By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

LONDON, Ohio — Ever wonder if the plant in your field is friend or foe?

Some invasive plants may look pretty and smell heavenly, but they can wipe out native plant species and have a detrimental impact on the ecosystem if not properly managed.

“Many invasive species have found a niche in Ohio,” said Kathy Smith, an Ohio State University extension forestry specialist in the School of Environment and Natural Resources. “A hands-off management approach may result in a woodland ecosystem where the invasives dominate the stand.”

Visitors to this year’s Farm Science Review (FSR) will learn what it takes to keep invasive species under their thumb. Smith will present Invasive Plant Species in Ohio’s Wetlands Sept. 21 from 10:30-11:30 a.m., Sept. 22 from 2-2:30 p.m. and Sept. 23 from 11:30-noon.

Smith will talk about invasive plants such as honeysuckle, ailanthus, autumn olive, garlic mustard, buckthorn, privet and Callery pear. She will explain how to identify each species, why they are a problem and what the control options are. Of biggest concern to most growers in the state, she says, is honeysuckle.

“Honeysuckle, for instance, will outcompete native plants and reduce the possibility of trees regenerating in the understory of our wooded acres,” she said. “It is the first to green up in the spring and the last to go dormant in the fall, so there is little room for other plant species to get a foothold.”

Honeysuckle produces red berries that birds will eat, but have little nutritional value. “Honeysuckle is junk food for wildlife,” Smith said. “Migrating birds that would normally rely on native plants for food are now getting something that provides them with lower nutritional-value food, that results in lower energy reserves.”

A new honeysuckle hybrid is being found in Ohio (showy fly honeysuckle) that produces beautiful magenta flowers. It is a cross of two other honeysuckle already present in Ohio – Morrow and Tartarian.

Smith said recognizing invasive plant species is important to understanding the impacts they have on the environment and what would happen if native species became extinct.

“These invasive plants were brought to Ohio for a variety of good-intended reasons,” Smith said, “we just didn’t know what they would do.”