Invasive, Non-Native, or Native? Who Knows!

Welcome one, welcome all, a true shame it is to see our delightful summer has come to a close. Of course the previous statement was a mere jest, for I enjoy the prospects of learning and all together despise summer. You see, winter is my favorite season; waking up in darkness and returning home from school as dusk falls is truly magnificent. Nothing is better than some good ol’ fashioned cold rain and a cuppa tea to warm the spirit. I also love wearing jackets and that is a mere impossibility in summer! Now I’ve blathered long enough; onto the meat of this month's column.

This summer I’ve spent much of my time bathing in sunshine and collecting a myriad of sunburns. In all my time outdoors, one thing has stuck with me. I was watering my maypops—which looked rather sad—and I caught myself staring into my old side yard. Now, this side yard was never “my” side yard but a vacant lot that was sold rather recently, forcing us to build a fence and cut all contact with this garden of wonders childhood me loved to frolic in. As I was reflecting, somewhat glumly, on memories and moments of times long past, I noticed much of it had been swallowed by weeds. One weed in particular: the Himalayan Blackberry.

By golly, I’ve done it again. Driveling on about some balderdash instead of writing something pithy! Well, if you are unaware, Himalayan Blackberry is a monster. An invasive beast that swallows everything whole. Of course, due to humankind's own foolishness, we’ve managed to plague our natural world with a modicum of invasive plants. The Kudzu of the South, brought in to manage erosion and save forests, instead devoured the land it was brought in to save. The English Ivy, brought to the US as an ornamental, blotted sunlight and strangled trees. Now, of course you probably already know, animals can be invasive, too. But this is “Plant of the month,” not “Animal of the month,” so go out and research! 

So why is it that these plants and animals become such a problem? When they're introduced to a new environment, they haven’t evolved alongside the native wildlife. This means the plant or animal doesn’t have many (or any) predators, allowing them to reproduce and outcompete native wildlife easier. Some plebbish people argue that invasive species aren’t all that bad, as they can provide positive impacts. To that I say, rubbish! While yes, Blackberries do produce food for birds and nifty critters, they also create mono-cultures completely void of biodiversity. I do agree, not all things are black and white, especially with introducing new plants into our environments, but invasive plants are a net-negative, no matter how you slice the blackberry cobbler.

And yet, that doesn’t mean everything you plant needs to be native. I’ve noticed an ideology now-a-days that everything must be local, but that's not entirely true. Native plants should 100% be a part of any garden, but they don’t need to be 100% of a garden. Non-native, non-invasive plants can be beneficial, providing nectar, fruit, or shelter at times when native plants cannot. Not to mention, we all rely on non-native plants for food. For example, apples—one of Washington’s main crops which countless people rely on for food—are native to Central Asian and are pollinated by honeybees, which are native to Europe. Now, does this mean that apple trees are inherently bad for the environment? No. Is cutting down acres of forest for apple orchards bad for the environment? Yes. Same with honeybees: they pollinate most of our crops, but also out-compete and damage our native pollinator populations.

This is all to say, not everything is black and white, or can be solved with one answer. Everything is nuanced and we need to practice our logical thinking skills, do research, look at different perspectives, and create our own takes on things instead of regurgitating what the media says! Just because something isn’t native does not mean it needs to be uprooted. If that were true, then all of us would have to pack our bags and leave—not just the people the government removes and silences. In a world where parks department funds are cut, diverse ecosystems are replaced with mono-culture and misinformation is everywhere, it is our responsibility to protect our environment and repair the impacts colonialism continues to have on not just our wildlife but our everyday lives. So I say grow your natives, grow your beneficial non-natives and weed out the invasive.

I apologize for the length of this column, but if you’ve made it this far, cheerio! I hope this school year brings bountiful new beginnings. I know I’m utterly psyched to apply to college and write a tootin’ ton of supplements. Am I right, seniors? Anyway, keep on going, keep on growing, the fun is about to begin! Best wishes from the sunburn on my back beginning to peel.