Invasive plants
Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
What it looks like Dense, low-growing, multistemmed deciduous shrub from 3 to 6 ft. tall with a single thorn at the base of each clustered leaf (in green, blue-green, chartreuse or red-purple) with small yellow flowers suspended beneath the foliage in late spring, followed by small, bright red, egg-shaped berries from summer through winter.
Why it’s a problem Although not all cultivars are invasive, this popular ornamental shrub spreads into woodlands, crowding out native species and providing prime habitat for the black-legged ticks, which transmit Lyme disease.
Pull seedlings and dig out mature plants when the soil is moist. Repeated mowing or cutting will control but not completely eradicate it. Cut stems near ground level and apply an
