Invasives Part 1: Eliminating invasive plants is a good start to reclaiming biodiversity in Vermont

By Will Danforth
©2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Do you care about the natural world in Vermont? Then let’s tackle foreign invasive plants.

Invasive, non-native plants are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity — the vtinvasives.org site says, “Monitoring for and treating invasive terrestrial plants is one of the most important things you can do to take care of Vermont’s working forests and natural areas.”

The Grafton Nature Museum has created a short series of articles to prepare you for action this fall, when many invasives outlast and often turn color after our native plants, making them easy to find. We’ll cover:

• What invasive plants are, and why they matter;
• How to remove them — safely and effectively;
• Whether to manage or eradicate;
• Key species to watch for and
• How to support native ecosystems.

Ecological function is key. Every species plays a role in maintaining ecosystem health, a role that has often taken millions of years to evolve. When the environment changes, as it is currently, it can take a long time for native species to adapt.

Invasive alien plants—non-native species introduced after European colonization—can disrupt this balance. Some, like knotweed, garlic mustard, and purple loosestrife, outcompete native plants and create monocultures, which drastically reduce biodiversity.

Why does this matter? Healthy ecological function requires biodiversity. Native plants feed native insects, which feed birds (especially baby birds), amphibians and the entire food web. Plants are the only way that the sun’s energy gets transferred to all living species, through photosynthesis, thus they are essential for a healthy planet.

Many insects have developed relationships with specific native plants, often over millions of years — like monarch caterpillars on milkweeds (syriaca sp.).

To protect ecological function, we must promote native plant diversity and address invasives that threaten it. Monocultures threaten this delicate balance — and every invasive plant you remove helps restore it. If you want birds, you must have insects and native plants!

• Part 1 on Monday, Sept. 22: Let’s eliminate non-native invasives to benefit Vermont’s biodiversity.
• Part 2 on Monday, Sept. 29: Non-chemical and chemical methods to get rid of invasive plants.
• Part 3 on Monday, Oct. 6: Tackling those colorful ones that still need to go.

Will Danforth is a board member at the Grafton Nature Museum.