Hi friend,

As I post more on social media about the problems caused by invasive plants, I realize how much misunderstanding there is around these issues.

I always get a little discouraged when I see firsthand how misinformed the general public is about how nature works.

But I also understand that it's a systemic issue. We aren't taught about these things.

I recently made this post on Facebook and Instagram, showing a handful of common invasive species in North America.

For some reason, people always get really defensive when I bring up invasive plants.

In this case, I received a lot of comments trying to discredit the information by saying they're not invasive to the *entirety* of North America.

While this argument might sound like it's logical, I'd like to present you with some reasons why it's best practice not to plant species that are known to be invasive within your country, even if they're not listed as invasive in your state.

• Official government lists of invasive plants, while a helpful starting point, are not always the most up-to-date or accurate. Different states also have different amounts of funding/resources for ecological issues.
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• Even with official state invasive species lists, plants don’t care about state borders, nor do they know they exist. If it’s invasive in a state that touches your state, avoid planting it.
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• Climate change is currently and will continue to change the growth habits of plants. For instance, while Kudzu has been an issue in the south for a long time, its range is expanding farther north every year.
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• Don’t underestimate the flight ranges of birds and their ability to spread seeds far away. Birds eat seeds from your plants and poop them out somewhere else.
  Then a plant grows in that spot, it makes seeds, a different bird eats those seeds, and poops them out somewhere even farther from the starting point
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• Why would you choose to plant something that could potentially cause harm when there is a plethora of native alternatives to choose from that can help your local ecology?
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• Some invasive species, like butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii), have seeds that can survive in water and thus can be transported far distances through rivers, streams, creeks, etc.​
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• Humans can unintentionally transport seeds to other areas. For instance, I, as someone who lives in the geographically central eastern part of the US (Kentucky), could travel out west and encounter some plants that aren’t invasive there, but are invasive where I live.
  I could brush against them and get seeds on my clothing/shoes/other items without even noticing.
  Say I change my shoes as I’m headed to the airport to return home. The seeds are still on my other pair of shoes. I get home, put back on the original pair of shoes, and walk outside. Now I’ve spread invasive seeds to Kentucky.

Hopefully, this clears up why we need to be careful with any non-native species that are known to cause damage to the environment.

P.S. My offer, The Natural Gardener Workbook Bundle, is currently on sale for a limited time! These three essential digital workbooks will help you plan your garden, deal with invasive species, and improve your soil and plant health with compost. Check it out here.​

Tory is an ecologist and landscape consultant. He helps North American gardeners transition from using outdated and harmful but status-quo techniques to using their yards to improve the health of our planet. Along with being a gardener for over 10 years, Tory has a Master of Science degree in Sustainable Design and is certified in Regenerative Soil Science.​

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