Re: Why does everyone p**s all over Purple Loosestrife?

Colleen Zone 5 Connecticut

it takes over habitat now occupied by cat tails, which are native and home to entire ecoweb of other species. loosestrife moves in and out competes the cat tails. Ingrid

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List Manager: Puregold Goldfish List

From

Rapid growth and maturity Prolific seed production Highly successful seed dispersal, germination and colonization Rampant vegetative spread Ability to out-compete native species High cost to remove or control ...

An invasive plant infestation is like a slow motion explosion, which, if left unchecked, may severely alter a site's natural, economic, aesthetic, and other cultural values. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) illustrates this effect of invasive plants. An exotic introduction to North America for ornamental uses, purple loosestrife has invaded thousands of acres of wetlands in the Northeast. The plant grows in high density and creates substrate buildup around its roots that creates a drier site and allows the plant to invade open water (Bender 2000). The resultant changes in substrate and hydrology negatively impact native wetlands and the plants and animals that inhabit these communities."

Very few things will piss off a naturalist faster than an introduced species that alters wetlands.

Dave

soooo true!!! Colleen Zone 5 Connecticut

I live in upstate NY within a mile of a beautiful marsh. Where my local and state governments are engaged in an active [and, fortunately, successful] effort to remove the purple loostrife. Which crowds out the native plants; which reduces the biodiversity, food, and habitat for the native animal / insect species; which sort of screws all to hell the concept of wetlands, y'know? In their native habitat, most invasive plants are subject to natural ecological controls . . . there's something that eats it or competes with it. The problem comes when you introduce such a species to a non-native habitat . . . then it is likely to crowd out something[s] else which are crucial to the local food chain; without, mind you, providing adequate replacement.

Chris Owens

Alan Watk>

I suppose it's just a different brand of ecology but beekeepers love it because in time of drought or very dry weather it is one of the few plants available to the hive. A question of balance, I guess, and one where beekeepers probably don't figure much.

I repeat: people are more destructive and invasive than any plant.

Kind regards, Alan M. Watkins

Don't forget that bees were introduced in North America from Europe! They aren't native either!

Don't forget that most of us were introduced in North America from Europe! We aren't native either. My wife is 3/16's native.

Don't forget the natives aren't native either!

I think you are right. Purple Loosestrife exist on this continent for

Janusz

"naziecologist" ??

Who are you supposed to be? The Rush Limbaugh of gardening?

Lady Bird Johnson would have bitch slapped you to the ground!!!!

"For more than a century, the most popular pollinators among North American farmers have been domesticated descendants of imported European honeybees, said Thorp. He estimated that 3,500 to 4,000 species of non-domesticated bees that are native to North America can also pollinate crops?when they can survive on or near croplands. "

Stick to computers Steve!

I never said they were bad... I was just making a point.

Just because a foreign species is imported, doesn't make it bad.

Europe!

BTW...

I live in Calgary. You live in Vegas.

I deal with PC's (on the side). You peddle palm trees.

What's with all the personal stuff anyhow?

Europe!

Every summer I'd rather be in Calgary.

I don't peddle Palm trees I manage large populations in exterior and interior settings and I deal with PC's on the side as well. (oh oh common ground?) BTW they are all AMD and I'll NEVER use Intel....

You made a stand on a subject you know little if anything about. Some of us here have LOTS of experience maintaining plants, interior and exterior, with least toxic approaches. You might look at alternatives and have healthier plants and with less lwork. Unless of course you think your collecton looks good.

snipped-for-privacy@livesoil.com

GREAT POINT! [are lawns "native"????] As I recall, they were also "introduced" as well.

Mary Ellen

I do my level best to minimize the amount of turfgrass area in my yard. Instead I plant mostly naturalized areas with local plants. The increase in wildlife, both absolute numbers and diversity of species, afterwards is astounding. And if the wild violets in my lawn bother someone, tough noogies. My non native plants for the most part are in pots or planters, the exceptions being roses which are hardly invasive.

Dave Dave Fouchey, WA4EMR

As I understand it (and this may well be myth). grass lawns were first established in Europe to demonstrate the property owner was wealthy enough to keep land out of productive agricultural use. Of course, this is also true of flower gardens and other formal plantings. Lawns are like neckties for men. No earthly use, but a sign of respectability. :-) With recent droughts, it has become more noticable that maintaining lawn grass uses a *lot* of water. While there may be native grasses of some areas (Bermuda?) that are low-growing, no maintenance groundcovers, my mental picture of native 'grassy plains' is one with knee-to-armpit high dryish vegetation -- rather unsuitable for suburban landscape. And a fire hazard.

Providing "habitat" for native wildlife is lovely when the wildlife is birds and butterflies; less so when surburban plantings encourage snakes (which I happen to like in *small* doses), raccoons, skunks, squirrels, rabbits, rats, etc., etc.

That is, these issues rarely can be reduced to good/bad, Us vs. Them absolutes.

But what can you plant that won't get more than 5 or 6 inches tall, withstands foot traffic, doesn't invade everything around it, and looks reasonably respectable?

... especially here in very dry Zone 3a (Calgary, AB, Canada)