Invasive wintercreeper spreads from front lawns to old

Indiana has rich biodiversity with thousands of species in unique habitats, but the ornamental plant trade, globalization and development have introduced new threats to these ecosystems. IndyStar is highlighting some of the invasive species putting our natural landscape at risk and how you can help combat their spread.

When Cliff Chapman, the president of the Central Indiana Land Trust, stepped into Meltzer Woods in 1999, the property was “otherworldly,” he said — in a bad way.

The old-growth forest, full of trees aging past 150 years , was in a state of suffocation. The ground, once bright with a mosaic of native flowers, was carpeted in a thick, monochromatic mat of dark green leaves. This plant also snaked almost 60 feet up into the forest canopy. Bur oak and swamp white oak trees