The United States covers an area of 3,119,884.69 square miles, has eight distinct physiographic divisions, nine climatically consistent regions and literally hundreds of types of micro-climates. There are over 70,000 different soil types and access to water sources is highly inconsistent, even within a region. Having taught Geography for years; intellectually I realized that eco-systems differed from place to place. What I didn’t consider was how difficult that makes the issue of invasive plants. Simply put, what is invasive in one area, is not in another. And. to make matters even more confusing, as climate continues to change, the make-up of invasive plants in an area will also change.
As I’ve perused the various state listings of invasive plants to develop a thorough list of my own, I’ve seen many cross-overs within regions. Unfortunately, very few invasives appear in multiple regions, which makes establishing a universal list almost impossible. Therefore, I’ve put together a short list of plants that frequently appear on state lists and have included a native counterpart. The native plants thrive under the same conditions as the invasives, so they easily act as replacements to existing plants, or even better, add an important new benefit to your garden.
To view the list, click here.
