A gardener had a warning for their local community after spotting an invasive species encroaching on another plant.
In the subreddit for the town of Somerville, Massachusetts, a Redditor shared a photo of what looks like an overgrown bush but is in fact one plant choking out another.
"Beautiful roses in Somerville (probably decades old) being slowly choked and killed by invasive Swallow Wort vines. This is why you need to pull and remove them," they wrote in the caption.
Swallowwort is a perennial vine native to Europe that was introduced to the United States in the 1800s. The two varieties, pale swallowwort and black swallowwort, release biochemicals into the soil that inhibit the establishment of other species, per Michigan State University. They're also toxic to wildlife such as deer and monarch butterflies, which are especially vulnerable, as they often lay their eggs on the poisonous plant.
Removing an invasive species such as swallowwort can be a nightmare for homeowners and local governments such as Somerville, which encourages residents to take out the plant by the root and place it in a sealed bag to prevent further spread. As MSU noted, the damage swallowwort does to the soil also makes replanting difficult.
Ideally, if you can replant anything after removing swallowwort or other invasive species, native plants are the way to go. They're suited to the local ecosystem, requiring less water and maintenance. Plus, they attract pollinators such as butterflies and birds, which are crucial to the life cycles of hundreds of thousands of plant species, including more than 1,200 food crops.
Redditors agreed in the comments that swallowwort is a rough invasive plant to deal with.
"I have those vines trying to do the same to my roses. They're relentless [and] impossible to weed all of them," one person lamented.
Another added, "It's an uphill battle to keep out invasive species."
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Should we be actively working to kill invasive species? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 💯 One person admitted that they remove the vines themselves as long as doing so is safe and legal.
"Whenever I'm on a walk and I see Black Swallow Wort in a space and where I'm not jumping over barriers, I rip it out and leave it on the sidewalk," they wrote, adding there have been local events in Somerville to tear out as much swallowwort as possible.
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