Invasive Plant Alerts

There is an invasive plant species called Black Swallowwort and Pale Swallow-wort. These vines are members of the Milkweed family native to Europe. The female Monarch butterflies lay eggs on swallow-wort mistaking it for native Milkweed. The caterpillars cannot feed on these swallow-wort plants and do not survive. Swallow-worts can crowd out native milkweeds leaving Monarch caterpillars with no food source. Swallow-wort species are allelopathic, releasing chemicals that will hinder the growth of surrounding plants. If you have this plant growing in your yard you should collect the pods and destroy them and dig or pull up the plants and destroy also, do not place them on your compost pile.