Introduced and assessed as invasive in the lower 48 states
Ohio law lists it as an invasive plant: not native to Ohio, and causing, or likely to cause, economic, environmental or human health harm.
iNaturalist's volunteer curators list it as introduced in their Ohio checklist.
US-RIIS assesses a species as invasive when it causes, or is likely to cause, harm there, or is at least locally abundant and harmful ecologically, economically, or to health.
Season shown in 16 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
No result yet (22)
Recorded, too few records for a result (47)
Recorded, season not shown (3)
Season shown (16)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
purple loosestrife by Ohio county: records and mapped range
County
Records
Adams County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Allen County
No qualifying records yet
Ashland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula County
31 · Season shown
Athens County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Auglaize County
No qualifying records yet
Belmont County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Brown County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Butler County
32 · Season shown
Carroll County
No qualifying records yet
Champaign County
No qualifying records yet
Clark County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clermont County
27 · Season shown
Clinton County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Columbiana County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Crawford County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Cuyahoga County
169 · Season shown
Darke County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Defiance County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Delaware County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Erie County
31 · Season shown
Fairfield County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Fayette County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Franklin County
82 · Season shown
Fulton County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Gallia County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Geauga County
45 · Season shown
Greene County
28 · Recorded, season not shown
Guernsey County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hamilton County
46 · Season shown
Hancock County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hardin County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Harrison County
No qualifying records yet
Henry County
No qualifying records yet
Highland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hocking County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Holmes County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Huron County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Jackson County
No qualifying records yet
Jefferson County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Knox County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lake County
51 · Recorded, season not shown
Lawrence County
No qualifying records yet
Licking County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Logan County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lorain County
39 · Season shown
Lucas County
69 · Season shown
Madison County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Mahoning County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Marion County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Medina County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Meigs County
No qualifying records yet
Mercer County
No qualifying records yet
Miami County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Monroe County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Montgomery County
24 · Season shown
Morgan County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Morrow County
No qualifying records yet
Muskingum County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Noble County
No qualifying records yet
Ottawa County
44 · Season shown
Paulding County
No qualifying records yet
Perry County
No qualifying records yet
Pickaway County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Pike County
No qualifying records yet
Portage County
35 · Recorded, season not shown
Preble County
No qualifying records yet
Putnam County
No qualifying records yet
Richland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ross County
No qualifying records yet
Sandusky County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Scioto County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Seneca County
No qualifying records yet
Shelby County
No qualifying records yet
Stark County
40 · Season shown
Summit County
236 · Season shown
Trumbull County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Union County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Van Wert County
No qualifying records yet
Vinton County
No qualifying records yet
Warren County
29 · Season shown
Washington County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wayne County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Williams County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wood County
47 · Season shown
Wyandot County
Recorded, too few records for a result
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Lake County
Not enough evidence
The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season. Based on 51 records in 9 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, above the minimum of 20 records from 5 different years.
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Lake County · records of all species each week, 29,200 in all
Records per week from 51 records in 9 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not a season or how common it is.
Show as a table
Records of purple loosestrife in Lake County each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of purple loosestrife
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
0
0
54
Jan 11–17
0
0
37
Jan 18–24
0
0
52
Jan 25–31
0
0
82
Feb 1–7
0
0
58
Feb 8–14
0
0
89
Feb 15–21
0
0
51
Feb 22–28
0
0
54
Mar 1–7
0
0
51
Mar 8–14
0
0
155
Mar 15–21
0
0
190
Mar 22–28
0
0
166
Mar 29 – Apr 4
0
0
234
Apr 5–11
0
0
425
Apr 12–18
0
0
525
Apr 19–25
0
0
522
Apr 26 – May 2
0
0
844
May 3–9
1
1
1,247
May 10–16
0
0
647
May 17–23
0
0
950
May 24–30
0
0
1,067
May 31 – Jun 6
2
1
1,073
Jun 7–13
0
0
1,320
Jun 14–20
0
0
1,088
Jun 21–27
0
0
1,052
Jun 28 – Jul 4
2
2
1,305
Jul 5–11
4
2
1,359
Jul 12–18
3
3
1,171
Jul 19–25
4
4
1,056
Jul 26 – Aug 1
8
6
1,193
Aug 2–8
9
5
1,090
Aug 9–15
6
5
745
Aug 16–22
4
3
1,084
Aug 23–29
3
3
847
Aug 30 – Sep 5
0
0
699
Sep 6–12
3
3
858
Sep 13–19
0
0
714
Sep 20–26
1
1
739
Sep 27 – Oct 3
0
0
731
Oct 4–10
0
0
723
Oct 11–17
0
0
475
Oct 18–24
0
0
425
Oct 25–31
0
0
371
Nov 1–7
0
0
271
Nov 8–14
1
1
271
Nov 15–21
0
0
197
Nov 22–28
0
0
182
Nov 29 – Dec 5
0
0
81
Dec 6–12
0
0
111
Dec 13–19
0
0
84
Dec 20–26
0
0
96
Dec 27 – Jan 2
0
0
289
Reported in flower
Only 4 records here show flowers, too few to show a flowering season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
Reported in fruit
No records here show fruit yet, so there is no fruiting season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
In Ohio
Late June to mid-September, middle week Aug 2–8
Middle week · Aug 2–8
This week · Nov 8–14
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all
Records per week from 1,782 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 674 dates. Latest record: November 2025.
