Dandelions, crabgrass, Canadian thistle, buckthorn.
There's a long list of exotic plants that have invaded Minnesota and made it their home at the expense of native plants.
Usually, by the time people realize how damaging these plants are, they're so widespread that trying to get rid of them is an exercise in futility. So it's refreshing when a plant is recognized as invasive before it becomes a serious problem. Such is the case with Oriental bittersweet.
Oriental bittersweet is a fast-growing plant usually seen as a climbing vine or, less frequently, as a shrub. Originally from East Asia, it was brought to the United States in the 1860s and widely planted on walls and fences. Because it spread quickly and could tolerate harsh conditions, it was later used to help control erosion along roadsides. It also produces lots of seeds, which are distributed by birds. All of which led to its status as an invasive plant across much of the Eastern and Southern United States.
For years, most experts thought Oriental bittersweet wouldn't be a problem in Minnesota because it wasn't believed to be hardy.
How wrong we were.
Problems sprout up
The Minnesota Department of Transportation reported the first infestations of Oriental bittersweet in 2010. But once those plants were examined, it became clear that this invasive has been in the state much longer.