Discover the Flyway from Home – Resources for Teachers, Parents & Students

What is an Invasive Species?

An invasive species is an organism (living thing like a plant, animal, fungus or bacteria) that is not indigenous (native) to an area. Not all non-native species are invasive. To be invasive, the organism:

• Adapts easily to the new area
• Reproduces quickly
• Causes harm to the native plants and animals, economy, or property

One of the invasive plant species in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area is the Water Primrose. Starting in May, the five-petaled, yellow flowers of this aquatic plant can be seen blooming on its dense green mats of vegetation in ditches, canals and ponds. It blocks waterways for the delivery and drainage of water to managed ponds and rice fields, uses up oxygen in canals as it decomposes, invades wetland areas, and degrades habitat.

 

Can you protect native habitats and species from invasive plants? First, use this link to locate, identify, and name at least one invasive plant species in your state. https://www.eddmaps.org/tools/state.cfm

Next, can you list two things you can do to help? Get some suggestions from The Nature Conservancy:
https://www.nature.org/…/invasive-plant-species-invasive-s…/

 

 

Answers:

Locate and name at least one invasive plant species in your state.

There are hundreds of species of invasive plants in California. A few of the plants on the list include yellow star thistle, bull thistle, Scotch broom, Spanish broom, Himalayan blackberry, curly dock, Kentucky bluegrass, poison hemlock, and dandelion.

 

Invasive Species: What You Can Do
The Nature Conservancy list of ways to combat invasive species:

• Make sure the plants you are buying for your home or garden are not invasive. Contact your state’s native plant society for a list of native plants.
• When boating, make sure to clean your boat thoroughly before putting it into a different body of water.
• Clean your boots before you hike in a new area.
• Don’t take home any animals, plants, shells, firewood, or food from different ecosystems.
• Never release pets into the wild.
• Volunteer at your local park, refuge, or other wildlife area to help remove invasive species. Most parks also have native species restoration programs.