Welcome to day five of Invasive Species Week 2025!
It's been a fantastic week so far, thank you to everyone who has been involved!
We'd love to hear how you've taken part in Invasive Species Week, whether you put up a poster in your office at work, shared information on social media, or ran an event. Contact us to let us know and make sure we include this in our summary next week.
Our daily theme
Today’s themes are recording non-native species and volunteering with a Local Action Group. Over the weekend we’re focusing on the five simple things everyone can do to help reduce the impacts of invasive non-native species.
Recording non-native species
A simple thing that everyone can do is to look out for and record non-native species sightings. It's particularly important to report sightings of alert species and new non-native species:
- Contact us to order a free alert species poster with information on species to look out for.
- Remember to report alert species sightings to iRecord: Enter non-native species records | iRecord.
Volunteering with a Local Action Group
We're celebrating the Local Action Groups across the country that play a key role in reducing the impacts of invasive non-native species, and have worked with APHA's Local Action Group Coordinator to create an infographic celebrating their work:
- Download our new infographic highlighting the fantastic work of Local Action Groups.
- Learn more about Local Action Groups and find a group near you.
Five simple things
This week we’ve looked at five things that everyone can do to help, here’s a reminder:
- Keep any boats, clothing, footwear and equipment used in water free of invasive non-native species – remember to Check Clean Dry after use.
- Be Plant Wise and don't let your garden, pond, or aquarium plants enter the wild.
- Take care of your pets, never release them or allow them to escape into the wild. It’s cruel and could harm other wildlife.
- Look out for alert species and record your sightings through iRecord. Download a poster of alert species to help you.
- If you enjoy being outside consider volunteering with a Local Action Group working on invasive species management.
You can order a poster and mini-fold out guides to help raise awareness.
Events today and over the weekend
Our final Invasive Species Week webinar is taking place this afternoon, we'll be joined by Tees Rivers Trust to hear about their exciting new project. Find out more and register.
Other events taking place over the next few days include:
Today
- 10:00-13:00: South West Lakes Trust are leading a walk around College Reservoir showing what to look out for and record in an invasive species report. Find out more.
- 10:00-14:00: The Angling Trust and Paddle UK are leading a floating pennywort removal session on the River Weaver. Find out more and register to attend.
At the weekend
- Saturday until the 25 May: Take part in the Big Rock Pool Challenge National Bioblitz to track invasive non-native marine species and protect UK coastal wildlife. Find out more and sign up to take part.
- 10:00-12:00 Saturday:
- 10:00-15:00 Saturday: Learn about invasive species and take part in themed activities at Severn Trent’s annual INNS and biosecurity event at Carsington Water, Mission INNSpossible.
- 10:00-16:00 Saturday and Sunday: Head to Roadford Lake Cafe to pick up a leaflet to complete South West Lakes Trust's INNS trail.
- 10:00-15:00 Saturday: Paddle UK, the Leaside Trust Canoe Club and others are leading a volunteering event to remove floating pennywort from the River Lea. Find out more and register to attend.
- 10:30-13:00 Saturday: Take part in a taster session to remove floating pennywort at the LoveLea festival. Find out more and register to attend.
You may have missed
- Catch up on yesterday's webinar with Natural Selections of South Florida and the Cayman Islands Government, on invasive reptiles and amphibians in the UK Overseas Territories and wider Caribbean Region, by watching a recording on our webinar page.
- A blog on yellow-legged hornet, from from the National Bee Unit on the APHA Science Blog.
Good luck to everyone running activities today and over the weekend! You can take part on social media using the hashtag #INNSweek, we’re on X at @InvasiveSp.