Midwest Invasive Plant Network

Invasive plants are plants that are not native which cause, or are likely to cause, harm to our environment, economy, and/or human health.

MIPN's mission is to reduce the impact of invasive plant species in the Midwest.

Emily Finch, duboisswcd.org

Why We Care

Land Use

Left unchecked and untreated, invasive plants limit land use now and for future generations

Learn more about restoring invaded sites

Natural Heritage

Invasive plants can harm the natural heritage of wetlands, prairies, forests, lakes and rivers.

Learn more about invasive plants near me

Outdoor Activities

Invasive Plants decrease our ability to enjoy hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

Learn More about prevention

Control Costs

The longer we wait to take action, the more expensive it is to control invasive plants

Learn more about Invasive Plant Control

Get Involved!

Join Listserv

The MIPN Listserv is a moderated email group to share information and promote discussion about invasive plant research and control, events, and other announcements. To join send an email to mipnlist+subscribe@googlegroups.com with the subject line "Add to Listserv".

Give

When you support the Midwest Invasive Plant Network, you support invasive species prevention, early detection, management, and the health of our Midwest ecosystems.

Subscribe

Sign up to receive our electronic newsletters and other occasional updates on invasive plant news in the region.

News & Updates

The results are in from MIPN’s Annual Emerging Invasive Species Survey. We heard from experts from across the Midwest and have summarized which species are currently of greatest concern, which are of growing concern, and identified some regional priorities for early detection.

News from Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants A new Plant Alert has been issued for golden rain tree (Koelreuteria paniculata). Learn what experts at public gardens across North American have observed and why they are concerned about this plant. Download the Alert here. The PGSIP Working Group has published a new paper in Invasive Plant Science and Management that analyzes 5 years of data collected from participating gardens and identifies newly spreading species being noticed within gardens within different regions and determines whether they have been reported as state-listed/regulated/noxious outside of gardens.

New Woody Invasive Plant Field Guide This new field guide will help you identify 28 regulated plants found in the Great Lakes region, including how to differentiate them from look-alike species. Purchase your copy today!

Upcoming Events

Our first webinar of 2026 will be Winter Management of Curly Leaf Pondweed, with presenter Jason Euchner, Iowa DNR Aquatic Vegetation Management Biologist. Learn more and register here! You can access closed captioned recordings of our previous webinars on MIPN’s YouTube channel.

Don’t miss the Invasive Species Centre’s Annual Invasive Species Forum February 17-19, 2026. This virtual event is free and has a variety of presentations, including a presentation on Thursday by MIPN on Public Gardens as Sentinels against Invasive Plants.

The 2026 Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference will take place October 6-8 in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The call for abstracts is open with a deadline of April 15th.

Visit our Events Calendar to find other upcoming events!

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Sponsors

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Mark M. Holeman, Inc. Landscape Architects and Contractors