Here are some additional resources regarding invasive plants. You can download these documents and share them with others to spread the word about controlling invasive plants.
Table of Contents
NPSOT Resources
This is the official position statement on invasive plants developed by the NPSOT Invasives Committee.
Guidelines for control of invasive botanical species including non-chemical and chemical methods. NPSOT does NOT endorse in any way the use of chemical pesticides or herbicides in private or public landscapes except under limited circumstances where other means are not effective, and the benefits significantly outweigh the risks. Each site and situation is unique, and consideration should be given to all environmental and safety factors before determining a solution.
A reference document on State of Texas regulations and statutes regarding invasive plants.
Additional invasive plant resources containing extensive links to other websites, documents, and publications from the Invasives Committee. Most of these are reproduced on this page for ease of access.
Here are some PowerPoint presentations from our Invasives Committee that you are free to use.
These are some Speaker’s Bureau presentations about invasive plants and their management by our bureau members who can speak to your chapter, group, or organization.
Article by Bill Ward about discovery and control of several invasive tree species at the Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne.
Online Resources
Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, University of Georgia, including partnerships and information technology to advance invasive species management, integrated pest management, and forest health.
A national database of species, including seeds, eggs, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem; and whose introduction does environmental harm or harm to human health. Part of the bugwood.org network.
Information about invasives in Texas, including an in-depth invasives database for information about invasive plants, observations of invasive species reported by citizen scientists, or to map invasive species in Texas.
Booklet by the City of Austin about invasive plants to avoid and manage, including many great photographs of the invasives, their dangers, non-invasive alternatives, and more.
USDA guide by James H. Miller, Revised November 2015. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS – 62. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. This downloadable PDF provides information on accurate identification of the 56 nonnative plants and groups that are currently invading the forests of the 13 Southern States.
Sister guide to the above Field Guide by the USDA focused on management and control of invasive species. This book provides the latest information on how to organize and enact prevention programs, build strategies, implement integrated procedures for management, and proceed towards site rehabilitation and restoration.
Basil V. Iannone III, et.al., Journal of Extension, June 2020, Article #v58-3a3, Clemson University. The excessive number of terms associated with invasive species, and their often incorrect usage, hinders stakeholder education about the threats of invasive species. Here they introduce seven terms (native, nonnative, introduced, established, invasive, nuisance, and range change) that are applicable across invasive taxa, and are useful for describing most situations regarding invasive species.
A collaborative project between the National Park Service, the University of Georgia Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, the Invasive Plant Atlas of New England and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The purpose of the Atlas is to assist users with identification, early detection, prevention, and management of invasive plants.
Information and questions and answers about invasive species by the Wildflower Center (most information not localized to Texas).
Learn how to rid your yard of some common invasive plants and substitute alternative native species that have similar ornamental qualities and which also support our local wildlife.
Meisenburg, M. J., & Fox, A. M. 2002. Wildland Weeds, 2:8-14. “Look, that bird is eating a fruit! But is it dispersing the seed?”
Information about any plant species that has a serious potential to cause economical or ecological harm to the agriculture, horticulture, native plants, ecology and waterways of Texas. Includes links to additional state resources.
Texas State’s Invasive Species Institute’s website with lots of resources on invasive plants and other species, including an invasive plant database.
The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, web links, and references.
Books and Publications
Douglas W. Tallamy. Timber Press, 2009. As development and habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. In Bringing Nature Home, Douglas W. Tallamy reveals the unbreakable link between native plant species and native wildlife—native insects cannot, or will not, eat alien plants. When native plants disappear, the insects disappear, impoverishing the food source for birds and other animals.
Douglas W. Tallamy. Timber Press, 2020. Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats. Because this approach relies on the initiatives of private individuals, it is immune from the whims of government policy. Even more important, it’s practical, effective, and easy–you will walk away with specific suggestions you can incorporate into your own yard.
3rd ed., Sylvan Ramsey Kaufman and Wallace Kaufman. Mechanicsburg, PA:Stackpole Books, 2023. An easy-to-use, wide-ranging guide to invasive plants in North America. Features full-color photos and descriptions of more than 250 alien species–both terrestrial and aquatic–that are in some cases changing the landscape to an almost unimaginable degree. Accompanying text describes the plant’s environmental and economic impacts as well as management techniques used to control it.
C. Colston Burrell. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, NY, 2006 (not all alternatives grow in our region). The best way to weed out the invaders is with this guide to native plants that can seek and destroy the top 100 most unwelcome perennials, grasses, vines, shrubs, and trees. While replacing the invaders, the native plants described here also attract native birds and butterflies, while turning away their own enemy invaders.
By Robin W. Doughty and Matt Warnock Turner. Introduces the “big hitters” of invasive species in the state. They profile the usual suspects—feral hogs, salt cedar, and fire ants—and also lesser known invasives, such as cats and sparrows. Blending natural and environmental history with geography, this book is a much-needed, balanced exploration of invasive species in Texas.