Invasive Plants

Native plants are fighting a battle for survival.  Some combatants are easily recognized...the bulldozer plowing down natural habitat...the industrious gardener poisoning "that patch of weeds" where their property meets the local meadow...  Others are more pernicious.  Alien invasive plants have been steadily infiltrating North America for hundreds of years, arriving with settlers, imported by garden centers, escaping from our gardens...

Some are relatively innocuous...merely occupying space more usefully filled by native species.  A very few even fill a small role in local ecosystems.  The nectar of Queen Anne's lace, for example, is enjoyed by Swallowtail butterflies and dandelions provide flowers for early spring pollinators to feed on.

Many more, however, not only play no part in ecosystems, they out-compete native species to create monocultural deserts.  Phytochemicals secreted by some species actually inhibit the growth of tree seedlings and other plants.

How can you help?

  • Learn about invasive species by reading or visiting websites devoted to the subject
  • Join a restoration effort in your area to weed out invasive plants
  • Remove them from your own properties
  • Teach others to seek out and destroy these invaders
  • Ask local nurseries to stop selling them
  • Contact your Provincial Member of Parliament or State Legislator and municipal Councillor to find out if there is legislation to halt the sale and propagation of these plants...and if not, demand that they do so!

Garlic Mustard

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Alliaria petiolata or Alliaire officinale

Mustard Family (Cruciferae)  

Garlic mustard was likely imported by settlers from Europe and Asia for use as a medicinal and cooking herb.  It was first recorded in 1868 in Long Island NY.  It is a biennial that can rapidly overtake native vegetation.  In addition to directly competing for light, moisture and nutrients, it secretes a phytochemical that suppresses other plants, including tree seedlings. Since garlic mustard most readily colonizes disturbed areas, try to maintain a healthy native plant ecosytem.

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