Did You Know? Free trees to Replace Invasives
Landowners who remove invasive, non-native tree and shrub species can receive up to five replacement trees for free this year from a new Pennsylvania program.
Register in advance for a tree pickup event in Scranton Sunday, May 18.
If you can’t attend an event, the website is still valuable for its lists of invasive trees, shrubs,
aquatic plants and herbs provided by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources.
Invasive species pose ecological harm as they can overtake plant species that are native to Pennsylvania and essential to the habitat of native butterflies, bees and other insects. Invasives include Callery pear, tree-of-heaven, Norway maple, burning bush, Japanese barberry and butterfly bush.
Often planted for their beauty by unsuspecting homeowners and landscapers, these species spread to the wild and state forests.
How can a plant called “butterfly bush” be bad for butterflies?! Buddleia — commonly called “butterfly bush” — is native to Asia and can rapidly spread and crowd out native species. It has no natural predators and not one caterpillar native to Pennsylvania can feed on it, according to Penn State Extension.
Learn more about butterfly bush here.
This post is first in a series by CCFT Secretary Linda Friend, a Pennsylvania Master Naturalist. The Centre County Farmland Trust is dedicated to land conservation, and sharing land conservation initiatives.