Invasive (non-native) Plants and Animals

Loss of native species & species change since Spanish Mission settlement

• European annuals replace native perennial bunch grasses
• wild grape, pepper tree, livestock (cattle, burros, horses, pigs)

Classic Non-Native or Exotic Species today

• eucalyptus, tumbleweed, Russian star thistle
• European starling, English sparrow, pheasant, alpine fish
  
  
• farm crops: wheat, oats, fruit and nut trees (apple, walnut...)
• ornamentals: American chestnut, Dutch elm, poplar, sweetgum
• mediterranean fruit fly and contemporary plant diseases

Extirpation and Recovery

• extirpated Grizzly (Brown) bear, valley elk, antelope to fringes
• recovery of bald eagles, fresh-water pelicans and others
  
  

California Index