Invasive burning bush is bright red this time of year and is easy to spot in people’s yards and in wild clusters in the forest understory.

Once you learn to identify an invasive species, you will begin to see it everywhere. This has been the case for me this autumn as I walk around downtown Woodstock. Amongst the beautiful gardens and plantings, invasive species are ever-present. Fall is an especially good time to spot some species that you might not otherwise notice.

Some of the most noticeable invasive species this time of year include: burning bush (euonymus alata), buckthorn (rhamnus cathartica and frangula alnus), Japanese barberry (berberis thunbegii), and Asiatic bittersweet (celastrus orbiculatus).  

Burning Bush

Burning bush is a common landscaping plant, as it turns bright crimson this time of year. Many homeowners and businesses planted this popular bush before it was widely known to harm the environment. It spreads through its orange berries, which are carried by birds, and can also root sucker. Now is a good time to spot it in Vermont’s forests– as the trees around it lose their leaves, you can still find clusters of bright red burning bush in the understory.

Good alternatives to plant instead: highbush blueberry, witch hazel, red chockeberry.

Buckthorn

This small tree/thorny shrub sticks out in the fall. While most other native trees’ leaves have turned color or fallen off the tree, buckthorn’s leaves are still a dark green this time of year. Buckthorn crowds and shades out native species, and the plant’s fruits have a laxative property. This means that the animals that eat them rapidly digest and disperse the seeds, spreading the plant and limiting an animal’s ability to absorb nutrients.  

Good alternatives to plant instead: common chokecherry and black cherry

Japanese Barberry

This thorny shrub produces bright red berries this time of year, and can be seen in landscaping around many buildings, including the WUHSMS parking lot. This plant crowds out native species and creates a humid environment that is ideal for ticks and white footed mice. Studies have shown that rates of Lyme bacteria in tick populations increase in areas where Japanese Barberry is present.

Good alternatives to plant instead: winterberry and nannyberry

Asiatic bittersweet

This vine produces a fruit that has red flesh with a yellow outer cover and is very visible in the fall. Unknowingly, people collect this plant to create wreaths and decorate, spreading its seeds. The leaf shape and fruit color of Asiatic bittersweet have a very similar appearance to the native Vermont vine, American bittersweet. However, on the introduced Asiatic bittersweet, flowers and berries are scattered along the entire stem, while on the native American bittersweet, they are found at the end of each stem.

Good alternatives to plant instead: American bittersweet, trumpet vine, trumpet honeysuckle

How to Control Invasive Species

First, an important note: The method of control for a species depends on what species you are attempting to manage. Always research a plant before attempting to manage it! In addition, be aware of the dangers of using pesticides, both to yourself and to surrounding wildlife. Manual control is always safer than chemical.

You can uproot Japanese barberry, buckthorn, Asiatic bittersweet, and burning bush, provided the plants are young enough to dig. A weed wrench is a particularly useful tool that uses leverage to pull plants out of the ground with less effort. Upper Valley Land Trust has many weed wrenches in their lending tool shed, which you can access for free if you are a member ($30 for an individual membership). If the plant has grown to a size where you are unable to manually remove it, visit vtinvasives.org to research other options, including chemical.

What You Can Do

-Visit www.inaturalist.org or download the app on your smartphone to report sightings of introduced species.

-Visit  www.vtinvasives.org to learn how to ID invasives, see common look-alikes, and learn about management options

-Fight invasives! Armed with information, take an hour or a day to manage invasive species on your property, or volunteer with a local land trust or conservation organization to help control invasive species.