Apocalypses and alien invasions have long been popular themes in print and video. The H. G. Wells classic “The War of the Worlds,” the original “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “The Walking Dead” and “The Last of Us” are just a few fan favorites that demonstrate how alien invasions can be entertaining.
In real life? Not so much. Especially when an invasion and the resulting apocalypse is a result of someone’s plant choice that turns out to be invasive.
The U.S. Forest Service defines an “invasive plant species” as not native to a given ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive plants have the potential to take over a landscape, smothering out native plants or other plants that we want in our landscape.
Frequently called “the vine that ate the South,” kudzu was brought to America in 1876 during the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition and introduced to the Southeast in 1883 at the New Orleans Exposition. Originally thought to be helpful for soil erosion control and planted widely, kudzu quickly got out of control. Kudzu can pretty much overtake everything in its path, growing a foot per day, with mature vines as long as 100 feet.
Many people favor English ivy, a non-native perennial vine. Do traditional ivy-covered cottages and houses make a picturesque image? Yes! Can those lovely green English ivy vines (Hedera helix) climbing those brick walls (and stucco and windows and trees) create damage if left unchecked? If you live in…
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