#Invasive Plant

[albertxylin]

Kudzu

Kudzu is invasive. It is an ever-growing expanse of leaves and vines, Blanketing landscapes in green powder snow as it consumes them. Its main predator is humans, Who use its leaves and fibres for textiles and food. That is, unless it is left alone to fester and spread, unmaintained.

My parents know it as gegen, A root used in traditional chinese medicine. There is no focus on the radiation of vegetation that infects an ecosystem, Just as I did not know its roots were thick and fat like yams. They joke that if people knew it was in our area they would dig them up and eat them all.

The kudzu annexes a suburb. I imagine another life where it is companion and provider, And not monster.

[turtlesandfrogs]

That moment when you realize you've just cut free the invasive vine that you used to climb up the tree like a rope. And you now have no vine-rope to climb back down:

Oops.

Actually, my feet were only about 8 feet up, but it sounds more dramatic and exciting if I leave that part out.

[indoorverticalfarmingnews]

Vermont Declares Eight Invasive Plant Species as Plant Pests to Protect Ecosystems

Key Takeaways: Eight new plant species were declared as plant pests in Vermont. Designated species include Kudzu, Mile-a-Minute, and Japanese stiltgrass, among others. VAAFM will regulate the movement of these species within the state. Permits are now required for selling, transporting, or moving these plants. The collaborative selection process with multiple Vermont state government…

[streetsofdublin]

A SPLASH OF COLOUR AT THE BOTANIC GARDENS DURING STORM KATHLEEN

It should be mentioned that there is an ongoing debate surrounding Rhododendrons, especially their invasive nature in areas like Killarney National Park.

I VISITED ON SATURDAY 6 APRIL 2024 Battling the Wind at the Botanic Gardens Storm Kathleen’s winds were whipping through Dublin today, and even the National Botanic Gardens weren’t immune. I’d ventured out with dreams of capturing the beauty of the spring blooms – flowering trees, bushes, and shrubs in all their glory. The Botanic Gardens are renowned for their Rhododendrons, and I was…

[drenched-in-sunlight]

My theory on why Messmer is not allowed to live in Leyndell + Malenia who keeps trying to rope her siblings into her extreme gardening habit … 🌺☠️

[winslowzcorner]

New art has been shared! Please go check it out! ^^

https://winslowzcorner.blogspot.com/2023/06/nodding-thistle.html

[kizzer55555]

DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter. 

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge. 

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game. 

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely). 

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

[typhlonectes]

[slugmorelz]

12/23/23

[dandelionsresilience]

Good News - June 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $Kaybarr1735! And if you tip me and give me a way to contact you, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week!

1. Rare foal born on estate for first time in 100 years

“The Food Museum at Abbot's Hall in Stowmarket, Suffolk, is home to a small number of Suffolk Punch horses - a breed considered critically endangered by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. A female foal was born on Saturday and has been named Abbots Juno to honour the last horse born at the museum in 1924. [...] Juno is just one of 12 fillies born so far this year in the country and she could potentially help produce more of the breed in the future.”

2. The cement that could turn your house into a giant battery

“[Scientists] at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a way of creating an energy storage device known as a supercapacitor from three basic, cheap materials – water, cement and a soot-like substance called carbon black. [... Supercapacitators] can charge much more quickly than a lithium ion battery and don't suffer from the same levels of degradation in performance. [... Future applications of this concrete might include] roads that store solar energy and then release it to recharge electric cars wirelessly as they drive along a road [... and] energy-storing foundations of houses.”

3. New road lights, fewer dead insects—insect-friendly lighting successfully tested

“Tailored and shielded road lights make the light source almost invisible outside the illuminated area and significantly reduces the lethal attraction for flying insects in different environments. [...] The new LED luminaires deliver more focused light, reduce spill light, and are shielded above and to the side to minimize light pollution. [... In contrast,] dimming the conventional lights by a factor of 5 had no significant effect on insect attraction.”

4. When LGBTQ health is at stake, patient navigators are ready to help

“[S]ome health care systems have begun to offer guides, or navigators, to get people the help they need. [... W]hether they're just looking for a new doctor or taking the first step toward getting gender-affirming care, "a lot of our patients really benefit from having someone like me who is there to make sure that they are getting connected with a person who is immediately going to provide a safe environment for them." [... A navigator] also connects people with LGBTQ community organizations, social groups and peer support groups.”

5. Tech company to help tackle invasive plant species

“Himalayan balsam has very sugary nectar which tempts bees and other pollinators away from native plants, thereby preventing them from producing seed. It outcompetes native plant species for resources such as sunlight, space and nutrients. [...] The volunteer scheme is open to all GWT WilderGlos users who have a smartphone and can download the Crowdorsa app, where they can then earn up to 25p per square meter of Balsam removed.”

6. [Fish & Wildlife] Service Provides Over $14 Million to Benefit Local Communities, Clean Waterways and Recreational Boaters

“The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is distributing more than $14 million in Clean Vessel Act grants to improve water quality and increase opportunities for fishing, shellfish harvests and safe swimming in the nation’s waterways. By helping recreational boaters properly dispose of sewage, this year’s grants will improve conditions for local communities, wildlife and recreational boaters in 18 states and Guam.”

7. Bornean clouded leopard family filmed in wild for first time ever

“Camera traps in Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesian Borneo have captured a Bornean clouded leopard mother and her two cubs wandering through a forest. It's the first time a family of these endangered leopards has been caught on camera in the wild, according [to] staff from the Orangutan Foundation who placed camera traps throughout the forest to learn more about the elusive species.”

