IL Among States Most At Risk For Invasive Plants: Ranking

ILLINOIS — Illinois is among the states most at risk for invasive plant species, according to a recent ranking from Lawn Love.

The lawn care website determined the ranking by considering weighted factors related to invasive plant presence, climate and regulatory membership, then averaged each state’s scores across all aspects of the ranking for an overall score out of 100 points.

The Prairie State came in 11th in the ranking and had an overall score of 56.95. Alabama was 10th with 58.16 and Georgia was 12th with 56.62. Illinois also ranked fifth for invasive plant presence.

California was No. 1 on the list with an overall score of 71.39, followed by New York at 70.54 and Massachusetts at 67.8. Alaska was No. 51 in the ranking, which included the District of Columbia, and had an overall score of 16.4.

“The biggest concern with introducing non-native species is the potential that they’ll become invasive,” Bethany Bradley, a professor of environmental conservation at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, told Lawn Love.

“Invasive species by definition are ones that harm ecosystems — typically by outcompeting native plants and reducing the resources available for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Some invasive plants also change how an ecosystem functions, for example by using a lot of water or fueling fires.”

See the full ranking from Lawn Love.