All around us, invasive species lurk where we least expect them, and sometimes, right where we do expect them. I’ve been on a years-long mission to rid my pastures of invasive woody plants and some days I’m not sure which side is winning.

I got the upper hand the other day when I had some spare time with the backhoe. In an area of my pasture not more than ten feet by ten feet square, I unearthed and uprooted no less than five species of invasives that can be found in many nearby yards, woodlots, and other natural areas.

The poster child for invasive woody plants is bush honeysuckle. As with many of what we now consider invasives, they were introduced for use as ornamentals, wildlife food, and for erosion control. Bush honeysuckle reaches heights of 20 feet with shallow root systems and can effectively crowd out all competition to form a pure stand. The red fruit is high in carbohydrates but lacks the fat and nutrient content of many of our native plants, meaning it is junk food for wildlife. It spreads by seeds and by root suckers, further complicating control efforts.

Autumn olive can reach similar heights as bush honeysuckle, and you guessed it, was originally brought over to use for ornamental purposes, wildlife food and cover, and soil stabilization. The dark green to grayish-green leaves have a characteristic silvery underside. Their roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules, which allows autumn olive to inhabit extremely poor soils such as what might be found on strip-mine sites.

Multiflora rose was first put to use as an ornamental shrub and later found use for wildlife cover, erosion control, and for living fences. It worked great for these purposes because it would grow almost anywhere and you couldn’t kill it. But that also became the problem with it: it grew everywhere and you couldn’t kill it. Not to mention the thorns would eat you alive if you got tangled up in it. Anyone who’s ever cut firewood or cleaned up brush and has tangled with multiflora rose knows how mean it can be. It reproduces by seeds, sprouts, and horizontal stems that take root.

I’ve not seen privet as much as the three aforementioned invasives, but it’s certainly around.

Privet was introduced primarily for landscape purposes. Similar to honeysuckle, privet leafs out early in the spring and holds its leaves late into the fall, giving it a competitive advantage over some of our native shrubs. It also can inhabit a wide variety of sites.

Common barberry and Japanese barberry were both put to work as ornamentals until they reared their ugly heads and began to spread into the wild. These plants never reach a large size, but their sharp spines will let you know you’ve gotten too close. It spreads by seeds and root shoots. Research seems to indicate that tick populations are higher where Japanese barberry is growing nearby. This I cannot confirm, but maybe I could enlist my dog to conduct a tick population count near the remaining barberries in the pasture.

For more information, The Ohio State University Extension Service has forestry fact sheets listed at https://ohioline.osu.edu/tags/forestry. Later articles will cover invasive species in depth as well as offer suggestions for controlling them.

Reach BJ Price at 937-456-5159 for more information.