r/invasivespecies

TNR is a bandaid solution.

This is because Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) treats a symptom. It does not address the actual source of the problem.

The source of the problem is lack of free and accessible spay/neuter for cat owners themselves.

Feral cats are the descendants of pet cats. Preventing the existence of feral cats in the first place can have a lot more impact on an entire community. The highest volume of strays are found in completely under resourced communities.

Think about where ferals come from in the first place. They are the descendants of pet cats. Think of where you see feral cats. You don't see colonies very often in very well off communities. However, trailer parks are a completely different story.

I am in the rural US where the stray population is awful. I trap/spay/adopt cats out. I work with a lot of people in my community that I see giving away kittens for free. I spay their mama cats, and I get the free kittens into rescues where the kittens will be spayed/neutered themselves prior to adoption. Otherwise, the owner will just allow the cat to continue to reproduce and more intact kittens are distributed in the community. Free kittens equals more free kittens, which turn into stray intact cats, which then lead to feral cats.

Want to see a change in the number of strays in your community? Pressure your city to support free spay/neuter access.

Below is a link to some info PAWS Chicago has available on their website. It opened my eyes to the root of the issue.

We can see change, it is absolutely possible! But to get there, we need better education surrounding spay/neuter. We need spay/neuter to be accessible in the most desperate places in need of help.

https://www.pawschicago.org/about-us/results/spay/neuter-data

"Important Factors to Consider when Targeting Spay/Neuter

Price: To mobilize people who would otherwise not spay or neuter their pets, it has to be a free service.

Location: Free and low-cost clinics can best serve populations in need when located in under-resourced, low-income communities where veterinary resources are scarce.

High Strays: Communities that have the highest number of stray and roaming animals need free and low-cost spay/neuter. Those pets are most likely to breed. And these high-stray communities directly correlate with low-income and under-resourced communities.

Source of Pets Entering Shelters: Communities that bring the highest number of pets to the city pound helps identify where spay/neuter is needed.

Lack of Awareness: Outreach and awareness initiatives should be directed to communities where spay/neuter is not widely understood. In most communities, approximately 80% of pets are spayed or neutered. But in low-income, under-resourced communities that percentage is usually less than 20%."

I found this plant in two spots in my yard. I have a sinking feeling it’s tree of heaven but I’m not totally sure.

Bought a house last year. Have been learning about lawn care, gardening, etc. Finally starting to work on my lawn and these are scattered throughout the lawn. Annoying bastards that suck to pull and have a long root.

Think it might be Bradford Pear. I see no neighbors with one, but it's possible one was cut down prior to me moving in last year.

Can anyone confirm? If it is... wtf do I do to save this lawn? I hate using chemicals, but I read it might be the only option on these.

They are a bitch to step on - the root sticks out barely above ground level.

Any help is tremendously appreciated.

Sprayed, hacked, injected. Now i wait for regrowth. But what do I do about the rootball? First summer dealing with the knotweed. Used killza.

I'd appreciate help verifying the identity of this seedling and deciding how to deal with it. Years ago there was a large Asian Wisteria on this property. It was removed; I was not involved in the process. Then today I saw this thing sprouting from the lawn by a recently planted Cascara tree. This unfortunately is the best picture I could get. It's the only seedling of the sort I'm seeing and the first time there's been any possible sighting of the Wisteria in well over a decade. I'm figuring it's the Wisteria reasserting itself but I'd appreciate any second opinions since it's not impossible it's something else entirely. Thanks!

eta: I'm in the Pacific Northwest.

This individual stood nearly 6 ft tall! I occasionally use mullein, so getting to remove them is a nice little bonus for me.

Figured I would be down voted on that sub for suggesting safe ways for cats to have outdoor access. But scaremongering seemed a bit of a stretch. Figured people on this sub might relate to the frustration of trying to educate people on the impacts of outdoor cats.

I was hoping that there would be reasonable people on that sub that maybe just did not understand the impact their cats have on the environment. Maybe there are idk. Gotta keep trying to get through to people who are willing to be educated on the topic I suppose.

Submitted for your disapproval: bindweed curling around the base of some eager young quackgrass. This was right next to where I parked my car at a chain nursery that asked to be kept anonymous in this photo.

Massive TOH in an urban setting in between multiple apartments. Does anyone have tips for how to approach taking down one this large?

Our forest took a big hit from hurricane Helene in NC. I don’t know if we had a few of these empress/princess trees before, but they have definitely taken the opportunity to start growing in some clearings. My concern after reading about them, and watching them, is how fast they grow and spread. I am afraid these are going to start taking over before some of the native trees have a chance.

I’ve read mixed reviews on how to deal with these. The root structures are huge, I don’t know if we can get a machine up there to get them out, due to the incline. Is the next best bet to cut them down and paint the stump with a systemic herbicide. I was also told you could potentially inject the tree to kill it before cutting it down. I read one person cut theirs and they ended up having others pop up around it from the original root system (not sure if this actually happens).

I’m unfamiliar with these trees and appreciate any advice to get on top of them before they get out of control.

Thank you! 🌱

Not sure what this is but its covering 3/4 of the back garden

So, im not allowed to burn things in the yard, which is rather unfortunate because of the abundance of invasive plants on the property. I've been forced to get creative.

It's currently a 103° heatwave, and we have a personal sidewalk installed in our back yard. Not a public walkway, this is literally IN our back yard behind a privacy fence. I lay them out to bake until they're completely crispy and brown, and then throw them out. This could take anywhere between a few hours to several days, depending on the plant and the weather.

Is this effective? I've been doing this for some time on ground ivy, oriental bittersweet, and privet. It only occurred to me today that there's a chance they may survive or there may be some downside that makes this method ineffective.

Only missing callery pear.

Pictured: ToH, euonymus, mulberry, periwinkle, norway maple, grape hyacinth, bugloss, sophora, multiflora rose, Chinese holly, Goldenrain.

Location: NYC

I bought a house last year that has this large tree of heaven in front. last year it was covered in spotted lantern flies and I’m starting to find nymphs crawling around. I regularly pull the suckers that shoot up around my yard that I presume are affiliated with this tree. As far as I’m aware, it’s the only TOH in my immediate vicinity.

I’m not really familiar with what is considered “best practices” for invasive plant management. On one hand, I feel like I should remove it because it’s invasive and I hate the bugs it attracts. On the other, it seems healthy, it’s an important shade tree for my house, and it is unfortunately a prominent feature in my front landscaping.

curious as to this group’s thoughts either way.

btw: I’m aware that the tree needs to be killed before it is cut down - if i decide to get rid of it, I’ll go about it the right way.

I found a baby JKW in my yard and have been very careful not to accidentally take it out. I am waiting for the fall window and prepared all the materials for the spray. However, every time it grows to a size of a human palm, something came to eat all the leaves! I prepared a whole gallon of gift for it!

What are the best ways of removing heavenly bamboo without chemicals and what should I look out for?

I live right by a creek and have a ton of wildlife I don't want to harm with chemicals.

I have a Weed Wrench which is pretty great at removing the whole root, sometimes with the help of my trenching shovel, and especially after a good rain. Not sure if it's because the soil is so dry right now or if it's the nature of the plant, but the roots seem pretty brittle, they've snapped very easily so far.

Also, I usually like to shred plants I pull and use them as mulch. Is this ok with heavenly bamboo? Or do I risk spreading it? I've done it with privet before and obviously don't do that with TOH. Not sure what the protocol is for this one though.