Purple loosestrife, an exotic species, is listed as a noxious weed in South Dakota and although not listed as such in Nebraska, it is also a habitat concern. Purple loosestrife is an invasive species, displacing native wetland plants.
Purple loosestrife has the capabilities of rapid expansion either vegetatively or by seed dispersal.
It has little or no wildlife habitat value. Many streams in Nebraska, including the Niobrara, Platte and Loup Rivers are reporting severe infestations. Wetland basins in the Sandhills region of Nebraska and South Dakota are also reporting increases in loosestrife abundance. Biological control efforts using defoliating beetles and stem mining weevils are currently active in both states. There has been no assessment to date of either the extent of purple loosestrife abundance, or the effectiveness of the biological control efforts.