The public is being asked to help in recording populations of invasive non-native plants to help find out more about their spread and limit the damage they cause.

The Recording Invasive Species Counts (RISC) is funded by Defra and has has identified three animal and three plant species which are causing concern over their impact on the environment.

The invasive plants chosen are:

Water Primrose (Ludwigia peploides),
Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus altissima)
American Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus)

All are easy to identify and conservationists currently lack information on the extent of their spread.

All three were introduced by gardeners and are currently spreading through the countryside, but it’s not yet clear just how much impact they’re having. The website includes identification sheets for each of the species and also information on how they came to the UK, where populations are currently known to exist, and what effect they’ve had since they arrived.

‘It is important that awareness of non-native species is raised and their effects better understood,’ said RISC project co-ordinator Peter Brown. ‘By providing records, members of the public can play a vital role in helping scientists track non-native species and better understand their ecology.’

Anyone who sees these plants growing in the wild should report them via the RISC website. As well as information about where the plant was found and how many there were, contributors can upload photographs of sightings. All records are submitted to the Botanical Society of the British Isles for verification.

Editor, Third Age.