Invasive Species: How Neglect Breeds a Problem

 

Today is the last day of this year’s Invasive Species Awareness week. You might think that native plant advocates would only talk about native plants, but unfortunately the presence and spread of invasive plant species negatively affect populations of native plants. Those of us who care about native plant populations and habitat have to educate people about both native plants and the impact of some exotic, invasive plants.

Photo: Richard Gardner, Bugwood.org

How do exotic invasive plants spread? First someone plants them, but what happens next is what makes them a problem. Their seeds spread: via wind, wildlife, and water. These seeds land in new places and create new populations. This spread may start slowly at first: it is said that Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) grew in gardens for years before it made the leap to invasive status. Yet by 2008, this exotic vine had disturbed over 10 million acres, far more than any other plant (including kudzu).

What happens next is the problem: neglect and ignorance. For example:

• People don’t realize an exotic plant has self-seeded into their property.
• Or they notice it but don’t recognize it and decide to do nothing.
• Or they notice, may even recognize it (like the honeysuckle), and decide to leave it (perhaps not realizing its invasive potential).

One plant turns into this over several decades

Years ago, ignorance was easy to understand. Resources to identify plants (“Ask Aunt Mary, she knows plants.”) were few and hard to obtain. Today, ignorance is no excuse. Plant apps can help anyone figure what they have. This is especially important when plants are just becoming invasive in an area; I have watched tree of heaven and princess tree slowly spread into north Georgia, in parks and on roadsides.

Princess tree (Paulownia)

So if you find something and you don’t know what it is, please take steps to figure it out. If you need help in Georgia, there is a good Facebook group, you can always reach out to the Georgia Native Plant Society, and your local extension office can help. Don't be part of the problem, be a part of the solution!

Some of my previous blogs on invasive plants:

Invasive Plants Give the Wrong Impression

Winter Weeds in the South

The Forest Less Diverse

Removing Invasive Plants Makes a Difference

Remove Invasive Plants Early for Best Results

The Sneaky Invasives: Porcelainberry

 

Kudzu is easy to recognize but it's not the worst