What happens if you don't remove these invasive plants lurking in your Indiana yard

Ryan Martin
Indianapolis Star

Like many first-time gardeners or landscapers, Plainfield resident Tom Hohman started learning by planting new things in his own yard.

"It's addictive," said Hohman, 73. "You start to get into it, then you start to learn more, then you start to find better things that will grow."

It did not take long for Hohman to understand the far-reaching impact of his decisions. What Hoosiers such as Hohman plant on their own properties can spread quickly to the next house over, then down the block and eventually into our state's forests and other natural areas.

Invasive plants, in particular, spread fast and cause a litany of problems. They are plants that originated elsewhere in the world, so they lack any natural controls in Indiana, such as insects or diseases. The plants reseed and move aggressively, crowding out other plants.

Native plants struggle as a result. But it's not just those plants that we lose; much of our local wildlife who depend on those native plants — ranging from the tiniest insects to a variety of birds — end up struggling, too.

That's why Hohman now serves on the board of the Indiana Native Plant Society and works with several volunteers to remove invasive plants across Central Indiana. 

"Most insects are specialists. They will specialize in plants in a certain family, or a group of plants," Hohman said. "If these invasive plants take over the forests, you will have far less insects, you will have far less birds, and our lives will be far less rich."

Hoosiers do not need to spend hours each weekend to do their part to protect wildlife. We can start by functioning as a stop sign for invasive plants on our own properties. By keeping an eye on what's growing in our own yards and neighborhoods, we can prevent invasive species from spreading any further. 

"This is something the average person can do," Hohman said, "because politicians are a little busy."

Two Indiana experts on invasive plants offered five suggestions to get started. And for those who want to go a step further, both the Indiana Native Plant Society and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources provide several links on their website to help with research and plant identification. 


Wintercreeper has been sold for years as great groundcover. Now you can spot the vine crawling through many Indianapolis neighborhoods, preventing other plants from thriving.

"You drive up Meridian Street north of 38th Street," Hohman said, "you'll see a lot of Wintercreeper just covering yards and trees."

Wintercreeper, an invasive species in Indiana, crawls up a tree.

Wintercreeper becomes problematic when it grows up the side of a tree, house or fence, Hohman said. That's when the plant starts producing fruit, which is eaten by some birds and then spread to new parts of town. 

Asian bush honeysuckle

Asian bush honeysuckle is considered one of the worst invasive plants in Central Indiana. When it grows densely in forested areas, it leads to completely bare soil beneath the bush — preventing seedlings from growing enough to replace mature trees.

Asian bush honeysuckle is an invasive species in Indiana.

Landscapers used it initially as an ornamental plant. Now, many Hoosiers still have the plant but likely do not realize the damage it is causing across the state. 

Autumn olive

Autumn olive is a shrub that outcompetes native plants through its thickness along the forest floor. Like honeysuckle, it grows red berries that animals eat, spreading its seeds far and wide.

It is so enticing to animals that the Indiana DNR promoted the plant in the 1960s as a way to boost the population of deer, said Megan Abraham, who heads Indiana DNR's division of entomology and plant pathology. Now DNR is encouraging its removal. 

Autumn olive is an invasive species in Indiana.

"With these bushy species, it takes a lot to remove them. They've got good roots," Abraham said. "You might have to pull them out a few times to make sure you got all the roots."

Japanese barberry

Japanese barberry has long been used as an ornamental, bushy plant because its leaves transform from green to a purplish color in the fall. Now it is banned for landscaping in Indiana and in most nearby states. 

Japanese barberry is an invasive species in Indiana.

It has no trouble growing in the sun or the shade. And beyond being invasive, the Japanese barberry also carries diseases that can hurt Indiana crops, Abraham said.

Tree of Heaven

You might see a Tree of Heaven growing in the edges of yards and alleys. It was never intentionally planted in this area, but the invasive plant found its way here through other means. 

Tree of Heaven is an invasive species in Indiana.

Tree of Heaven is the prototypical invasive plant. It grows fast, spreads quickly, soaks up the sun and shades out other plants. It shoots out multiple root sprouts off of the same plant, making it difficult to fully remove a Tree of Heaven. Then, when it is injured, the tree responds by sending more roots through the soil. 

"These are some of the ways they are doing so well," Abraham said, "because they are able to compensate by just growing faster."

When removing it from your yard, make sure to dig deep and grab every part of the root system. But before you do, take a deep look at the leaflets. Sometimes walnut trees are mistaken for Tree of Heaven because of their similar appearance. 

Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Ryan Martin at ryan.martin@indystar.com or by phone, Signal or WhatsApp at 317-500-4897. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ryanmartin.