Any living organism that is normally found in one specific region and is introduced to another region with incredibly negative effects on the new environment is bad news. Invasive species take that negativity a step further by outcompeting native species, taking away the nutrients, water and even sunlight from the local flora and fauna.
Animal native species often receive the most attention, because they’re often more noticeable. Think about the explosion of the feral hog population across a wide swath of America, or the Asian giant hornets being found in the Pacific Northwest. In the Northeast, we’re still battling against a number of aquatic invasives, including the dastardly zebra mussels.
However, plant invasives can be just as bad, if not worse. A major issue across the Midwest (and spreading quickly east) in our row crop fields (such as corn, wheat and soy) is Palmer amaranth, which is a basically indestructible weed. The amaranth is wild, however, and spreads on its own. Unfortunately, a number of businesses still intentionally sell plants known to be invasive species – just because they look pretty.
In light of that, today, we’d like to share an article I wrote for our sister publication, Country Folks Grower, called “Invaders for sale: How to stop the intentional spread of invasives.” One of the best ways to stop invasive species from spreading is simply educating yourself about which species are the troublemakers.
All natural ecosystems are in a delicate balance. If we can do anything during National Invasive Species Awareness Week to keep everything on the level, we should all strive to do it.
