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River's Park Edge and its partners are pleased to offer all visitors a fun, educational challenge to locate ecological clues thoughout the park.
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Invasive plants
There are many different types of invasive plants across the state of Iowa. If left untreated, these plants can lead to something much more concerning than a weed infestation.
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River's Park Edge is home to many points of interest. But if you found this information interesting, keep seeking out more clues.
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Luckily, many insects help us get rid of unwanted plants because they also disrupt their ecosystems.
- Bush Honeysuckle: This invasive plant can grow up to 15 feet tall. It can be easily identified by its reddish-orange berries and pinkish-white flowers. It has extremely wide leaves, which can shade out native plants, blocking the sunlight they need to survive.
- Garlic Mustard: This invasive plant gives off a pungent garlic smell when crushed. It has small, white four-petaled flowers. The Garlic Mustard plant is one of Iowa’s most intense invaders because it has no natural predators. This plant easily spreads, threatening to take over woodland areas and forcing out native plants.
- Multiflora Rose: This plant can mimic what a regular rose looks like. However, to tell the difference between the two, the Multiflora Rose has vibrant red hip fruits. This plant becomes dangerous when a large gathering sprouts, creating thickets that push out native plants and exclude them from the nutrients they need to live.
Dig into the world of local noxious weeds and invasive plants from the local experts at Pottawattamie County Conservation.