There was a nice turnout of folks interested in learning more about invasive plants that have been prized in the world of Horticulture through the decades, but make it difficult for native plants to thrive, during the North Country CISMA presentation, “Going Beyond Beauty,” hosted by AFFEW at the Lakeshore Resource Network on Monday.
Go Beyond Beauty is a statewide initiative encouraging gardeners, organizations and individuals to stop selling or using high priority ornamental invasive plants, and instead, promote native alternatives.
Michael Ramsey, from North Country CISMA who gave the presentation, said the program went well and there were about 20 to 30 people in attendance.
Sara Bolan, with AFFEW, also said the program went well.
“I was really happy. We had a nice turnout and I think he just covered so much good information. We got this notification and he was the one who sent it out, saying they were now going to be part of a hub Go Beyond Beauty and I was like that was perfect because they are discouraging people from doing invasive species and they are encouraging people to replace those with native plants. That’s just perfect,” she said.
The presentation highlighted how invasive ornamentals harm Michigan’s natural ecosystem and how native plants benefit habitats and biodiversity as well as healthy landscapes.
Ramsey identified 14 invasive plants the program aims to restrict. These plants include moneywort/Creeping Jenny, ribbon grass/reed canary grass, common buckthorn, Callery/Bradford/Cleveland pear, dame’s rocket, blue lyme grass, non-native bush honeysuckle, Japanese honeysuckle, water lettuce, Japanese barberry, invasive bittersweet, glossy buckthorn and baby’s breath.
Ramsey explained that many of these ornamentals were intentionally brought from similar climates in Northern Europe and Asia for their attractive appearance and growth (up to 15 ft. above and below ground per year.)
Also, exotic plants used in horticulture can and do escape into the outdoors and become invasive.
Invasive plants can bring reduction on property values, limits on recreational access, threats to infrastructure and human health and safety concerns. They also can impact the environment by bringing changes to water and soil, disruption of food web, competition of native plants and changes to native genetic stock.
Ramsey touched on native species found in woods such as wild sarsaparilla, starflower, bunchberry and red pine. Invasive species that find their way into the woods are invasive bittersweet, burning bush, invasive bush honeysuckle, black swallow-wort, tree of heaven, Norway/Crimson Maple, reed canary grass, autumn olive, Japanese barberry, multiflora rose and dame’s rocket.
Among some of the issues that arise with invasives, such as black swallow-wort, is that it mimics milkweed and can be fatal to monarch butterflies.
Touching on the benefits of native plants, Ramsey said the occur naturally in a regin where they evolve, and co-evolve with native insects, which birds rely on. One brood of chickadees needs 6,000 caterpillars.
