Invasive species are absolutely a problem, no matter where you live. However, it is not uncommon for people who have power to hijack an important issue, and muddy the argument by calling plants which only kind of fit their criteria, and invasive plant. of course plants host insects such as the spotted lantern fly, which is a huge problem that is growing. Spotted lantern flies host is a tree called Atlantis, or a tree of heaven.
I tried to kind of make jokes mixed a serious discussion which really does annoy me that it is not being handled properly. so you might ask? Well, Bradford pears are perhaps one of the worst invasive species, wherever they grow. and they’re not considered invasive. Do you know what is? Black locust trees. A species which is native slightly further south, and not in the north east. That’s not the kicker Locust trees, because they fix nitrogen, and are “Invading” the coastal Plains of New York, which is mostly just Long Island, where this habitat occurs yet the species is considered invasive throughout the rest of the state where the dominant system is deciduous forest. The tree would be extremely helpful to be used appropriately in those ecosystems…
Another thing that I am just bewildered by is Water hyacinth. A tropical aquatic plant that dies when temperatures consistently go below 32°F, is starting to be groomed as an invasive, because the general trend of temperatures is warming. And someday could be considered invasive… , yeah. That would be if winter was no longer a thing in the north east… Let me start planting tropical palm trees if that’s the case…
My goal with this video is to spread awareness with invasive species, how and why they are a problem, and hopefully most importantly, hold some of these people accountable, who are propagating stupid decisions. You want to hear about a success story, ask about water chestnut or even purple loosestrife… clearly the people in charge of those operations have gotten different jobs or retired…