Henry Winfiele, owner of Woolly Bear Natives
They might not initially seem that troublesome, but invasive plants are a major environmental problem. Deceitful with their charming blooms and foliage, they wreak havoc on local ecosystems. Thankfully, there’s a growing effort to stop them, including in the Richmond area.
The region is home to countless invasive species like tree of heaven, Japanese honeysuckle, Bradford pear trees, kudzu, autumn olives and phragmites (common reed grass) in wetlands.
“‘Invasive’ is not just something outside of a native range,” says Carrie Wu, a biologist at University of Richmond. “A lot of things are not native, like ornamental tulips. It’s a concern when a [non-native] species spreads aggressively and has impacts on the ecosystem, human health or economy.”
It’s why the Virginia Invasive Plant Species List was created. Overseen by the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the list identifies and ranks the threat of invasive species already established in or that have the potential to spread within Virginia and must be updated every four years.
“For some, it’s hard to see the connection,” says Kevin Heffernan, DCR’s natural heritage invasive species coordinator, regarding the impact of these plants. “It’s often a very slow transformation, but what will happen over time is less and less biological diversity.”
The success of any invasives is frequently the unintentional result of gardeners. Some ornamentals, like vinca minor, are commonly used as ground covers but can spread forcefully as a vine. English ivy, also a popular ground cover, is notorious in Richmond.
“Once [English ivy] escapes a planter box, it can grow aggressively,” Wu says. “A lot of parks in the area have a Free-A-Tree program to try to remove English ivy from trees, which can overwhelm and choke big trees.”
The spores and seeds of invasive species can discreetly travel on animal fur and human clothing or equipment, further contributing to the spread — especially in recreational areas where many people tend to congregate. This is often why places like the James River Park System and similar areas are packed with invasives.
Jenny Jenkins-Rash of Sneed’s Nursery
Stop and Shop
Garden centers have also been a factor. A 2023 study by the University of Massachusetts Amherst found that many plant nurseries are usually a primary source of invasives. Some though, like Sneed’s Nursery near Bon Air, have taken notice and are doing their part to stop the problem.
Situated on West Huguenot Road, the garden center stopped selling invasives in 2019, becoming the only garden center in the area to do so. “We looked at [not carrying invasives] as a teaching opportunity,” Operations Manager Jenny Jenkins-Rash says. “When customers come in asking for an invasive plant, we can talk about what that means and show them alternatives to that choice.”
The Virginia Invasive Species List currently has 103 species. Overseen by the state-led Invasive Species Working Group, which was formed in 2003, it uses guidance from the Invasive Species Advisory Committee, of which Wu and Heffernan are members, to make policy.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed legislation in March requiring stores to label invasive species by 2027. Apart from signage, a QR code will take visitors to a DCR website explaining more about the invasive plant and native alternatives.
“Avoid those species even if it’s formerly favorite ones,” Heffernan says. “There are so many plants in the world, you can find a new favorite.”
Winterthur viburnum is one native species sold by Sneed’s Nursery near Bon Air.
Invasive plants cost the commonwealth around $1 billion a year to manage, the working group reports. Apart from ruining landscape aesthetics, they can destroy crops, cause livestock illness and encourage plant disease. For instance, tree of heaven is a preferred host plant for the spotted lanternfly, another destructive invader that wreaks havoc on trees, soybeans and fruits.
“[Invasives] can damage native plants and make it easier for other introduced plants to be able to invade ecosystems,” Wu notes.
There’s also a much-debated issue that makes managing invasive species even more difficult. The noxious weed list, overseen by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, can’t list species in commercial trade. This is why some invasives, like English ivy, can still be sold.
These plants are fought in several ways, such as the use of carefully applied herbicides. Upcoming RNA interference technology could also be an important tool for destroying the growth hormones of targeted invasives.
Meticulous monitoring of invasive species is key, such as with the two-horned trapa, first reported a decade ago in Northern Virginia. The plant appears in large backyard and retention ponds and is one of Heffernan’s latest focuses.
“Even though it’s currently known in a couple hundred ponds … often the actual biomass is very low, so there’s a very good chance to stop its spread in Virginia,” he says.
Keeping It Local
There’s still much work to do, but strong efforts are underway. Public education is becoming more widespread, and groups, like the JRPS Invasive Plant Task Force, are removing invasives throughout Richmond’s park system. Several native plant-focused nurseries are also being established, such as Woolly Bear Natives.
The company, which opened to the public in 2024, offers a plethora of natives, including blue-eyed grass, asters and common violets grown and cared for on a half-acre lot in Lakeside.
“There are so many more cool plants and so few people growing them,” says owner and grower Henry Winfiele, who runs the business with his husband, Alex McWhorter. “I'm constantly stunned by the number of underutilized and underappreciated Virginia native plant species and hope to make more people aware of the potential of native plants.”
Woolly Bear collects local seeds with permission from private lands, public roadsides, power line cut-throughs and garden-grown plants sourced from other area ecotype nurseries. Its plants can be found at local events or through its online shop.
While many things dazzle Winfiele about native plants, perhaps one of the most fascinating has been the diversity of wildlife attracted by them.
“I've seen American woodcocks and eastern flying squirrels in our backyard. We get an insane show of hummingbirds, fireflies and pollinating insects of all sizes. Not to mention the countless native bees, some of the solitary bees which are so small you may not recognize them as bees,” Winfiele says. “Keep in mind, we are surrounded on all sides by roads, and many native bees nest 100 feet from where they forage, so we must be doing something right.”
