Part 2:
Months ago, I read
’s work on invasive plants for the first time. Finally, I had science to back up my increasingly lax view toward buckthorn, autumn olive, and Tartarian honeysuckle removal! It was a revelation. I hold strong opinions about the appropriateness of herbicide use, but even so the lack of science to back up our land management practices astonished me. The fact that as far as we can tell zero plants have gone extinct, even on the state level due to invasive species astounded me even more. In fact, “species richness of native plants is, overall, higher in "invaded" areas than non-"invaded" ones”.As I was preparing my article about hawthorn a couple weeks ago, I kept stumbling upon websites that encouraged the use of herbicides to remove Common Hawthorn from sites in the Pacific Northwest. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around this beloved plant being a hostile invader, so I decided it was time to chat with Kollibri and dig deeper on this topic.
I am still an amateur podcaster, so we had some technical difficulties with Zoom and ClipChamp. Because of that, the recording is in two segments above. In total, it is a substantial and engaging conversation of almost 90 minutes. I’ve included a transcript and a few clips below for those who want to learn about this important topic in smaller bites.
A Few Highlights from Our Discussion
There’s a lot of debate in invasion biology about a lot of different topics. But one topic that there’s not much debate about at all is that we’re not going to win that fight. They’re here. They’ve spread. They’ve established. The new plants have entered new areas…And so at that point, we should be having a discussion about how do we learn to live with these.
The Shocking Inefficiency of Chemical Spraying
Agriculture is the single, if you want to talk about habitat destruction, agriculture is the single largest reason for habitat destruction in the world today. That’s the biggest reason why you drain a wetland or cut down a forest. You make a disturbance like that and what you do is make a space for these new species to come in, right?
Invasive Plants: Passengers, Not Drivers
So, I would say there’s no such thing as a bad plant, period…So plants, like kudzu, aren’t universally invasive because it only likes particular conditions. There’s only particular places where that plant is going to thrive in the first place.
Invasive Land Ethics
There’s not a single documented case of that (native species becoming threatened or endangered) ever happening, not even in a state. This figure comes from an organization that has been tracking biodiversity in the US and Canada for over 50 years.
The part of our discussion that will stick with me the most is the concept of Invasive Land Ethics, which is this different way of looking at land that arrived with colonization. We view the earth as a resource to be extracted from rather than a being in its own right, the source of all life. These extractive and agricultural practices then create the disturbances, these openings for invasive plants to establish themselves. In other words, humans are creating the conditions that allow these undesired plants to thrive and changing how we interact with and “manage” the land is the best way to rebalance the ecosystem rather than herbicides and pristine preservation.
And if Kollibri’s discussion about beavers has you curious, I cannot recommend the Animal Superhero books about Beavers enough!
In unrelated news, I am partnering with
from ROAR Healing Relationship Trauma, to create a seasonal email retreat called Around the Hearth. We’d love to have you join us if you are:Looking for a way to tap into the peace, coziness, and renewal of the solstice season
Trying to sink into the rest that comes with darkness rather than getting swept up in busy-ness
Join us for 14 days around the virtual hearth. Connect to old stories, nature, nurturing teas, and yourself. Starting December 18th, every day you’ll get an email with permission, ideas, tips, recipes, and activities to help you ease into the darkest part of the year. Ellen will share how to set boundaries and intentions so this season can be a peaceful time. Amy will share recipes and stories to help you connect with herbal allies and archetypal guides so that you can fortify and tend to yourself and your loved ones.
And on Yule, December 21st from 2-3:30pm ET, we’ll host a virtual cozy crafternoon to help you reflect, celebrate, or chill out. We’ll share a few reflection questions. Come as you are and any projects are welcome! Grab your fuzzy socks, a blanket, a candle if you’re feeling witchy, and craft with us!
If you know anyone else who might enjoy this focus on rest, coziness, and peace, we would so appreciated if you would pass this along to them.
The experience will be $11, subscribers can get $4 off with the code YAYYULE. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Email ellen@roarwellness.co for a code if you need a full or partial discount.
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