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See also: Plants: Fruits, Vegetables, Flowers, and House Plants Fact Sheets for more resources

Russian knapweed (Rhaponticum repens) is a nonnative weed in the western United States. It was introduced in the late 1800’s and is now invading and degrading cropland, rangeland, riparian areas, and roadsides. This deep-rooted perennial is persistent and difficult and expensive to control by conventional means, is toxic to horses and outcompetes native vegetation by producing chemicals that inhibit plant growth. Russian knapweed is listed by the State of Colorado as a noxious weed, to be suppressed, contained, or locally extirpated.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) offers biocontrol agents to help suppress weeds and insect pests. When two gall-forming agents were developed and tested by CABI, and became available for use against Russian knapweed, the CDA was prepared to use them against the more than 50,000 hectares of the weed that currently infests Colorado.

PNW 755 - A Pacific Northwest Extension Publication

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources officials are warning anglers that if the invasive Northern snakehead fish is caught in the Palmetto State, anglers should kill it immediately and by all means NOT release it back into the water. In early October, a Georgia angler reported catching a Northern snakehead, an aquatic invasive species, in a pond located on private property in Gwinnett County, Ga. This is the first time the Northern snakehead has been confirmed in Georgia waters. In the Southeast, Northern snakeheads have also been found in North Carolina and Florida. If you believe you have caught a Northern snakehead:

• DO NOT RELEASE IT
• Kill it immediately (remember, it can survive on land) and freeze it.
• If possible, take pictures of the fish, including closeups of its mouth, fins and tail.
• Note where it was caught (waterbody, landmarks or GPS coordinates).
• Report it to the SCDNR by calling 1-800-922-5431.

In response to the harmful impacts invasive species have on the Nation’s natural and cultural resources, the Department of the Interior released an interdepartmental report, Safeguarding America’s Lands and Waters from Invasive Species: A National Framework for Early Detection and Rapid Response. The report proposes to stop their spread through early detection and rapid response (EDRR) actions—a coordinated set of actions to find and eradicate potential invasive species before they spread and cause harm.
See also: Interior Department Announces Framework to Safeguard the Nation's Lands and Waters from Invasive Species (Press Release - Feb 18, 2016)

See also: Ecological Risk Screening Summaries for more species summaries

The Port of San Diego, along with the Southern California Caulerpa Action Team (SCCAT), the City of Coronado, and the Coronado Cays Homeowners Association (CCHOA), are responding to the discovery of an invasive seaweed scientifically known as Caulerpa prolifera in the Coronado Cays area of San Diego Bay.

In late September, divers found a small patch of Caulerpa prolifera while conducting an in-water pre-construction eelgrass/Caulerpa dive survey as a permit condition for a dock replacement project. Additional patches were discovered nearby during follow-up surveys. The total find within the Cays is about one-quarter of an acre. The SCCAT has prepared a Rapid Response Eradication Plan to address the immediate need to eradicate this invasive species.

The rapid spread of buffelgrass through the Sonoran Desert rivals climate change and water scarcity as our region's most pressing environmental issue. Buffelgrass is one of many plants that were brought here from other parts of the world. Lacking the insects, diseases, and other organisms that helped keep them in check back home, some have spread like wildfire, much to the detriment of our native plants and animals. Buffelgrass is the worst of these invasive plants because it is not only invading our desert, but transforming our formerly fire-proof desert into a fire-prone grassland. The fight to control buffelgrass is the fight to save an ecosystem and some of the most magnificent stands of saguaros in the world. Volunteer for a buffelgrass pull, register your own buffelgrass pull, or request a presentation or ID guide.

ITP is pleased to announce that Sawfly GenUS is now complete. Developed in cooperation with the Washington State Department of Agriculture, Sawfly GenUS is an interactive identification tool for all sawfly genera found in the United States and Canada. This tool is intended to help recognize exotic sawfly introductions and provide access to general information on affected plants, range, and diversity of these insects. This tool should be useful for port identifiers and screeners, provincial and state departments of agriculture, university extension professionals, and any non-expert with an interest in sawflies.

For more than 30 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has worked with Vermont and New York to control this invasive species and protect Lake Champlain. Fortunately, sea lamprey woundings are now at an all-time low.

The U.S. Geological Survey provides natural-resource managers with scientific information, risk assessment, and tools that can help to improve surveillance, prevention, and control strategies for managing invasive carp.
Fact Sheet 2022–3012

The plot could have come from Hollywood — an insidious alien invader threatens to overrun the land, but intrepid scientists discover a secret weapon in the far-off, exotic land of Nepal and bring the pestilence to heel. But this is not fiction; it's true. The air potato plant (Dioscorea bulbifera) is an exotic vine from Asia that was introduced to Florida about 115 years ago to make medicine. After escaping from the lab, it multiplied and smothered native plant communities in all of Florida's 67 counties. It spread beyond to large swaths of land in the southeastern United States. All attempts to manage the air potato – mechanical, chemical, or physically gathering the bulbils — were unsuccessful; they were either too labor intensive and costly or caused collateral damage to native and endangered species. According to Min Rayamajhi, a plant pathologist at the Agricultural Research Service's (ARS) Invasive Plant Research Laboratory (IPRL) in Fort Lauderdale, FL, the vines return every season, repeating the growth cycle and expanding the invasion at a rate of about 6 inches per day. Rayamajhi and retired ARS scientist Bob Pemberton traveled to Nepal and accidentally discovered the air potato beetle.