Non-Native Invasive Plants
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Unfortunately, Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (NHP) is now home to hundreds of species of plants that are not native to the eastern United States, yet have made themselves at home in the natural communities of the park.
Explore this page:
- Least Wanted Plants of Harpers Ferry NHP
- Why Are They a Problem?
- What Is the National Park Service Doing?
- You Can Make a Difference!
Least Wanted Plants of Harpers Ferry NHP
Here are some of the more commonly seen non-native plants that you may encounter in Harpers Ferry NHP.
Click highlighted names below to learn about these non-native invasive plants. (* indicates non-native)
| Common name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|
| barnyard grass* | Echinochloa crus-galli |
| beefsteak plant* | Perilla frutescens |
| bush honeysuckle* | Lonicera maackii |
| climbing false buckwheat* | Polygonum scandens |
| creeping jenny* | Lysimachia nummularia |
| creeping yellowcress* | Rorippa sylvestris |
| English ivy* | Hedera helix |
| garlic mustard* | Alliaria petiolata |
| ground-ivy* | Glechoma hederacea |
| hedge false bindweed* | Calystegia sepium |
| ivyleaf speedwell* | Veronica hederifolia |
| Japanese honeysuckle* | Lonicera japonica |
| Japanese hop* | Humulus japonica |
| Japanese stiltgrass* | Microstegium vimineum |
| Japanese wisteria* | Wisteria floribunda |
| jetbead* | Rhodotypos scandens |
| Kenilworth ivy* | Cymbalaria muralis |
| kudzu* | Pueraria montana var. lobata |
| Mexican tea* | Dysphania ambrosioides |
| mile-a-minute weed* | Polygonum perfoliatum |
| Morrow's honeysuckle* | Lonicera morrowii |
| multiflora rose* | Rosa multiflora |
| Norway maple* | Acer platanoides |
| oriental bittersweet* | Celastrus orbiculatus |
| oriental lady's-thumb* | Polygonum cespitosum var. longisetum |
| poison hemlock* | Conium maculatum |
| porcelain-berry* | Ampelopsis brevipedunculata |
| privets* | Ligustrum spp. |
| Queen Anne's-lace* | Daucus carota |
| small carpetgrass* | Arthaxon hispidus |
| spotted knapweed* | Centaurea stoebe spp. micranthos |
| sweet wormwood* | Artemisia annua |
| tree-of-heaven* | Ailanthus altissima |
| wine raspberry* | Rubus phoenicolasius |
Why Are They a Problem?
When they infest natural communities, non-native invasive plants take over habitat needed by native plants. They often degrade habitat for wildlife as well. For instance, kudzu* and other non-native vines can smother or topple dead trees that cavity-nesters such as owls and woodpeckers need for habitat.
Read about where non-native invasive plants come from and how they outcompete native plants in Ecology Basics.
What Is the National Park Service Doing?
Staff at Harpers Ferry NHP, in collaboration with partners and trained volunteers, are actively removing non-native invasive plants from the park. They use a variety of methods of removal.
You Can Make a Difference!
If you are interested in helping to take care of the natural communities in Harpers Ferry NHP, here are some ideas:
Volunteer
- Learn about volunteering in Harpers Ferry NHP
- Team up with the Harpers Ferry Park Association
Landscape With Natives
Many non-native invasive plants started out as—or still are—popular landscaping plants, so you can help limit their spread by choosing native plants for your yard. If you do plant non-natives, remove seeds and berries before wind and animals spread them. English ivy* won’t produce berries unless it has climbed a vertical surface, so keep it off trees and walls.