| When looking out at the bucolic scene
that surrounds the village with the green lawns,
occasional wild flowers and gentle breezes rustling
the leaves of our trees, it is difficult to believe
that a war is going on out there. This is not about
the war in Iraq or any other foreign country. This
is the green war. And we are being invaded. True,
they look innocent enough, often even attractive.
Yet they are dangerous to our environment and they
have no real enemies. They are called the 'invasive
plants." They come from foreign soils often planted
innocently by gardeners like myself a hundred years
or so ago. These plants are not as successful in
their countries of origin where they have natural
enemies - animals, insects and plants that prevent
their growing out of control. Endowed with abundant
seeds, these plants are spread by birds when they
are eaten and passed through the alimentary canal,
or by the wind or by water currents. These plants
take the place of our native species affecting many animals and plants. These plants cause
profound damage to our environment. |
While riding Rt. 128 in summer, you might notice a
swath of magenta flowers growing around Boston and
other areas. The color is attractive, but the plant
that causes this is not at all attractive. It is
called Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicania). This
plant is an overachiever which supplants native
plants. The cat tail plant (Typha angustifolia), which is home to the red wing black
birds as well as many other birds, provides food for
these animals as well as liners for their nests. While
pretty enough, the purple loosestrife is of little
use as food and shelter for wildlife. Purple
Loosestrife is a dangerous invasive for this New
England area.
With the dangers presented by such
plants, plant grower and nurseries must be very
careful and knowledgeable about these plants and
protect their environment...right? Sorry, they are
selling these plants in greenhouses and home stores
across the region. One can only assume that it is
out of ignorance that these plants are being
offered. For example, Norway Maple Trees (Acer
Plantanoides) and Burning Bush (Euonymus Alatus)
shrubs are frequently sold in nurseries as is
Japanese Barberry shrub (Berberus Thumbergii). These
are on the ten most wanted list of invasive plants.
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Grafton Canoe Ramp, Rt 122, sunrise
Photo - Michelle Fontaine
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| One of the invasive plants that has taken hold
here at the village is Asiatic Bittersweet (Asiatic
Orbiculatus). Some people collect this and make
wreaths of the vine. Others use it as a decoration
and perhaps place a few at the top of a cupboard or
mantle. There is a native Bittersweet (Celastrus
Scandens) and that plant is almost never seen.
Bittersweet is accidentally planted by birds at the
edge of the forest and in the hedgerows. It is
amazing to watch this plant grow. It always begins growing
in an entirely straight line with a few leaves. It grows as an under story plant and is looking
for something to grab hold of. Once it grabs
something it
winds around and around, and rapidly grows into a
vine with a very thick stem. As it matures it looks
for all the world like a tree rather than a vine. In
time it will overwhelm a sapling and grow in great
masses, shutting out light and forever changing the
forest floor. Given its properties it is not surprising
that it has taken hold at the doorsteps and the
corners of the very buildings we live in. So
aggressive are these vines that they are making
their way under the siding on the houses and pushing
the siding aside. |
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| The highway department regularly cuts
back the growth along the sides of the roads to
allow a good visual field for drivers as well as an
area to pull off the road if needed. Ask anyone who
tends these roads if they are familiar with Japanese
bamboo or Japanese knotwood (Plygonum cuspidatum
Flallopia japonica as well as its varieties) and
their answer will be "Yes." This plant has
some of the look of bamboo on the stem portion and
tastes very much like rhubarb. This plant was
brought from China mainly as a food source. In the
early spring I have gathered the sprouts arising
from the ground and tossed them in a salad. They
have a crunchy somewhat sour taste. Of course eating
them is one way to deplete their numbers. These
plants form dense shrubs on road sides and are very
difficult to control.
Several wild honeysuckles are classed as the top
ten most wanted invasive plants. These include
Japanese, Amur, Morrow's, Bells, tatarian and other
shrub honeysuckles (Lonicera japonica, L. maack, L.
morrowii, L. tatanica, L. xbella) Yellow Iris plants
(Iris pseudacorus) and European Buckthorn trees (or
Glossy or Common Buckthorne (Frangula Alnus) are
included in this list. Please note that not every
wide spread plant is an invasive. Some plants will
increase when conditions are right. However,
invasives are plants that threaten the environment
because of their aggressive tendencies and lack of
natural environmental controls.
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There is no easy solution to
ridding our environment of invasive plants. One can pull up
and destroy these plants which are growing near our homes.
We can plant alternative native plant which are
environmentally friendly. For example, American Bittersweet
(Celestrus scandens) and Virginia Creeper (Parthenocissus
quinquefolia) are good alternatives for Asiatic Bittersweet.
Certainly we can avoid growing any of the plants listed in
this article even if they are offered at the local home
store or nursery. We can be more thoughtful about the plants
we choose knowing that in 100 years of so from now the
exotic plant that we chose may become the new invasive.
Think we would be limited if we only plante native plants?
I urge everyone to make a visit to Garden in the Woods in
Framingham to view the enormous variety of native plant
possibilities. There in spring you can view, for
example, several kinds of rhododendrums in colors ranging
from yellow to red to white. This collection includes plants
appropriate for every type of environment and setting.
Finally, type in the words "invasive plants" into
your computer to provide further knowledge of this subject.
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