Invasive species?? Not on our watch!
One of the most common invasive species we have at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is the Chinese Privet (Ligustrum sinense). Originally from China, this plant was first introduced to the United States as an ornamental shrub in 1852. It’s ability to thrive in poor environmental conditions made it a popular landscaping plant. But that was before people realized how invasive this plant can be.
Chinese Privet grows in dense thickets invading forests, riparians, fields, and roadsides. It reproduces quickly due to a high seed production, and their aggressive growth rate out-competes native plants for space and sunlight. And unfortunately, our Arboretum is covered in them!
Home Schoolers take action!
We took all 65 students out along the White Oak and Inner Loop Trails to identify and remove the invasive Chinese Privet. We found several patches of saplings and small shrubs along the sides of the trails. Our group of eager conservationists jumped right in and started pulling up the invasive species!
Check out a few of the photos from the clearing. These guys did a fantastic job!
Houston Arboretum Home School Blog 