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Giant Hogweed is an invasive alien in Ireland. This was planted for decorative use in gardens but the seeds spread quickly by water. The big plants crowd out native plants.
The sap is toxic and corrosive and will not only blister skin, it will make the skin photosensitive for months.
Workers clearing this have to wear protective clothing and goggles.
Presently the council workers are cutting and clearing flowerhead stems - the plant is in the Umbellifer family - to reduce seeding.

The gardening industry has contributed greatly to the spread and survival of plants that are not native to the areas they are now found in.

Giant hogweed is a problem here in my home state of Michigan, too. We also have a veritable plague of garlic mustard and (aptly named) purple loosestrife.

Illegal botanical immigrants are a legitimate threat. Wish our U.S. political leaders would focus terms like "invasion" and "infestation" where they actually apply!

I think this is obligatory:

The Day of the Triffids

The Day Of The Triffids, Good one.

There are several unfortunate ways to describe the human experience, planet eaters, parasites, real life Triffids.

Here is another one about Earth getting overgrown with plants. The Long Afternoon On Earth by Brian Aldiss. It can be a hard read, best look at it like it was collection of impressions. It was written in the early 1960s when people first started showing concern about how the planet was going to physically end up. While it is set in far future it is also a reminder of how messed up things can get.

Several things came out of this time period, like clean air and water legislation, Endangered Species Act, and Silent Spring by Rachel Carlson but much of the momentum was lost. Originally Silent Spring was attacked by science and industry as being unscientific, patently false, and bad for humanity. It survived and is still highly respected.

But most of the fiction used to showcase valid concerns, like The Long Afternoon On Earth, original name Hot House Earth, remain fiction. While supposedly a billion years away, with people at the controls the time table could rapidly shift to the not so distant future. Another story, presented as a science fiction movie but really an environmental showcase of hot topics, Soylent Green, while big at the time, and still valid, but not noticed any more.

The science wilted away, probably because it seemed like clean air and clean water goals had been accomplished. Even the guy who coined Gaia, which initially had a lot of people in the various fields of science, from educators to industry, taking note and writing their own papers on the subject, now thinks nuclear energy is the way to go. The business world is quite content to let clean energy be the most important goal, it hides the concerns of non energy pollution sources which were of equal importance to people in the 60s and 70s.

The unfortunate past events, just mistakes that don't need to be mentioned. They are about to run out of room at Fukushima for the radioactive water that is piling up. The ground water situation is not under control. Chernobyl also has a ground water situation. Bikini Island is still radioactive, about the only thing safe is the air, because everything solid has absorbed and locked up the radiation. You still can't eat or drink anything found on the island. The testing of nuclear devices at Bikini provides 15 percent of the above normal background radiation we have today.



People are beginning to respond at the local level by doing what seems to work out in the short run. If you don't have money and you need it, as everything nowadays gets a price per second of use price tag, the short term solution is the quickest way to put money in your pocket. Poor farmers grow what can be grown in the new financial and weather climate. "Green gold, Kenyan farmers abandon food crops to grow herbal stimulant."

Cash cropping has been occurring for decades; small farmers were advised (by outsiders) to plant cash crops instead of subsistence. But when the crop fails they have nothing to eat.

The primary reason I always hear about invasive species survival is that they have no predators to keep them in check. It is logical to assume that there are no predators because the invasive species is so far removed from it's original environment.

A secondary reason, or a what if, the environment the invasive species is transplanted to is no longer giving the natural species of the area the support it needs for any number of reasons. The soil could have changed, degraded, or is missing substances that used to be there because other plants, animals, or insects are missing. Without a complete population of insect life or animal life present, that might make the area more hospital for the invasive plants.

The immunity from predation or disease is a huge factor.
Another factor can be that the newcomer just outcompetes the local species. This often happens with plants - rhododendrons overshadow native plants and poison the ground against them, salt-tolerant plants wash in on the waves, get a foothold on the shore and work up the estuary outcompeting less salt-tolerant species.
The zebra mussels outcompete local molluscs by filtering the water for food more efficiently.

I saw a program about keystone land animals on PBS and how their existence of lack of existence can change the land. The absence of animals can;t have a beneficial effect on forests and fields. The whole concept of alien invasive species is a bunch of bunk designed (accidentally but rarely challenged) so we can rest easy about why the naturally occurring plants and animals are able to be easily dislodged by a species from another location. It's not our fault for what we did in the past, it's fault of some alien invasive species.

Keystone animals are animals that help keep an entire cycle of animals and plants functioning in a healthy manner. Remove a predator is the easiest way to see what goes wrong, It is much easier to see in the water than on land. No big fish to keep the little fish in check and the little fish will overgraze the available food and change the content of the eco system which then makes other things overgrow or other things disappear. The disrupted eco system might not even be able to support the reintroduction of the missing predator. The disruption is not done by an alien invasive species, although it now has attained the role of alien invasive species for the "new" eco system.

The wolf is a keystone species. The beaver is a keystone species. There are many land animals whose existence makes it possible for many other land animals and plants to exist in an eco system. Without the keystone species that are a functional part of the forests and fields, those forests and fields are dysfunctional. They may look okay to the human eye but they aren't. Without the keystone animals the forests and fields are not healthy. The animals were all removed by non stop trapping which didn't stop until the animals were permanently gone.

Since the forests and fields have been dysfunctional for a long time, their health is no longer as it was. We draw up property lines and assign ownership and put it all down on paper thinking that is reality. The reality is that we have moved everything around, putting stuff where it can't grow good but grow it there anyway. We remove all the animals and then think a bunch of trees standing around are perfectly healthy and functional when it fact they are not. Even earth worms have become an invasive species because there enough animals around to eat them, so they multiply unchecked.


