Best times to spot invasive plants
PLANTS:
Fall: before first hard
frost
Spring: April onward
Note: English ivy, autumn olive, and
Japanese honeysuckle are evergreen
in North Carolina; the other species are deciduous
in our state.
ANIMALS:
Mosquito: April to first
frost
Cabbage white butterfly and larva:
March through summer
Note: All other exotic animals can
be observed year-round.
Exotic Adventures
Activity 1
- Teacher prints Schools Ground Survey Form from this site.
- Students survey school grounds for invasive plants, record the data, and give survey forms to teacher.
- Teacher enters data on Web site. [Data Entry Form]
- Students monitor Web site periodically to compare their findings to those of other schools.
Activity 2
Have students choose and research a particular species (using this Web site or others listed under Resources).
More Exotic Adventures
- Students survey their yards or local parks and discuss what these species have in common (i.e., habitat, proximity to humans).
- Students develop methods for removing and discouraging invasive species from school grounds.
- Students look for the following species that have
the potential to become invasive in North Carolina:
- Salvinia (water plant)
- Gypsy moth
- Fire ant
- Hemlock adelgid (insect)
- Rumina decolata (land snail)
- European earwig
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 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Grade | Competency Goal |
|---|---|
Grade
6 |
Describe
ways in which organisms interact with each other
and with nonliving parts of the environment (e.g.
Coexistence, Cooperation, Competition) |
Grades
9-12 |
Biology:
Ecological relationship among organisms |
Deadlines
Data entered from April to November 2004 will be presented at Invasive Species Symposium at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Tables will be archived in November and then annually on a school-year cycle from June 1 to May 31.
Resources
The following are good Web sites with general information on invasive species.
National Invasive
Species Council
The gateway to federal efforts concerning invasive species,
including impacts, government response to the problem,
selected species profiles, and links to agencies and organizations
dealing with invasive species issues
USDA
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Selected profiles of alien plants and animals
USDA Natural Resources
Conservation Service
National plant database
The
Nature Conservancy’s Invasive Species Initiative
What you can do to combat invasive species, what species
you might find in your yard, and other helpful resources
Invasive and Exotic
Species of North America
(University of Georgia and partners)
Information, images, and free online publications about
invasive species
http://www.invasive.org/eastern/srs/
Nonnative invasive plants of Southern forests: a field
guide for identification and control
University
of Nebraska
Overview of invasive species and their impact, learning
models, and lesson plans