Know the Difference.

So, I have made a bunch of videos about plants both "native" and "invasive" and the purpose of this video is to talk about the difference between the two.

Native species are those naturally occurring in a region (i.e. the Pacific Northwest, or Illinois or Cook County). These plants began growing in their region on their own (a long time ago might I add) WITHOUT human intervention.

Native plants are important to the health of our natural areas/ecosystems because they are a part of a network of other organisms (i.e. bacteria, fungi, insects, birds, other animals and plants) that are expertly balanced by nature over time through evolution. But what can throw this balance out of whack? Non-native invasive species of course.

Non-native species can be brought in (usually by human settlers) and propagated in a new area. Many of the non-native invasive species in the U.S.A. today were brought over by European settlers.

Non-natives are a problem for our natural areas because they do not have many checks and balances keeping them in place; they tend to take over huge areas of land, a good example of this is Kudzu. Unlike the native plants, non-native individuals are not susceptible to the same diseases as the natives; some non-natives even resort to below-ground chemical warfare and seep chemicals from their roots, which travel through the soil and negatively impact native plants! #rude

Another technique used by non-natives to take over land is called "extended phenology" (Honeysuckle AKA Lonicera maackii does this). Extended phenology means the plant is the first to leaf out in the spring, and the last to lose their leaves in the fall; honeysuckle are photosynthetically active for a longer period of time compared to natives. Non-natives have longer access to nutrients than natives by utilizing extended phenology.

So promote native plants in your life! Check out the resources below to learn more!

Know the plants around you and save plants to save the planet!

“Bringing Nature Home” is a great book to guide you in building a native home landscape!

http://www.bringingnaturehome.net/

Click here for an awesomely informative article about native plants from the Chicago Botanic Garden!

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/landscaping_native_plants

Monroe County Identify and Reduce Invasive Species (MCIRIS) – Awesome invasive species awareness program in Indiana! #checkit

http://mc-iris.org/go-green-grow-native.html

Check out additional resources below!

On the invasive Kudzu:

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Kudzu_on_trees_in_Atlanta,_Georgia.jpg/450px-Kudzu_on_trees_in_Atlanta,_Georgia.jpg&imgrefurl=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudzu_in_the_United_States&h=277&w=450&tbnid=6Qyjeht3_RytHM:&vet=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=200&docid=3fyCBMJXnbcBGM&itg=1&usg=__sEQ55uTjmNdnAGuVgud5kkX3B9c=&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjBkOjCtqnQAhXK6SYKHf4MBiIQ_B0IdDAK&ei=JEwqWMHuJsrTmwH-mZiQAg

On the invasive Lonicera maackii

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lonicera_maackii