Invasive wetland plant is surging in citizen science sightings
iNaturalist Community
Invasive Species
If you walk past a marsh, pond edge, or ditch this month, those tall spikes of purple flowers you're seeing everywhere are an invasive species quietly out-competing the native plants that local wildlife depends on.
Purple loosestrife is a plant with tall purple flower spikes that grows in wet areas like marshes and pond edges. This week, people logged 225 confirmed sightings of it on iNaturalist, way more than usual, which likely means it's in full bloom and easy to spot right now. It's not a native plant in North America, and it tends to spread fast and crowd out the marsh plants that native bugs and birds actually rely on.
Key Findings
225 research-grade observations of purple loosestrife were logged in one week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants on iNaturalist for the period
The spike likely reflects peak bloom timing, making the plant highly visible to observers
chevron_right Technical Summary
Purple loosestrife is showing up everywhere on iNaturalist right now, with 225 verified sightings logged in a single week. That spike is worth watching because this plant is a fast-spreading invasive that can choke out native wetland species.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) — 225 observations this week
purple loosestrife is among the most observed plant species this week with 225 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Lythrum salicaria or purple-loosestrife is a flowering plant belonging to the family Lythraceae. It should not be confused with other plants sharing the name loosestrife that are members of the genus Lysimachia in the family Primulaceae. This herbaceous perennial plant is native to temperate regi...