Photo: Virens (Flickr)
A council on invasive plant species that was created by the lawmakers is trying to get the word out about invasive plants species from getting established and spreading in Indiana.
Invasive species specialist at Purdue University Steve Yaninek says invasive plants are a major threat to Indiana and the nation.
“You get a plant that comes in and becomes a dominant plant species, not only does it eliminate other plant species but it displaces habitat for all kinds of other organisms, many of them beneficial for those systems,” Yaninek says.
Yaninek says some invasive species can reproduce very quickly, like garlic mustard, an annual that produces thousands of seeds that can multiply into thousands of plants the next year.