In this activity, participants will learn how to identify native and invasive plants in Anne Arundel County and decide: What should we do with them?

Native plants are those that have evolved and occur naturally in a particular region, ecosystem, and habitat. They comprise excellent habitat for wildlife, are a crucial food source for all kinds of insects, birds, and mammals, and also help maintain water quality by retarding erosion into creeks and rivers.

By contrast, invasive plants reproduce quickly and can grow anywhere, easily outcompeting native plants. They have no natural check on their growth, yet lack helpful nutrients that support wildlife. Further, their roots are too shallow to stabilize soil or absorb stormwater, increasing erosion and discharging more sediment and pollution entering our local waterways.

Plant It or Pull It promotes healthy watersheds by teaching participants what plants are positive additions to their gardens and which are harmful and should be removed. While designed for students in 3rd grade, this resource can be adapted for all kinds of audiences. See suggestions in our section on Adaptations. This is a good lesson to pair with lessons about water quality or habitat.

Participants need to know the differences among native, introduced, and invasive plants.

Native plants have been here since before the first Europeans arrived and generally contribute to the environment. They support wildlife, reduce runoff, and help keep streams cleaner.

Introduced plants were brought here from their native areas, such as Europe or Asia, either intentionally or accidentally. Not all non-natives are invasive, including many of our food crops.

Invasive plants are a large group of these introduced species that can and do take over and drive away native species. They are very good at being invasive!

Suggested Books to Share:

Hands-On-Activity: Show participants study cards with information about various plants, designed to help them decide what should be should be planted or retained, and what should be cut or pulled.

Optional Outdoor Activity: Talk a walk outside and, using the cards from the lesson (or an app such as PlantNet or iNaturalist), help people categorize plants. If possible, bring gardening gloves, trash bags, and clippers to begin removing those invaders.

Reflection: Ask your participants what they learned and seek suggestions how they can take action for a healthy watershed!

Essential Question to Explore: How do native plants increase the health of streams and habitats in our watershed?

1. Materials You Will Need: 

• WSA "Plant it Pull it" Plant cards (If you have a preferred native and invasive plant ID cards, you can use those as well!). If you would like a copy without the Watermark to print, please contact the WSA Engagement team for those permissions.  Note- Watershed Stewards can check out printed copies of the "Plant it or Pull it" plant cards. Please contact WSA staff to check them out!

• Laminated worksheets Erasable markers.

White board with markers or magnets Vocabulary board (optional)

For the optional activity: gardening gloves, clippers, trash bag, additional identifying aids, such as books or apps

Directions:

Exploration

1. Ask participants what they already know about their watershed. 1.b.What are some of the animals that live there?

3. Discuss how plants are crucial for habitat by providing food and shelter.

4. Explain that plants also help keep rivers and streams clean by providing shade and filtering pollutants.

5. Point out that not all plants are equal in the benefits they provide.

6. Define the following terms:

   1. Native plants — here before Europeans arrived

   2. Introduced plants—brought over intentionally or accidentally

   3. Invasive plants—out-compete native plants 1.g.Discuss how invasive plants are good at being invasive.

1. Difficult to kill or eradicate

2. Few predators and local wildlife eat them

3. Multiply fast, usually with a variety of methods

1. Read Out Loud (optional): Read a Book Controlling Invasive Species / Watch a Short Video Garlic Mustard Recorded Webinars from Maryland Native Plants Society

1. Hands-on-Activity

   1. Let’s play detective! Set up a white board and make two columns: Plant It? Pull It?

   2. Group students in teams of two, and provide each team a laminated activity worksheet and a plant card. Walk them through an example. (Ivy is a good one.) Should this be planted in, or pulled from, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed?

   3. As students proceed to choose cards from their packets and resolve the question, they write the plant name on the board. It’s okay to have the same plant multiple times or in differing columns.

   4. Students will have time to finish between 2 and 3 plants.

   5. As an alternative, each plant can be written on the board with a space beneath it to draw a smiley face (plant it) or frowny face (pull it)

1. Continued Exploration Outside (optional)

   1. On a short walk outside, have students identify native or invasive plants, and if time permits, remove the invasives. (Remember to have appropriate gear to do the removal safely,

and make sure you have the property owner’s permission!) Bag up and dispose of the plants.

1. Reflection: Ask the audience some questions:.

   1. What have you learned? What actions can you take to make the environment healthier?

   2. What was your highest scoring plant? How was it helpful?

   3. Did you find any plants that surprised you for benefitting wildlife?

   4. Which plants help keep the water clear by holding soil back and reducing erosion?

   5. Were there any plants you were not certain about?

1. 1. Review the essential question: How do native plants increase the health of habitats in our watershed? Have students reflect and answer.

Worksheet PDF

1. General Suggestions

Adaptations for Different Audiences

Kindergarten: These young ones may have just learned about how terrific trees are. Use a packet of cards on Invasive and Native trees (To be developed)

Middle/High School: As a complex case study, take a close look at bamboo and its positive /negative impacts on the environment.

Mixed Age / Families: Ww recommend drawing questions from our K-5 examples so that everyone will be able to participate.

Adaptations for Different Formats

Indoor Or Outdoor Classroom Setting, As written

Program for a Small Audience (10 or less), As written

Program for a Medium Audience (up to 20), Will need more copies of plant cards

Program with a Club - Could this be part of a series of lessons?

Tie in with lessons on foraging, pollinators, or plant parts.

Table at a Community Event or Festival-Participants can take a card and decide if it should be planted or pulled. Specimen plants

could be on display, as well as a list of nurseries where the natives could be purchased.

Steward Capstone Project: Once the activity is completed, walk with members of a community with gloves, clippers, and plastic bags to remove invasive species.

1. Key Terms

Native Introduced Invasive Watershed

2. Fun Facts

It is illegal in Maryland to plant or sell Corydalis incisa (incised fumewort).

In England, a bank may refuse a mortgage on a property with Japanese Knotweed.

It is illegal to plant Forget Me Nots in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Eight states ban the growing of garlic mustard.

Billions of dollars are spent every year on attempting to control invasive species.

3. Vocabulary

• Native Plant: A plant originally found in a particular region.  In North America, plants that were here before European explorers arrived.

• Introduced Plant: A non native plant brought over on purpose or accidentally. Some of these may be invasive. Some are our crops.

• Invasive: A group of introduced plants that outcompete native plants

• Rhizome: An underground stem that sends out roots.