The National Park Service defines an invasive species as something that can cause harm to the environment or economy, along with human, plant or animal health. Additionally, all invasive species are non-native, but not all non-native species are invasive.

In Tennessee, there are a variety of organisms that are considered invasive species . They fall into three categories: Plants, insects and animals.

Each year, federal and state agencies along with individuals file reports that are compiled and then organized to make up a list of the most invasive species by state. The Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia , regularly shares this up-to-date data.

Below, you will see the 2025 data for Tennessee:

Plants

The state's top five invasive plants are

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