By now, many plants across Kentucky have already started changing colors. But some species that are invasive to the Bluegrass State hold onto their green hue late into the fall months— something that the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources says makes this an ideal time to weed those plants out.
Riley Dollenbacher is a private lands biologist liaison with the state wildlife agency. She said the department is encouraging property owners to use this time to identify invasive plants on their land like the bush honeysuckle, autumn olive, and winter creeper, which she said might be harder to remove in the spring.
“We really try to encourage our landowners that we work with, as well as through our social media pages… to get out there and at least look,” Dollenbacher said. “Especially this time of the year when we can point out that [the invasive plants] are still green and a little bit easier to catch by the untrained eye.”
Dollenbacher said that although some of these plants are loved by locals, uncontrolled invasive plants cause a real threat to biodiversity.
“They often will out compete the native species for space, light, nutrients… which ultimately leads to a decrease in biodiversity on your property,” Dollenbacher said.
She said this disruption in the local ecosystem can lead to a decrease in wildlife presence on private lands, even if the invasive plants are not directly dangerous for animal consumption.
“[Invasive plants] aren’t always the most palatable to wildlife, so they don't tend to eat them. And as they spread and take over your property, you'll notice that it kind of creates more of a food desert for the wildlife,” Dollenbacher said. “Essentially, if they don't have the native food that they enjoy snacking on… they might move on to somewhere else where they can find more of their natural native vegetation.”
Once identified, plants can be removed through either taking them directly from the ground, applying herbicides, or through conducting a prescribed burn.
Dollenbacher advised private land owners with questions about identifying or removing plants to contact a local private lands biologist, or to utilize local extension office resources such as the Kentucky Invasive Plants Field Guide.
