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List of invasive plant species in the Indiana Dunes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Purple loosestrife, Lythrum salicaria

The Indiana Dunes is an area of land beside Lake Michigan, in the State of Indiana, United States. It includes Indiana Dunes National Park and Indiana Dunes State Park. Non-native plant species, specifically invasive species, have colonized that area. Invasive plants are those plants that aggressively spread throughout an area and out-compete other plant species, normally those that are native to the area.

Negative impacts

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Invasive plant species in the Indiana Dunes have several negative impacts. They may:

  • Displace the variety of flowering plants, substituting a monoculture
  • Grow densely around trails, roads, and water, making travel difficult or impossible
  • Introduce toxins into the environment
  • Have unpleasant spines or thorns
  • Smother ponds, killing fish

Specific examples include:

Species established within the Dunes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l The Singing Sands; National Park Service, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, Summer 2009, Vol. 30 No.1