Michigan is restricting the sale and movement of several invasive species to prevent their spread throughout the state, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Water lettuce and water hyacinth — aquatic plants used in the nursery trade — became unlawful to introduce, import, sell, possess, or propagate in Michigan as of June 19, 2026. The department said four additional plants — common buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, callery pear, and Japanese barberry — will face identical restrictions starting January 1, 2028.
The department also signed a quarantine order restricting the movement of noncertified firewood into Michigan effective January 1, 2027. The order will affect travelers entering the state and local producers who source wood from outside Michigan, according to the agency.
The state said the regulations respond to an increase in invasive species being introduced through trade and human movement. More than 50 invasive species — including mussels, snails, fish, and flowers — are already regulated in Michigan and illegal to possess, introduce, import, sell, or trade.