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Community Corner

PHOTOS: Northfield's 10 Least Wanted Plants

Watch out for these invasive plants in Northfield.

They are thugs and ruffians—plants that easily escape the confines of a garden or wild area and take over. Some work in groups forming thick colonies of a single species of plant, crowding out less aggressive but important native species. Others seem to be well-mannered, even charming as ornamental plants, but that hides a dastardly underside; with the help of birds or their roots, they plan to take over. One of these criminals is harmful to human health.

With help from Nancy Braker, director of the , Patch identified 10 invasive species in Northfield. For purposes of this list, common weeds—which are plants that you may not like in your yard or garden, but are not threatening to native habitats or people—are not included. Most of these are on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Invasive Plant List.

How invasive a plant is in a particular area varies, depending on sun, soil conditions and what grows around it, but these are a few to watch out for.

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For more information on invasives in the Midwest, check out the website of the Invasive Plant Association of Wisconsin (IPAW).

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