Author
WildScope Editorial Desk
The WildScope editorial desk maintains species profiles, comparison pages and management guides. Drafts are checked against the cited sources and flagged for human fact-checking before launch.
Editorial team
Pages by WildScope Editorial Desk
-
Species profile
Brown marmorated stink bug identification, range and management
Brown marmorated stink bug identification: a shield-shaped, mottled brown bug with banded antennae that crowds into houses each fall.
-
Species profile
Burning bush identification, range and management
Burning bush identification: opposite leaves, corky winged twigs and bright red fall color. It is still sold in some states; check your state list first.
-
Species profile
Callery pear identification, range and management
Callery pear identification: white five-petaled flowers before the leaves, glossy wavy leaves and a rancid spring smell.
-
Species profile
Creeping charlie identification, range and management
Creeping charlie identification: square stems, opposite scalloped leaves and a minty smell, spreading by runners that root at nodes.
-
Comparison
Creeping Charlie vs Chickweed: The Stem Test
Creeping charlie vs chickweed: creeping charlie has a square stem and minty smell; chickweed has a round stem with a line of hairs and white star flowers.
-
Comparison
Creeping Charlie vs Henbit: One Easy Test
Creeping charlie vs henbit: creeping charlie leaves sit on long stalks and its runners root at nodes; henbit's upper leaves clasp the stem.
-
Species profile
Emerald ash borer identification, range and management
Emerald ash borer signs: metallic green beetles, D-shaped exit holes, S-shaped galleries and woodpecker blonding on ash trees.
-
Species profile
English ivy identification, range and management
English ivy identification: lobed juvenile leaves creep and climb, while unlobed adult leaves flower and fruit. The vine stays green all winter.
-
Species profile
Garlic mustard identification, range and management
Garlic mustard identification: a first-year rosette, a second-year flower stem and a garlic smell when a leaf is crushed.
-
Species profile
Giant hogweed identification, range and management
Giant hogweed identification: deeply cut leaves, coarse stem hairs and white flower heads up to 2.5 feet wide. Its sap burns skin, so identify from a distance.
-
Comparison
Giant Hogweed vs Cow Parsnip: Native or Hazard?
Giant hogweed vs cow parsnip: hogweed is taller, with coarser hairs and wider flower heads. Cow parsnip is smaller and native, but both can burn skin.
-
Comparison
Giant Hogweed vs Wild Parsnip: White or Yellow?
Giant hogweed vs wild parsnip: hogweed has white flower heads up to 2.5 feet wide; wild parsnip has flat yellow umbels and grows up to 5 feet.
-
Comparison
Giant Knotweed vs Japanese Knotweed: The Leaf Test
Giant knotweed vs Japanese knotweed: a heart-shaped leaf base and leaves over 6 inches point to giant; a squared base points to Japanese.
-
Guide
How to Dispose of Invasive Plants Safely
How to dispose of invasive plants: bag roots, tubers and seed heads, solarize the sealed bags, then trash them. Do not compost or send them to yard waste.
-
Guide
How to Get Rid of Garlic Mustard Before It Seeds
How to get rid of garlic mustard: pull before the seed pods form, bag every plant, and plan for years of follow-up from the seed bank.
-
Guide
How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants Without Chemicals
How to get rid of invasive plants without chemicals: pull, dig, cut on a schedule, smother or solarize. Where vinegar and boiling water fall short.
-
Guide
How to Get Rid of Invasive Plants: A Step-by-Step Guide
How to get rid of invasive plants: identify it, check state rules, choose a method by root type, dispose of every fragment, then monitor regrowth.
-
Guide
How to Get Rid of Lesser Celandine
How to get rid of lesser celandine: treat the green leaves in early spring, before it dies back. Dig only small patches, and never mow it.
-
Guide
How to Get Rid of Poison Hemlock Safely
How to get rid of poison hemlock safely: cover your skin, target first-year rosettes before they bolt, and bag every piece. Never burn it.
-
Guide
How to Kill Tree of Heaven and Stop the Suckers
How to kill tree of heaven: treat the standing tree from July to early fall, wait about 30 days, then cut. Cutting first invites root suckers.
-
Guide
How to Remove Bradford Pear and Callery Pear
How to remove Bradford pear and Callery pear: cut and treat the stump, pull seedlings, and replace the tree with a native species.
-
Guide
How to Remove Japanese Knotweed Without Spreading It
How to remove Japanese knotweed: treat the rhizome system over several seasons, cut before spraying, and contain every fragment.
-
Species profile
Japanese beetle identification, range and management
Japanese beetle identification: a metallic green beetle with coppery wing covers and five white tufts on each side. Its grubs feed on lawn roots.
-
Species profile
Japanese knotweed identification, range and management
Japanese knotweed identification: hollow jointed stems, squared leaf bases and deep rhizomes. It resembles bamboo but has herbaceous stems.
