Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Tackling Invasive Species

Florida is a beautiful state filled with natural lands, ecological sites, and a flourishing ecosystem. Florida is home to many species of both native plants and animals, but unfortunately our year-round warm climate also makes it attractive to invasive species.

What are invasive Species?

An invasive species is a non-native species that becomes established and causes harm to the environment, economy, or human health.

In Florida, the impact of invasive species is significant:

Environmental harm: Invasive plants can crowd out native species, disrupt food webs, and compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients.
Economic harm: Each year, Florida spends $45 million on managing invasive plants on conservation acres alone (Hiatt, et al. 2018). The agriculture industry loses an estimated $179 million annually to invasive plants, animals, and disease (Schmitz 2002).
Human health risk: Certain invasive plants are toxic to touch or consume, posing dangers to people and pets.

Common Traits of Invasive Species

Many invasive species share characteristics that make them difficult to control, including:

Fast growth rates
Short time to reproduce
Production of many offspring/seeds
Effective dispersal
Tolerant to many habitats

How do Invasive Species get to Florida?

Ornamental plant introduction: Coral Ardisia and Climbing Ferns were both originally introduced in Florida as attractive ornamental plants, before we learned about their invasive qualities.
Travel souvenirs: Invasive plants have also been introduced in Florida from other regions by bringing souvenir plant seeds or flowers home from an international trip. While we may enjoy exotic fruit, beautiful flowers, and flourishing plants during our travel, it is best to snap some photos because the US Department of Agriculture has restrictions on bringing agricultural products into the US. This is to protect American agriculture from foreign pests or diseases, which you can read more about here.
Seed sharing: Even well-intentioned “pass-along plants” between friends can unintentionally spread invasives. When in doubt, check with your local UF/IFAS Extension Office or send samples to the UF Herbarium for identification.
Exotic pet releases: When it comes to animals, many invasive animals have been acquired through the exotic pet trade. Whether accidental or intentional, releasing animals into the wild is harmful. It is important to select pets responsibly, understanding their lifespan and the full size they grow to will help determine if they are the right pet for you!

What to do if you come across an invasive species:

In your yard:

Air potato vines engulfing a backyards by killing and smothering other plants. Air potato is a vigorously twining herbaceous vine.

Get proper identification
- Seek your local Extension office or
- Send samples to the UF Herbarium (photos or physical sample)
Remove the plant/Implement management method
Replace with Florida Friendly Plant

In the wild:

Report sightings immediately
- https://www.eddmaps.org/ (plants, insects, fungi/diseases, wildlife)
- 1-888-IveGot1 (1-888-483-4681; live animals only)
- https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/report/

Want to learn more about invasive plant species? Sign up for my upcoming Florida’s Hidden Invaders: Tackling Invasive Species at Mead Botanical Garden on 9/24/25 at 12 pm. Sign up here.

Unable to attend? I teach webinars multiple times a year, so subscribe to our OCExtension.Eventbrite.com site to be updated when the next class is scheduled!