Goatsrue
Goatsrue is an herbaceous, shrub-like, multi-stemmed and deep-rooted perennial legume that grows between 2 and 6 feet in height. Mature leaves are alternate and pinnately compound with six to ten pairs of leaflets.
Japanese Honeysuckle
Japanese honeysuckle is a woody, perennial vine that can both trail and climb, reaching heights of up to 80 feet. It grows over shrubs and trees, causing them to collapse under the additional weight or girdling the supporting tree.
English Ivy
English ivy is an evergreen perennial vine that can grow to reach lengths of 90 feet with proper support or form a dense, trailing mat.
Leafy Spurge
Leafy Spurge is a perennial plant that grows up to 4 feet tall. Its leaves are blue grey, simple and oppositely arranged. Greenish-yellow flowers are present from May to June. The roots have pink buds, from which new shoots sprout. Leafy spurge exudes a milky white sap when its leaves or stem are broken.
Common Teasel
Common teasel, also referred to as Fuller’s teasel, is a biennial or short-lived perennial herbaceous plant that produces a basal rosette of puckering leaves for one or more years, and then sends up a prickly, flowering stem.
Bull Thistle
A tall biennial that produces a single purple flowerhead atop its stem. Leaves, stem and bracts are all covered in hairs or spines which makes it unpalatable to wildlife and livestock.
Common Periwinkle
Common periwinkle is an herbaceous, perennial and evergreen groundcover. The leaves are opposite, elliptic in shape and dark green, though some varieties may have variegated coloration. It produces blue-purple flowers with 5 petals that are blunt at the tip and arranged in a spiral or “pinwheel” shape.
Black Jetbead
Black jetbead is a deciduous shrub that can grow up to 5 feet tall. It has bright green leaves that are opposite and doubly serrate with a rough leaf surface. It forms a dense shrub layer that shades out native species.
Burning Bush
Burning bush is an invasive ornamental woody shrub that is easily recognized by its vibrant red fall foliage. This invasive species has been introduced into natural landscapes through escaping cultivation.
Himalayan Balsam
Himalayan balsam is an annual herb that produces irregularly shaped, pink to purple colored flowers. It thrives in lowlands, riparian zones, wetlands and disturbed areas.
Wavyleaf Basketgrass
Regional Distribution Not Present Wavyleaf Basketgrass is not currently found in the WNY PRISM region but is in southern Pennsylvania. WNY PRISM Priority Tier 1 – Raise Awareness Invasive Species Priorities – Tier Chart Pathways Wavyleaf basketgrass was first found in North America in Maryland in 1996, likely the result of contaminated nursery stock. Seeds […]
Oak Wilt
Oak wilt is caused by a fungus that blocks nutrient and water flow through oak trees, killing them from the top down.
Beech Leaf Disease
Beech leaf disease is a new threat to WNY and poses a serious threat to beech forests. Research is ongoing to learn more about the biology of this disease including its spread vectors.
Scotch Broom
Scotch broom is a shrub with small, pea-like yellow flowers that bloom from late May to June. It grows up to 10 feet tall and its green branches are sharply angled with five ridges.
European Cherry Fruit Fly
The European Cherry Fruit Fly has been found on sweet cherry trees along the Niagara River. This was the first U.S. detection of this species and has resulted in a quarantine of parts of Niagara County.
