Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home fame asks this question in his latest book for kids called Natures Best Hope, when he asks “Can one ‘invader’ really ruin a whole ecosystem?”

His answer to readers is YES! “What makes an invader such a problem is that it doesn’t stay where it is put. It spreads and spreads and spreads and makes it impossible for native plants to grow. So, yes, one invader really can ruin a whole ecosystem.” Think Kudzu in the South.  As for burning bush (Euonymus alatus), a focus of Greening Greenfield’s efforts, it, like many other plants, was brought here by horticulturalists to sell, because it has beautiful fall color, and it is easy to grow. It may be eye candy for us and the birds, but like candy for humans it does not have the nutrients that birds need to thrive. Additionally, it spreads everywhere because the birds poop the seeds and plant this invasive shrub throughout our  forests and fields, displacing native plants!

Other plants were brought here by European colonists, or by mistake as seeds in earth carried in boats for ballast. While there are 2600 non-native plants in New England, fortunately only about 100 plants have been listed invasive by Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE)

The above before and after photos show the work done by Greening Greenfield volunteers from the fall of 2023 and the fall of 2024 to remove invasive burning bush.  Greening Greenfield members worked to get permission from the Greenfield Conservation Commission and the Parks and Recreation Department to remove plants in Highland Park and Poet’s Seat. Karro Frost, from the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) of MA Wildlife, came twice to walk the area with them to ensure they would not disturb any rare and endangered species. While not endangered, there are a lot of spring ephemeral flowers (shown below) in Highland Park that could be shaded out by these invasive shrubs.

To learn more about our future clipping parties and past efforts, go to our Initiative Removing Invasives.  To sign up, click here and tell us you’d like to be added to the Invasives e-mail list.

Reading left to right

Photo 1  . . .such as trilliums, which are abundant under maple trees

Photo 2  . . .such as toothworts, found near small streams

Photo 3  . . .such as these rare four-leafed milkweed found along the road to Poet’s Seat.