8. Toy library helps parents save money 'and the planet'

“Started in 2015 by Annie Berry, South Bristol's toy library aims to reduce waste and allow more children access to more - and sometimes expensive - toys. [...] Ms Berry partnered with the St Philips recycling centre on a pilot project to rescue items back from landfill, bringing more toys into the library. [...] [P]eople use it to support the environment, take out toys that they might not have the space for at home or be able to afford, and allow children to pick non-gender specific toys.”

9. Chicago Receives $3M Grant to Inventory Its Trees and Create Plan to Manage City’s Urban Forest

“The Chicago Park District received a $1.48 million grant [“made available through the federal Inflation Reduction Act”] to complete a 100% inventory of its estimated 250,000 trees, develop an urban forestry management plan and plant 200 trees in disadvantaged areas with the highest need. As with the city, development of the management plan is expected to involve significant community input.”

10. Strong Public Support for Indigenous Co-Stewardship Plan for Bears Ears National Monument

“[The NFW has a] plan to collaboratively steward Bears Ears National Monument to safeguard wildlife, protect cultural resources, and better manage outdoor recreation. The plan was the result of a two-year collaboration among the five Tribes of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition and upholds Tribal sovereignty, incorporates Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and responsibly manages the monument for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation while ensuring the continued health of the ecosystem.”

June 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[tansypaws]

ok anon, leafpool for you

[froggyforest]

As garlic mustard is starting to show up, please remember that it's invasive in North America BUT native to Europe and Asia. So taking the whole plant is fine in America but not in Europe. I'm making this post in reference to last year's posts about war on garlic mustard. I've seen a post of someone who took the whole plants and they were European and learned that it's not invasive there. So do your research and forage safely and ethically.

[joy-haver]

Note to new foragers;

while you are learning about the species you want to harvest, also learn what sustainable harvesting looks like. Learn about invasive species management, and agroecology. A lot of people start with the book Braiding Sweetgrass, by Dr Robin Wall Kimmerer. It is approachable, and covers the Honorable Harvest really well. The Poor Proles Almanac podcast and Substack are both incredible sources of information as well.

In general, tho, you should start by knowing this:

- If a species is native, and especially if it is rare on the landscape, do what you can to encourage it. Don’t over harvest, clear away invasives around it, save and spread its seeds. Maybe even hand pollinate it if needed.

- If a species is not native, feel free to harvest much more of it. Discourage its spread, but you don’t necessarily need to remove every single one you see. For a very small select few non native species, a little bit of spreading can even be okay. But be sure you know what you are doing. In general, it is better to remove a non native species than to let it stay. Keep native seeds on you to replace them with. I carry around little dime bags of seeds.

- if a species is Invasive (not native & choking out native species) remove as much as you can without damaging the local ecology. For foraging this might mean you harvest a ton of yellow charlock, even more than you need, because you see it choking out wild lettuce. This is a good thing to do (at least where I am). Because the charlock will overtake everything. But if you start managing in other ways, like tarping or tilling or spraying, keep in mind that oftentimes the medicine can be worse than the disease. If you spray a field of charlock you don’t get wild lettuce, you get more charlock.

Anyways, good luck!

[great-and-small]

Pretty cool thing at my college!

What a great program 🤩

[headspace-hotel]

My opinions on invasive species are so complicated that no matter what opinion you have about them I will want to argue.

If you say "invasive species are a constructed category and not inherently evil" you unlock the part of me that rages about the impact of Bradford pears and honeysuckle bushes on my ecosystem.

If you say "Invasive species are bad and we have to get rid of them" you unlock the part of me that has a glowing admiration for Nature's ability to adapt and survive.

I don't really agree with "a species transported outside of its native environment is changing the ecosystem and that's bad" as a principle, because nature is constantly changing and there is no original unspoiled state of the ecosystem. However I don't trust this argument coming from somebody that hasn't spent hours and hours pulling wintercreeper or seen a forest understory sterilized by bush honeysuckle.

Oftentimes I believe that invasive species take over because a keystone species has been removed from the ecosystem. For example my hypothesis is that the destruction of the Canebrakes in the Southeastern USA made the region vulnerable to invasion.

I also think that the way the ecosystem is interacted with and managed by humans causes invasive species to invade

However ultimately I think each species and each individual region of Earth is its own unique case.

Kudzu for example is a food and fiber plant used and cultivated since ancient times in China. It is a mutualistic symbiont with humans, with both of our species strongly contributing to the survival and thriving of the other. Kudzu must be controlled by harvest and use by humans; since using it for food, medicine, and clothes has declined, it has begun to show invasive behavior IN CHINA, WHERE IT IS NATIVE

Dandelion is a weed that is mostly confined to ecosystems very heavily disturbed by humans, and it has strongly positive effects on those ecosystems. It is also a mutualistic symbiont with humans.

Amur honeysuckle, Lonicera maackii is an incredibly virulent invasive species in Southeastern USA forests, virtually destroying all other plant biodiversity in the understory where it grows. The cause of this is pretty simple, Arundinaria gigantea a keystone species was removed, and regular controlled burns were stopped when Native Americans were forced off their land. Thus there was a niche left gaping wide open in the ecosystem.

A. gigantea (river cane), our native bamboo, has the property of forming ridiculously dense clonal colonies in damp lowland areas. The Southeastern USA invasives that are majorly problematic seem to have similar habits. A. gigantea is also disturbance dependent, particularly loving fire, but these days you mostly find it in vacant lots and along fence rows. Similarly most of our invasives need a moderate disturbance level to take over. The trouble is that A. gigantea is nearly wiped out through much of its range, and rarely reproduces sexually, so it can't spread like the invasives can.

Each plant has to be understood as its own unique living creature with its own way.

I desperately want to learn about Pyrus calleryana in its native habitat and learn the ways of this plant, as I don't understand it yet...