Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022 - 80
SINGING IN THE GARDEN
I believe alien life is quite common in the universe
-Stephen Hawking
Space Invaders
Text and art by GINNY NEIL
I
n the dead of winter, there is only one
thing to do. Worry about aliens. Space
invaders are coming to a pasture, garden
or forest near you. If you're not
a believer, you should be. Aliens are
already here.
These UFOs (ubiquitously fertile
overachievers) have names: Autumn olive,
bamboo, garlic mustard, purple loosestrife,
tree of heaven, multiflora rose, and
" the vine that swallowed the south " -kudzu.
Most have already landed in the Appalachian Mountains
and are busy knocking out native flora and fauna
in their quest for more space and light. All of them come
from faraway lands, so how did they get here? Some
hitchhiked on birds or the wind. Others aliens were introduced
to us by government agencies and gardening
centers because they offered such seductive gifts.
A stand of bamboo (Phyllostachys aureosulcata) provides
a quick privacy fence, while tree of heaven (Ai80
BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
LEARN MORE ABOUT
INVASIVES
If you are interested in learning more, the
University of Tennessee has put out a great
guide to identifying plants that are considered
invasive in the Appalachian Mountains.
It organizes them by type and gives
information about how to eradicate
them if you spot them. You can
find it by typing " invasive weeds
of the Appalachian region " into
your browser or by following this
link:
extension.tennessee.edu/
publications/Documents/PB1785.pdf
-GN
lanthus altissima) gives fast shade. Multiflora rose (Rosa
multiflora) offers two gifts-profuse blooms followed by
bright red hips which birds love. Garlic mustard (Alliaria
petiolata) is a medicinal herb and is edible when
young. Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) is stunning
in bloom while autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellate) pro
http://extension.tennessee.edu/
http://www.BLUERIDGECOUNTRY.COM
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022 - 1
Blue Ridge Country January/February 2022 - 2
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