Minnesota Master Naturalist

Invasive Species

Invasive Blitz Students in the Field Photo Credit: UMN Extension.

Invasive Species Blitz Program Materials

As you may know, invasive species such as buckthorn, garlic mustard, and wild parsnip pose serious threats to Minnesota’s natural resources, ecosystems, and economy. These materials help new volunteers to join in a statewide effort to tackle the growing problem of invasive species.

The tools in on this page and the links below will help you make a plan to manage invasive species at a site of your choosing and host local invasive plant removal events. You may even wish to adopt a local natural area you can regularly monitor and provide stewardship for into the future.

Quick Menu

Tools | Recommended Resources | Species-specific Resources | Story Map
 
Invasive Blitz Sign Photo Credit: UMN Extension.

Tools

Invasive Species Project Planner

A useful document to help you plan your own event with one or more partner organizations. (PDF, 433KB.

Prioritizing Invasive Plant Control

A reprint of a Nature Conservancy article on how to assess your land and prioritize invasive species removal to measure success and keep you motivated to finish the job. (PDF, 779KB.)

Invasive Species Management Matrix

Provides details for best practices and removal timing for the five most common terrestrial invasives in Minnesota. (PDF, 384KB.)

Native Urban Trees of Southeast Minnesota

A useful guide to tree selection with links to other publications for other areas. (PDF, 543KB.)

 
Invasive Blitz Students in the Field Photo Credit: UMN Extension.

Recommended Resources

Minnesota Noxious List

Minnesota Department of Agriculture noxious weed list. (PDF, 295KB)

Guidelines for Disposal of Terrestrial Invasive Plants

The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the University of Connecticut guidelines for disposal of terrestrial invasive plants. (PDF, 4.32MB)

 
Invasive Blitz Students in Classroom Photo Credit: UMN Extension.

Species-specific Resources

Amur Silver Grass

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Black Swallow-wort

Brown Knapweed

Buckthorn: What You Should Know. What You Can Do.

Minnesota DNR Buckthorn Buckthorn resource. (PDF, 5.94MB)

Bull Thistle

Burnet Saxifrage

Butter & Eggs

Canada Thistle

Common and Cutleaf Teasel

Common Tansy 

Creeping Charlie

Crown Vetch

Dalmatian Toadflax

Diffuse Knapweed

Garlic Mustard

Giant Hogweed

Giant Knotweed

Grecian Foxglove

Hedge Parsleys

University of Wisconsin-Extension and Nutrient and Pest Management University of Wisconsin Hedge Parsleys resource. (PDF, 245KB)

Hoary Alyssum

Japanese Honeysuckle

Indiana Invasive Plant Species Assessment Working Group Japanese Honeysuckle resource. (PDF, 731KB)

Japanese Hops

Japanese Knotweed

USDA and U.S. Forest Service Japanese Knotweed resource. (PDF, 234KB)

Leafy Spurge

Meadow Knapweed

Mock Strawberry

Musk Thistle

Narrowleaf Bittercress

Orange Hawkweed

Oxeye Daisy

Palmer Amaranth

Perennial Sowthistle

Plumeless Thistle

Poison Hemlock

Porcelain Berry

Queen Anne's Lace

Siberian Squill

Smooth Brome Grass

Spotted Knapweed

White and Yellow Sweetclover

Wild Parsnip

University of Minnesota-Extension Wild Parsnip resource. (PDF, 1.86MB)

Yellow Bedstraw

Yellow Starthistle

 

Story Map