Show as a table
Records of purple loosestrife in Ohio each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of purple loosestrife
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
0
0
6,211
Jan 11–17
0
0
5,146
Jan 18–24
1
1
4,645
Jan 25–31
0
0
4,698
Feb 1–7
0
0
6,023
Feb 8–14
0
0
5,888
Feb 15–21
0
0
5,436
Feb 22–28
0
0
6,846
Mar 1–7
2
2
8,321
Mar 8–14
0
0
10,384
Mar 15–21
1
1
12,620
Mar 22–28
0
0
13,949
Mar 29 – Apr 4
1
1
19,661
Apr 5–11
0
0
26,860
Apr 12–18
0
0
39,925
Apr 19–25
0
0
41,623
Apr 26 – May 2
1
1
56,391
May 3–9
1
1
52,952
May 10–16
5
4
53,785
May 17–23
2
2
57,698
May 24–30
3
3
54,651
May 31 – Jun 6
5
3
53,099
Jun 7–13
9
5
53,700
Jun 14–20
17
5
56,625
Jun 21–27
38
9
55,361
Jun 28 – Jul 4
76
8
58,477
Jul 5–11
118
10
61,336
Jul 12–18
126
9
64,722
Jul 19–25
148
10
69,753
Jul 26 – Aug 1
188
10
59,416
Aug 2–8
225
10
59,712
Aug 9–15
181
10
55,994
Aug 16–22
180
10
54,328
Aug 23–29
121
10
51,772
Aug 30 – Sep 5
111
9
57,167
Sep 6–12
104
10
59,075
Sep 13–19
53
7
54,543
Sep 20–26
29
7
45,860
Sep 27 – Oct 3
15
4
43,180
Oct 4–10
7
4
37,841
Oct 11–17
6
5
30,824
Oct 18–24
0
0
21,156
Oct 25–31
3
2
19,021
Nov 1–7
1
1
14,172
Nov 8–14
2
2
12,621
Nov 15–21
1
1
7,965
Nov 22–28
0
0
8,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5
0
0
6,083
Dec 6–12
1
1
6,004
Dec 13–19
0
0
5,423
Dec 20–26
0
0
5,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2
0
0
8,459
Reported in flower
Usually reported in flower late June to early September, middle week Aug 2–8.
From 178 records that show flowers. Not every photo of a plant in flower is marked as flowering, so this shows when people reported it in flower, not when it flowers.
Reported in fruit
Only 6 records here show fruit, too few to show a fruiting season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Telling it apart
From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.
Winged LoosestrifeLythrum alatumOften confused in Ohio: 13 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
showy tick-trefoilDesmodium canadense76 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
Butterfly bushBuddleja davidii51 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
swamp loosestrifeDecodon verticillatus41 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
blue vervainVerbena hastata33 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Land cover where it is recorded
Land cover
Its recordsAll Ohio records
Developed
54%49%
Forest
14%31%
Wetland
13%5%
Farmland
10%11%
Open water
7%3%
Grassland and shrub
1%0.9%
Barren
1%0.6%
From 1,039 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.
