List of invasive plant species in the Indiana Dunes facts for kids

The Indiana Dunes is a special place next to Lake Michigan in Indiana, USA. It includes the Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park. This area is home to many plants, but some plants that are not from around here, called invasive species, have started to take over. Invasive plants are like bullies; they spread very fast and push out the plants that naturally belong there.

Why Invasive Plants Are a Problem

Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria, is a common invasive plant.

Invasive plants in the Indiana Dunes can cause several problems. They may:

• Replace many different kinds of flowers with just one type. This is called a monoculture, where only one plant grows.
• Grow so thick around paths, roads, and water that it becomes hard or impossible to get through.
• Some can even put harmful chemicals into the soil.
• Others have sharp thorns or spines that can hurt.
• They can cover ponds, blocking sunlight and harming fish.

Here are some examples of invasive plants and their specific impacts:

• Purple loosestrife: This plant creates a monoculture, meaning it takes over and reduces the number of different animals that can live there.
• Bush honeysuckles: These plants stop new trees and small plants from growing. This reduces places for birds to live and find food.
• Glossy buckthorn: This plant prevents new trees from growing, slowly destroying forests over time.
• Garlic mustard: This plant changes the soil to stop other seeds from growing, creating a monoculture.
• Asian bittersweet: This vine can wrap around and kill or damage trees and shrubs.
• Crown vetch: This plant changes the soil chemistry and pushes out many other types of plants.
• Japanese knotweed: This plant can handle floods and dry weather, and it creates a monoculture.
• Spotted knapweed: This plant releases harmful chemicals into the soil to poison its competition.
• Common reed: This plant is not native and aggressively pushes out native plants and other water plants.
• Canada thistle: This plant out-competes native plants in open grassy areas, savannas, and dunes.

Invasive Plants Found in the Dunes

Many different invasive plants have made their home in the Indiana Dunes. Some are a big problem right now, while others are just starting to spread.