State of Indiana Cooperative Invasives Management

09/03/2026

08/27/2026

Have you ever spotted a flash of blue and orange fluttering through your garden? You may have been lucky enough to see a Spicebush Swallowtail!

These beautiful butterflies have a special connection to spicebush (Lindera benzoin), a native Indiana shrub. Spicebush is an important host plant, meaning it’s where Spicebush Swallowtails lay their eggs and where their caterpillars feed and grow.

And here’s where native plants and invasive species connect! When invasive plants take over our forests, edges, and gardens, they can crowd out native plants like spicebush that provide food and habitat for wildlife. Protecting and planting native species helps keep these important relationships in our landscapes.

Want to help Spicebush Swallowtails? Consider adding native spicebush to your landscape and keeping an eye out for those fascinating caterpillars. You might even spot one pretending to be a tiny snake!🐛

Every native plant we protect or add to the landscape is another opportunity to support Indiana’s wildlife.

For more information about native plants visit indiananativeplants.org

08/26/2026

Happy National Dog Day! 🐾

There’s nothing better than hitting the trail with your best four legged friend! But before you hop back in the car after a hike, take a few minutes to check your dog’s fur for hitchhiking seeds.

Invasive plants can spread in some surprising ways, and seeds can easily get caught in your dog’s fur, paws, or even their gear. Japanese chaff flower is one example of an invasive plant whose seeds can hitch a ride on unsuspecting hikers and their four legged trail buddies.

Whether you’re exploring your favorite trail, enjoying a walk through the woods, or even lending a hand at a w**d wrangle, your pup can be right there by your side. Just remember to give them a quick check before heading home!

🧐 Before you leave the trail:
🐾 Check your dog’s fur, paws, and collar
🌱 Remove any seeds or plant material you find
🗑️ Dispose of seeds where they can’t spread
🥾 Check your own clothing, shoes, and gear too!

A few extra minutes of checking can help prevent invasive plants from getting a free ride to a new location. So enjoy the adventure, bring your best buddy, and help keep our trails and natural areas healthy! 💚

08/24/2026

A little buzz for your Monday!

Just look at this busy bumble bee enjoying a visit to New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)!

New Jersey Tea is a beautiful native shrub that produces clusters of small white flowers that are packed with nectar, making it a great addition to a pollinator friendly landscape, and the benefits don't stop with the bees! New Jersey Tea is also a host plant for the Summer Azure butterfly (Celastrina neglecta), providing an important place for its caterpillars to feed and grow.

Native plants support pollinators throughout their entire life cycle by providing both nectar for adults and host plants for caterpillars. 🌱🐝🦋

Want to make your yard more welcoming to pollinators? Consider adding native plants that provide food and habitat throughout the growing season. Every native plant can make a difference!

Have you spotted a bumble bee, butterfly, or other pollinator enjoying your native plants lately? Share your photos with us!

Have you spotted a bee or butterfly enjoying your native plants lately? Share your photos with us!

08/19/2026

This looks like its going to be a great workshop!

Join DNR Wildlife Biologist Shannon Winks for a wildlife habitat workshop in Clark County on September 14th. There will be a prescribed burn demonstration (weather permitting). RSVP to Shannon at 812-358-2253.

08/18/2026

Have you spotted one of these beautiful butterflies fluttering through your garden this summer?

The Painted Lady is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world, and Indiana is lucky to have them visiting our landscapes.

Several native sunflowers serve as the host plant for their caterpillars and can help support Painted Ladies, including:

Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)
Downy Sunflower (Helianthus mollis)
Western Sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis)
Showy Sunflower (Helianthus rigidus)

But before adding a plant to your landscape, it's always a good idea to check whether it's actually native to your county! The USDA PLANTS Database is a great resource for checking the distribution of native plants in your area. You can visit the database here: https://plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/

Native plants do more than make our landscapes beautiful. They provide the food, shelter, and habitat that butterflies and other wildlife need to complete their life cycles.

Unfortunately, invasive plants can take over natural areas and crowd out the native plants that wildlife depend on.

Plant natives. Support pollinators. Protect Indiana’s natural areas.

Have you seen a Painted Lady in your yard or garden? Tell us in the comments! 👇

08/17/2026

Happy National Nonprofit Day!

Today we are celebrating nonprofits and all the amazing people who make this work possible!

At SICIM, our mission is to protect, restore, and enhance Indiana’s landscapes by coordinating efforts to identify, prevent, and control invasive species.

But what does that really look like?

It looks like volunteers showing up to pull invasive plants. It looks like landowners learning how to manage invasives on their property. It looks like conservation partners sharing knowledge and resources. It looks like communities coming together to care for the places they love.

Every plant removed, every native planted, every volunteer trained, and every person who learns to recognize an invasive makes a difference.

And because we are a nonprofit, your support helps make this work possible!

If you believe in protecting Indiana’s natural landscapes and want to help us continue educating, training, and supporting communities across the state, consider making a donation today. Every donation, big or small, helps us keep the work growing.

Support SICIM: https://sicim.info/donate

Thank you for being part of the SICIM community and for helping us protect Indiana’s beautiful landscapes!

08/16/2026

You might drive past Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) and think, “It’s just grass,” but this aggressive invasive can quickly become a big problem.

Johnson grass spreads through seeds and underground rhizomes, allowing it to form dense stands that crowd out native plants and reduce plant diversity. That means fewer native plants available to support the insects and wildlife that depend on them.

3 ways to identify Johnson grass:

1. Large, open panicle
The seed head is a loose, branching structure that can appear green to reddish-purple, especially when developing.

2. Membranous, fringed ligule
The ligule is found inside the leaf where the leaf blade meets the sheath. Gently pull the leaf blade away from the stem to see it. Johnson grass has a membranous ligule with a fringe of hairs.

3. White midrib
Look for a prominent white or pale stripe running down the center of the leaf.

Know what's growing on your property. Know what you're removing. Help stop invasive plants from spreading!

For more information on invasive species visit sicim.info

08/15/2026

Nothing says Happy Saturday quite like finding a tiny monarch nursery in your own backyard!

These little caterpillars may look small, but they’re busy growing, munching, and getting ready for one of nature’s most incredible transformations. And if you’ve planted milkw**d, you may be giving monarchs exactly what they need! Milkw**d is the host plant for monarch caterpillars, providing the food they need during this important stage of their life cycle.

So today, take a few minutes to slow down, look closely, and see what’s happening in your garden. You never know what little creatures might be calling your native plants home! 🐛

What’s the coolest thing you’ve spotted in your garden lately?

08/14/2026

Chinese Silvergrass (Miscanthus sinensis) may look beautiful swaying in the breeze, but this ornamental grass is invasive in Indiana.

Those fluffy seed heads aren’t just pretty, they help the plant spread into new areas on wind currents. Once established, Chinese Silvergrass can form dense stands that outcompete native plants for sunlight, water, nutrients, and space.

And when native plants disappear, so do the food and shelter they provide for the insects and wildlife that depend on them.

The good news? You can still have beautiful grasses in your landscape! Choose native grasses and sedges that support Indiana’s wildlife instead. Check out indiananativeplants.org for native grass recommendations.

Before you plant it, check if it's native to your county by visiting plants.sc.egov.usda.gov/.

For more information on invasive species visit sicim.info