Biodiversity

Alien invaders

Midlothian, like most areas of the country, has a problem with alien invaders - plants and animals that have been introduced to the area, for a variety of reasons, that are threatening biodiversity.

In Midlothian three plant species that are causing great concern are:

• Japanese knotweed
• Himalayan balsam
• Giant hogweed (The sap can cause severe burns! More about giant hogweed.)

How you can help

Report a sighting to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

You can record one-off sightings of invasive species at iRecord.