hard for native plants to get the nutrients they need, often killing them off.
They can also threaten livestock and fish and damage public utility operations. Invasive species cost the U.S. almost $20 billion annually.
Some invasive species transmit disease and carry parasites, which can harm human health.
Should we be actively working to kill invasive species?
Absolutely
It depends on the species
I don't know
No — leave nature alone
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If invasive species take out native ones, the ecosystem can suffer. Ecosystems require balance; if one species dies off, others may lose a food source and die off too.
As Morey noted, "We should really encourage better understanding of what it is that you're what you're purchasing and ultimately putting in the ground."
It's vital that you educate yourself about what species are invasive in your area. You should check to see what the native plants are in your zone so you can purchase them. Rewilding your yard can be beneficial, but doing so requires that you get the right species.
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