Invading Species Push Native Plants and Animals to the Brink
Meet some of the animals and plants who don’t belong in Colorado but have found a home there–to the detriment of the native species.
The Red-eared Slider Turtle is wiping out the Western Painted Turtle while the American Bullfrog is competing for food and water resources with the Northern Leopard Frog–the state reptile of Colorado.
Tarmarisk is a noxious weed that is choking out native plants and while Musk Thistle is a beautiful purple flower it indicates an imbalanced plant ecosystem.
Many other invasive plant species are moving into Colorado, hitching rides on people’s clothing, in firewood and building materials. Most of the invasive animals that now call the area home like Zebra Mussels are closely watched but could get out of control if monitoring budgets keep shrinking and pet owners continue to release non-native pets into the wild.
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