Stumbled on a stat about invasive plants that has me split on what to do

I was reading this article from the USDA last week and it said 42% of threatened species in the US are at risk because of invasive plants. That blew my mind because I always thought it was mostly from development or climate change. On one hand, I get that we should rip out things like kudzu and english ivy to protect native species. But on the other hand, a lot of those 'invasive' plants were brought here by immigrants who use them for food or medicine, like bitter melon or certain herbs. So where do you draw the line between protecting ecosystems and respecting cultural history? I'm really torn on this and curious how other plant people handle it in their own yards.

2 comments

2 Comments

the_viola13d ago

Oh man, I totally feel this struggle! I have a confession - I once spent a whole weekend pulling out this "invasive" mint from my garden, only to find out my neighbor's grandma planted it there 40 years ago for her famous tea, and now she won't even look at me when I'm outside. It's like the plants themselves are having a cultural identity crisis right in our backyards.

the_anthony12d ago

My buddy Tim pulled up his whole front yard thinking it was weeds, turned out to be his wife's wildflower mix she'd been growing for two years.