Invasive Species Partnership of Elkhart County

10/23/2026

Please be on the lookout for this invasive species. If you see it, take a photo, squish it and report it. Links for reporting are in the original post.

08/19/2026

We talk about invasive species all the time, but we also LOVE to talk about NATIVE SPECIES 😁! Native wildlife and native plants go hand in hand. Many of our native plants are host plants for native butterflies (if you've heard of Monarchs and Milkweed that is one example). We see Painted Lady butterflies around Elkhart and would LOVE to see them and other species for many years to come! Plant native plants to help their populations! 🥰

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! 👇

08/10/2026

What a great way to clear invasives! Our thanks to Mishawaka gov and Goats-On-the-Go.👏

Goats on the Go will deploy Eco-Friendly Vegetation Management along the Riverbank at Wilson Boulevard and Battell Park.

08/10/2026

Looking to meet new people with a strong work ethic and who care about the environment? What a great model from Minnesota!

The Buckthorn Removal Singles Club meets every Sunday at a Minneapolis park to remove invasive plant species and create connections.

04/25/2026

Stop by and see us at the Elkhart Environmental Center Earth Day event! 😁🌎🌳

04/24/2026

Tomorrow is it! 😱
Our W**d Wrangle at the Elkhart Environmental Center is happening TOMORROW at 11 AM! We will have our booth set up with information about us and about invasive plants AND all of the tools we will need to wrangle invasive plants! 💪

Stop by and get to know INSPEC and your local invasive plants.
If you'd like to join us in removing invasive plants at the EEC property, sign up at

Join InSPEC, the Invasive Species Partnership of Elkhart County, in one of their annual W**d Wrangles! Learn about the group, invasive and native plant species, and how to identify and remove invasive honeysuckle. We'll work on removing the invasive plant and planting native plants to restore our fo...

04/23/2026

Looking for opportunities to plant things instead of removing invasive species? 🤔 Check out tree planting that the Friends of the Pumpkinvine Nature Trail is hosting! They will be planting 68 TREES along the Pumpkinvine Trail! 😊

Check out their post more info!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day everyone! 🌎😊

Today is great day to learn about native and invasive plants and how YOU can help our planet! 🥰

April 22 is Earth Day 🌎🌍🌏 This week is also National Environmental Education Week 📚 & National Volunteer Week!
Tippecanoe Co. is celebrating by hosting a Native Plant Fest all week long 🌿Learn about native plants, and help support local habitat.🐝🦋 Find out more here:
https://tippecanoecountyswcd.org/native-plant-fest

04/20/2026

It's not too late to sign up and help with our W**d Wrangle at the Earth Day event at the Elkhart Environmental Center this Saturday at 11 AM!

Get your ✨FREE✨ tree from them and then come and help us remove invasive plants 🌱 from their site!
There's plenty of Asian bush honeysuckle and garlic mustard to remove! 🧤

Register to volunteer at https://elkhart.galaxydigital.com/need/detail/?need_id=1208222

Let's leave our outdoor spaces and local ecosystems better than how we found them! 🥰