The Backyard Invasives Project
WHY DOES THIS MATTER?: When humans began moving around the globe, they brought plants and animals with them and introduced them into new ecosystems. The plants were often valued for their beauty, and were planted as hedgerows and garden plants.
Because there were no predators to these plants in their new environment, they were able to spread out of control into wild areas, crushing the competition and dominating large areas of land. Not only does this contribute to the loss of native plants, but also the loss of food sources for native wildlife, contributing to the mass extinctions we are seeing around the globe.
Depending on the species, invasive plants can harbor ticks (increasing rates of lyme disease), kill butterflies, make the water too acidic for amphibians, leach chemicals into the ground that prevents anything else from growing, strangle and kill trees, increase erosion, and more.
Because there were no predators to these plants in their new environment, they were able to spread out of control into wild areas, crushing the competition and dominating large areas of land. Not only does this contribute to the loss of native plants, but also the loss of food sources for native wildlife, contributing to the mass extinctions we are seeing around the globe.
Depending on the species, invasive plants can harbor ticks (increasing rates of lyme disease), kill butterflies, make the water too acidic for amphibians, leach chemicals into the ground that prevents anything else from growing, strangle and kill trees, increase erosion, and more.
Download our pamphlet below
byi_pamphlet.pdf | |
File Size: | 401 kb |
File Type: |