Native, invasive plants tango in the wilderness
June 29, 2010
By Tim Pfarr
Hooray for plants. Without them, hills would be reduced to nothing more than big brown mounds of dirt, and we would all be suffocating from lack of oxygen in the air. It would be like Los Angeles all over the world.
In Washington, native plants flourish in the often-wet environment. Those plants that have historically grown in our state prior to European contact, based on the best scientific evidence, are considered native plants, according to the Washington Native Plant Society.
The society offers lists of native plant species on its website, sorting them by region. Near Issaquah, trees such as Douglas fir, western hemlock and red alder are native, as are plants such as spearmint, deer fern and bitter cherry, according to the society.
Find full lists of Cougar Mountain, Squak Mountain, Tiger Mountain, Tradition Lake and the Issaquah Alps’ native plants at the society’s website, in the “native species list” section. Also, King County’s Water and Land Resources Division’s website, provides plants and photos of plants native to the county under the “resources you can use” tab.
However, plants that do not naturally grow in Washington and were brought here by people, animals, water or wind are known as invasive species, according to the Washington Invasive Species Council. These plants may be a wonderful addition to the environment from which they came, but they can cause great damage to a different ecosystem.
Invasive plants multiply quickly, because they often have no predators in their new environments, and they often eat up all the resources in the soil.
Also, they can take up space, cause physical and chemical alterations to soil, and can cover and shade native plants, according to the native plant society.
Invasive plants can interfere with animal life as well, as the killing of native plants reduces the food supply for the animals that eat those native plants.
Invasive plants have become so widely established in Washington that they are considered “naturalized,” as they have essentially become a part of the state’s ecosystem, said Susan Zemek, spokeswoman for the Washington Invasive Species Council. However, these plants can still be incredibly destructive. Examples of naturalized plant species include Scotch broom and evergreen blackberry, Zemek said.
There have been about 650 invasive plant species identified in the state, and almost 100 of these are considered noxious weeds that require landowners to undertake control measures, according to the Washington Biodiversity Project. Also, by 2004, the state Department of Ecology had surveyed 412 lakes and rivers, finding invasive plant species in 250 of them.
If you see an invasive species, contact the invasive species council.
The council’s website also lists ways you can help prevent the spread of invasive species. You can help by washing your boots or tires when you go hiking or biking in a new area; washing watercraft and fishing equipment regularly; not releasing pets, aquatic plants or aquarium water into the wild; and ensuring that you plant native plants in your garden.
For full lists of invasive plants, visit the Invasive Species Council website, or King County’s Water and Land Resources Division’s website.
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