They come to us in many innocuous ways, from packages from overseas, to clinging onto the bottom of our fishing boats. They are the invaders that cause so much trouble when they go unchecked. I am talking about invasive species. From the long-horned asian beetle to the goby, from giant hogweed to feral swine. These non-native, introduced species of fish, plants, mammals, and insects have come from overseas and without any natural checks to keep them from populating our waters and woods at a very fast rate, causing alarming damage. Most of which goes unchecked and unseen until it is at the point where the invasives are out of control.

While there are thousands of invasive species in the United States, I am just going to cover the most common and destructive found here in our area of New York, including some in my own backyard. Here, I will introduce you to the critters and alert you to the damage they have done and will continue to do if they are left to populate without our intervention. I will give you a brief history of how they got here, what they look like, what damage they have done and what is being done or what you can do to eradicate them from our area.