February 24th-28th was National Invasive Species Awareness Week, a time to recognize the threat invasive plants and animals pose to Western New York’s biodiversity. Invasive species did not evolve in our region and don’t have natural predators, allowing them to outcompete native species and disrupt local ecosystems. At the WNY Land Conservancy, we are actively working to address these issues by removing invasive species, planting native vegetation, and restoring habitats to support wildlife. Here are 5 invasive species affecting our region.
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (HWA) is an invasive insect rapidly spreading throughout Western New York that targets one of our most important trees, the Eastern Hemlock. One of our only native coniferous trees, eastern Hemlock, is considered a keystone species due to its outsized impact on the ecology of our region. Eastern Hemlock plays a critical role in stabilizing streambanks, preventing erosion, and providing essential habitat for wildlife. Unfortunately, these trees lack natural resistance to HWA, and an infestation can cause tree decline and death within just a few years.
The good news is that early detection and treatment can save affected trees. We’ve posted resources on our website to help combat the spread of HWA. Visit our page to learn more about how you can help protect our hemlock forests and the ecosystems they support.
Lesser celandine is a perennial native to Europe and parts of Asia. It has bright yellow flowers and heart-shaped leaves. Emerging in early spring, often before many other plants, it can form dense, fast-growing patches in woodlands, meadows, and along stream banks. These dense patches may cover large areas that outcompete our native plants.
As it spreads in the ground layer, particularly along the margins of wetlands (where from a distance it may resemble our native marsh marigolds), lesser celandine reduces biodiversity by preventing native plants from receiving adequate sunlight and nutrients. This jeopardizes not only the local plant community but also the insects, animals, and other organisms that depend on native species.
There are no native earthworms in Western New York, thanks to the glaciers that scoured our landscape 10,000 years ago. The European nightcrawlers we have today break down organic matter such as leaves, grass, and the rotting veggies in our compost. Although this is good news for your garden, it's not great for our native forests. But one worm found locally, the Asian jumping worm (Amynthas), is a particularly destructive invasive species that's rapidly spreading across the country. Unlike other varieties, Asian jumping worms deplete the nutrients in the soil by devouring organic matter faster than their European counterparts. This harms native plants, salamanders, birds, and other species. Local expert Dr. Nick Henshue from the University at Buffalo discusses Amythas in this brief video:
Glossy buckthorn and common buckthorn are among the most destructive invasive species in our region. These fast-growing shrubs spread rapidly, choking out native plants, disrupting ecosystems, and harming the trees that help purify our water. Their dense thickets block sunlight, their leaf litter alters soil chemistry, and their berries provide little nutrition for birds.
But we’re fighting back! On Grand Island, we’re using forestry mowing—also known as mulching—to remove buckthorn at the Margery Gallogly Nature Sanctuary, the Funk Preserve, and the Love Road Preserve. These efforts have resulted in a significant increase in native plant diversity, which provides tremendous benefits to the birds and wildlife that depend upon botanical diversity.
Native to Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive beetle first identified in North America in Michigan in 2002. Since then, it has spread to 36 additional states and six Canadian provinces, devastating ash tree populations along the way. According to one study, EAB has killed more than 50 million ash trees across a vast swath of the continent.
After female ash borers lay their eggs, the larvae burrow under the tree’s bark, feeding on its inner layers. This disrupts the tree’s ability to transport water and nutrients, slowly killing it. With more than 900 million ash trees in New York State—approximately 7% of the state’s total tree population—the impact of EAB is severe.
Here in Western New York, many forests that once contained healthy clusters of ash trees have been reduced to stands of dead and dying trees. As these ash stands decline, they open up the forest canopy, allowing invasive shrubs and plants to take hold, further altering the landscape and disrupting native ecosystems.
In the slideshow below, you'll find one of a dead ash surrounding canopy with abundant invasive shrubs below it. The other is a beautiful green ash that grows near our Floating Fen Preserve. The picture of the healthy ash emphasizes that we are starting to see the persistence of some ash that may be tolerant of EAB.
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