Search Results

Invasive species cause harm when they establish themselves at the expense of native plants and animals.

Blue and flathead catfish pose major challenges to the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem. They are voracious predators that outcompete other fish and consume ecologically and economically important species. These fish aren’t from around here.

Join the Warm Springs Watershed Association for a monthly invasive species removal workshop on the Warm Springs Run!

What are invasive species? Invasive species are plants and animals that have been introduced into their current habitat, where they risk harm to native species. Whether these species are introduced accidentally or on purpose, they are invasive because of their potential to establish themselves at the expense of native plants and animals.

Every day, non-native plants, pests and diseases are introduced to the United States from around the world. These invaders have the power to out-compete native species, causing damage to ecosystems and local economies. Typically, non-native species travel to new areas by hitching rides on trade ships, travelers’ luggage and recreational vehicles.

1/3 Oriental bittersweet fruits grow along the length of the vine, in contrast to the fruits only growing on the terminal branch ends of the American bittersweet plants. (Photo courtesy of Sara Rall/iNaturalist CC BY-NC, toned)

1/3 Participants try snakehead at the Freedom and Fishing Snakehead Derby. The derby was held at Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park on Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Within five minutes of entering Corcoran Woods, Susan Lamont is bent over what looks like a large puddle, gently holding a gelatinous mass. The mass is made up of salamander eggs, and what she’s bent over is no puddle, but a vernal pool. Vernal pools are ephemeral forest ponds, fed by snow, rain or groundwater.

Zach Bruce, center, and fellow Maryland Conservation Corps members, from left, Taylor Lundstrom, Kevin McNamara and Rachel Werderits, remove invasive trees of heaven and garlic mustard plants at the site of a wetland restoration on Church Creek in Annapolis, Maryland. Many wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay region have been severely altered by the presence of plants and animals that have been introduced there, whether accidentally or on purpose. Invasive species like the tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) and garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) can cause harm when they establish themselves at the expense of native plants, encroaching on their habitat.

Welcome to the latest installment of the BayBlog Question of the Week! Each week, we take a question submitted on the Chesapeake Bay Program website or a frequently asked question and answer it here for all to read. This week’s question came from Katherine, who asked, “What invasive plants and animals exist in the Chesapeake Bay and how were they introduced?”

Non-native species have made it to North America by latching on to cargo ships, escaping from zoos and burrowing into transported trees. But have you ever heard of a species being introduce because of its prevalence in the works of William Shakespeare? This is the folklore behind the introduction of the European starling.

Fisheries scientists with the Chesapeake Bay Program will develop a Chesapeake Bay-wide management plan for blue and flathead catfish, two invasive fish species that pose a significant threat to the health of rivers in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Invasive species are animals and plants that are not native to their current habitat and harm the ecosystem they invade. Invasive species are able to thrive in new areas because they lack predators, diseases and other natural controls that keep them in check in their native environment.

Help pick up trash, remove invasive species, and meet new people!     

Considering how important freshwater mussels are in restoring and maintaining the health of the Bay’s tributaries, it can be a big concern that many native mussel species, such as the brook floater, are endangered. The brook floater (Alasmidonta varicosa) is a small to medium sized freshwater mussel that has a yellowish-green shell in its youth, and a more brownish-black coloring when it reaches its adult stage. These mussels are often found in rivers and streams with consistently flowing water and substrates that have sandy or gravelly bottoms, where they burrow into the sediment to anchor themselves.

English ivy is an invasive plant that can unfortunately be found all through the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Its vibrant green coloring and ability to grow quickly in various environmental conditions make it an appealing choice for homeowners and developers to cover empty space in a yard or neighborhood, but this plant often does more harm than good.  Native only in Europe, western Asia and northern Africa, English ivy has invaded the Chesapeake region and caused damage to otherwise healthy forested ecosystems.

From the onslaught of “murder hornets” in 2020, to the spread of spotted lanternflies in 2022 and the Burmese python invasion in 2023, invasive species have quickly established themselves as a critical environmental threat nationwide. Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay is experiencing similar challenges, and on June 1-2, 2023, the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Local Government Advisory Committee (LGAC) met in Havre de Grace, Maryland, to discuss invasive species and living resources in the watershed. LGAC is a group of local elected officials from across the Bay watershed whose mission is to share the views and insights of local leaders with state and federal decision-makers to enhance the flow of information about the health and restoration of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Welcome to this week’s installment of the BayBlog Question of the Week! Each week we'll take a question submitted through the Chesapeake Bay Program website and answer it here for all to read. This week’s question came from Elizabeth: “What kind of effect does the zebra mussel have on fish like the striped bass?”

The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the Maryland Port Administration and several other Maryland agencies have joined together to launch the Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC), a new research and testing project that aims to help prevent the spread of harmful aquatic invasive species via ship ballast water. Ballast water is taken up by ships to stabilize weight while underway and later emptied when a ship needs to change its stability or unload its cargo. Along with water, ships can pick up small aquatic species in their ballast.

Wetlands are critical in supporting the healthy waters and diverse wildlife of the region. But development, invasive species and sea level rise threaten these important areas.