-
Comparison
Japanese Knotweed vs Bamboo: How to Tell Them Apart
Japanese knotweed vs bamboo: knotweed is herbaceous, hollow and dies back in winter; bamboo is woody and keeps its papery leaves.
-
Species profile
Japanese stiltgrass identification, range and management
Japanese stiltgrass identification: a silver stripe down the blade, shallow roots and late-summer seed heads. Learn how to stop it before it seeds.
-
Species profile
Lesser celandine identification, range and management
Lesser celandine identification: glossy leaves and eight to twelve yellow petals in early spring, usually gone underground by late May.
-
Comparison
Lesser Celandine vs Marsh Marigold: Which Is It?
Lesser celandine vs marsh marigold: count the yellow flower parts and check the leaf edge. One is invasive; the other is a native wetland plant to leave alone.
-
Species profile
Mile-a-minute weed identification, range and management
Mile-a-minute weed identification: triangular leaves, a saucer-shaped sheath and backward barbs on the stem. Learn how to stop this annual vine before seed set.
-
Species profile
Multiflora rose identification, range and management
Multiflora rose identification: fringed stipules at the leaf base, white five-petaled flowers and arching thorny canes that form dense thickets.
-
Guide
Native vs Invasive Honeysuckle: The Hollow-Pith Test
Native vs invasive honeysuckle: cut a stem and look at the pith. Invasive shrub honeysuckles are hollow; native fly and bush honeysuckle are solid.
-
Species profile
Oriental bittersweet identification, range and management
Oriental bittersweet identification: twining stems, glossy leaves and yellow-orange fruit that splits to red. Fruit grows along the stem, not just at the tips.
-
Species profile
Poison hemlock identification, range and management
Poison hemlock identification: a smooth, hollow stem with purple blotches and fern-like leaves. All parts are toxic if eaten; wear gloves when handling.
-
Comparison
Poison Hemlock vs Queen Anne's Lace: The Stem Test
Poison hemlock vs Queen Anne's lace: a smooth, purple-blotched stem means hemlock; a bristly, hairy stem means Queen Anne's lace. If unsure, do not touch.
-
Guide
Spotted Lanternfly Eggs: How to Find, Scrape and Destroy Them
Spotted lanternfly egg masses look like gray putty, are laid September to December, and hatch late April to June. How to find, scrape and destroy them.
-
Species profile
Spotted lanternfly identification, range and management
Spotted lanternfly identification: gray black-spotted forewings held roof-like, red hindwings and a yellow banded abdomen. Egg masses look like gray putty.
-
Guide
Spotted Lanternfly Look-Alikes: What Else It Could Be
Spotted lanternfly look alikes: at rest the gray, black-spotted wings sit roof-like over the back. Flat, wide wings mean a moth, not a lanternfly.
-
Guide
Spring Invasive Plants Checklist: What to Look For in March, April, May and June
Spring invasive plants checklist: what to look for and act on each month from March through June, with links to species and removal guides.
-
Comparison
Stink Bug vs Boxelder Bug: Which Is in Your House?
Stink bug vs boxelder bug: boxelder bugs have red-orange stripes; brown marmorated stink bugs are mottled brown with banded antennae. Both come inside in fall.
-
Comparison
Stink Bug vs Kissing Bug: Which One Bites?
Stink bug vs kissing bug: stink bugs are shield-shaped plant feeders that do not bite. Kissing bugs have a cone-shaped head and can carry Chagas disease.
-
Guide
Tree of Heaven Bark: How to Identify It in Winter
Tree of heaven bark is pale gray and even, with no deep furrows. In winter, the stout twig, heart-shaped leaf scar and spongy pith settle it.
-
Species profile
Tree of heaven identification, range and management
Tree of heaven identification: long compound leaves with smooth edges and a gland at each leaflet base, pale bark and a strong odor when crushed.
-
Comparison
Tree of Heaven vs Sumac: How to Tell Them Apart
Tree of heaven vs sumac: smooth leaflets with a gland at the base and winged seeds mean tree of heaven; toothed leaflets and red berries mean native sumac.
-
Comparison
Water Hemlock vs Poison Hemlock: The Leaf-Vein Test
Water hemlock vs poison hemlock identification: both are deadly. Poison hemlock leaf veins end at tooth tips; water hemlock veins end in the notches.
-
Guide
When Do Spotted Lanternflies Hatch? A Monthly Guide
When do spotted lanternflies hatch? In Pennsylvania, from late April through June; in New York and Massachusetts, mostly May and June. Hatching spans weeks.
-
Guide
When to Treat Invasive Plants: A Seasonal Calendar
Best time to spray invasive plants: late summer to early fall for woody plants and late-season perennials. Spring ephemerals need early spring instead.