invasive species

Register now for the upcoming Friday's Escape to the Forest - On The Brink: Early Detection of Woodland Invasive Plant Species, on Friday, June 27, 2025 from 10 am - 12 pm. This virtual program is part of the Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, and is free to register and attend.

As temperatures warm, Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) (SLF) eggs laid last fall will begin to hatch later this spring. The National Phenology Network is forecasting SLF egg hatch in North America based on growing degree day (GDD), base 50F. The map below was captured on Wednesday, April 2, 2025. You can continue to monitor the USA NPN website for SLF egg hatch at: https://usanpn.org/data/maps/forecasts/spotted_lanternfly

In a past BYGL, you may recall hearing about the National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW), coordinated by the North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA). That BYGL Alert was simply an announcement of the efforts, shared what was happening, and was posted on the actual week of the Awareness Week. Today's Alert will not only share the upcoming dates and details of the week in February, but will also encourage engagement at the local level - including what you can do! 

Zig Zag Sawfly adults have been trapped this week emerging in Central Ohio.

The impact of the sheer numbers of flowering pear can go unnoticed. But not this time of year. As one of the first flowering trees of the season, now is a great time to tag them for later removal. The key is to know what trees should be removed before they set fruit. So, you have time.

You won't want to miss December's Escape to the Forest featuring OSU's Department of Entomology, Sam Ward. Sam is an assistant professor of Forest Entomology.

“Invasive Plants and Global Change: Addressing the Challenges of Tomorrow” was this year’s theme of the Ohio Invasive Plants Council Research Conference held on Friday, October 27th, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio.

Emerald Ash Borer University (EABU) is pleased to announce the fall season of EABU! Register to hear experts discuss topics ranging from spotted lanternfly to box tree moth to the future of ash trees!  

Common buckthorn (European buckthorn), Rhamnus cathartica, and Glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus (previously named Rhamnus frangula), are large shrubs or small trees (10-25’ in height) that are non-native invasive species. Both can form dense thickets displacing native tree and shrub species. Common buckthorn prefers drier sites while glossy buckthorn favors wetter habits including river and stream banks and pond edges. Plants of both species can establish themselves in fence rows, open fields, roadsides, open woods, and woodland edges. Common buckthorn is the alternate host for crown rust of...

Common barberry or European barberry, Berberis vulgaris, is a non-native invasive woody shrub.  Intentionally brought to North America by early settlers in the 1600s, it has escaped cultivation and is widely distributed in the northern U.S.  Common barberry is also an alternative host for the disease, black stem rust, a severe pest of grains.  As a result, large scale eradication efforts began in the 1900's to remove this reservoir of disease.  However, populations still exist in the Great Lakes states, including Ohio, and the northeastern United...