Common Reed is a wetland plant that is being split into two species — why? I don’t really know. I would bet a fair amount that both can be pollinated by the other. They’re being split in two species Phragmites australis and americanus. And someone has decided that one of them – australis -is invasive. But the plant is just what its name says… it is _common_ worldwide and is wind-pollinated. The idea that somehow air and pollen can’t move from Europe to North America is ludicrous. What happens with volcanoes?
When the native ecology (including large herbivores such as buffalo and deer) is disrupted. The ecosystem can be damaged to the point that one species suddenly becomes dominant. But that doesn’t mean that that species is now invasive.
IMO Invasive species are only defined and identified once a developer choses a location to drain and build over. I have personally known of so many marsh “restorations” that _require_ spraying Roundup or similar herbicide to kill off the “invasive” species.
Unfortunately the marshes are so badly damaged by the herbicide application that it is completely dysfunctional and ultimately dies off and can be rehabilitated as houses in 20 years (remember developers think long-term).
California has lost 99% of its functional fresh water marshes and bogs. Don’t let the “invasive” designation blind you. Biodiversity is a great thing! Don’t let marsh restoration businesses insist that herbicide application is the only way to solve the “problem” of invasive plant species.
And one last item I clipped from a Wisconsin invasive plant Association newsletter
Turkey and pheasant hunters know the unpleasantness of encountering wild parsnip and teasel in grassland habitats. Wild parsnip can cause burns on your skin. Plants like teasel, buckthorn and multiflora rose can tear your clothing and your skin. Phragmites chokes rivers and hinders hunter’s access to prime waterfowl habitat. Anglers know the difficulty of maneuveringthrough dense patches of Eurasian water milfoil. How can we stop this habitat destruction?
Habitat destruction! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! The fact that human hunters cannot access certain areas comfortably is not defined as habitat destruction! And it is not a reason for deciding that a plant species is invasive. Human ignorance. If it is in my way kill it. And the easiest way to kill it is by labeling it as something that we have been taught is “baaaaaaaaaad”.
Explore, read, learn! Challenge!
Bob
PuraVidaAquatic.com