This article shows the many links between above ground and below interactions between plants, animals, and microbes. We only see the examples where it doesn't work, there are instances where it isn't simple to see what happened and why.

Are you playing Animal Crossing? This is a multi-user online game where people do chores on their islands to gain the chance to redecorate and replant as they make better homes and wardrobes.
I'm not playing this right now, but Gizmodo staffers are playing it so I don't have to.
One staffer Ian Walker planted flowers and tried out hybridising and keen gardening. His island became...



"I love the rain, especially in Animal Crossing. It gives me a chance to wear new clothes and I can’t get enough of the little splish splosh sounds my character’s boots make as I run around town. But when you’re trying to keep flowers in check it’s a nightmare. Every flower on the island gets watered in the downpour, naturally, which in turn prompts further growth. It’s common to wake up the morning after a storm to find a dozen new buds have sprung up overnight, especially if you, like me, kept the existing wildflowers on your island to maintain some of its natural beauty. But my unruly mobs of flora are now surrounding and crowding out even those native plants. If I don’t take steps to corral them, it’s only a matter of time until they completely overtake my fellow villagers�� homes. The stress of what to do with these flowers is a constant in the back of my mind, and they only continue to spread."

Have fun. Learn lessons.

Strange game. Distracted living. Seems more like a pinball machine game.

The gaming market is a big part of the interaction between the real world and the virtual world, involving money, people, and machines.

The estimates for people playing games ranges from 1.25 billion to 2.5 billion people.

The money spent and made rages from 15 billion to 150 billion.

It all seems to depend on how wide a net you want to cast out.

According to a commenter if you plant the flowers in sand they don't multiply.
There are games that are educational about nature such as Microsoft Zoo Tycoon. I have had that for many years and now have the Dinosaur Digs expansion.
We also like Pharaoh, Oblivion, Skyrim, Civilization and a few more.

Invasive plants tend to lead to carbon loss from the soil. An extensive experiment was carried out by a team in New Zealand.

In the Niagara area, most of the 86 non-native species turned out to be plant species.

"For this study, the researchers used standardized searches in Google and a database of nursery catalogs to identify invasive plants in the U.S. that continue to be sold. They also recorded the location and distribution of vendors and sales across the lower 48 states, and which sales took place even when federal and/or state regulations prohibit them.

The authors report that they found that 61% of 1,285 plant species identified as invasive in the U.S. remain available through the plant trade, including 50% of state-regulated species and 20% of federal noxious weeds, with vendors in all the lower 48 states. These vendors included large online marketplaces like eBay and Amazon where users can easily ship invasive plants across state borders, likely without consequence. "While patchy state regulations definitely contribute to the widespread availability of invasive plants in the U.S., it's clear we as a public also lack awareness about which plants are invasive and how they spread to new areas."

Although there are barriers to enforcement, Beaury says that "we've already heard from state regulators that have used our results to follow up with growers selling invasive species. This is great news, and if we want to continue to protect native ecosystems, regulators and managers need more resources to do so.""

In Maine it is illegal to grow currants, gooseberries, and some other related berries, because those plants provide a platform for the proliferation of a fungus, white pine blister rust, which kills the pine tree species that is the state tree. That is cause and effect dramatically illustrated and taken care of. Some organic groups think the law is unfair. They want to grow currants to cash in on the anti oxidant properties that are heavily advertised by the green industry.

Originally invasive species could usually be tied directly to people's economic activities. Invasive worms literally got a free ride to every part of the country by the fishing industry. Then the fisherman trucked them to every county, nook, and cranny, where they threw the left over worms at the end of the day onto the ground.

Now we have a different picture, global climate change is moving massive populations of animals, and probably plants, to cooler locations. We forced those species to move to where they could continue to survive. Now we have to pick, between the refugee species whose plight we created and the original species who might up moving themselves to cooler, or drier conditions.

At the same time, if we want to see the continued existence of some species we will have to move and resettle them ourselves.

Nice little story.

"A seven-year-old boy has been playing a key role in a seagrass conservation project in Co Wexford.

Shem Berry has been joining volunteers clearing an invasive alien seaweed, Sargassum muticum, by hand from the seagrass meadow at St Patrick's Bridge in Kilmore Quay.

The volunteer-led initiative is part of Coastwatch’s national seagrass survey, which aims to identify and protect Ireland’s seagrass sites.

Shem said: "I think it's important to look after the environment, not only on land, but on the sea. Some kids might think there’s no fun in it, but I'm interested in going out in the water and learning about the biodiversity in the water."

Seagrass is important in the fight against climate change.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) says it can capture carbon 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.

It also absorbs 10% of the ocean’s carbon every year."

Pampas grass and water hyacinth are the prime suspects in this discussion.

""You see more clearly the impact of animals—they are a predator destroying a prey. But plants can have a very severe effect," Piero Genovesi, who heads up the IUCN's Invasive Species Specialist Group.

"It's less visible in the beginning, but then it becomes huge."

Genovesi told AFP that in Europe most invasive plants are introduced by being sold for gardens.

"Pampas grass is beautiful, but it spreads very rapidly, so once it's out, it's very difficult to contain it," he said.

The plant is "very aggressive", according to the EU-backed LIFE Stop Cortaderia project, warning that it has expanded across urban and industrial areas and squeezed out native species in Atlantic coastal areas of France, Spain and Portugal.
....

"Experts say invasive species are a key driver of global extinctions—along with habitat loss, overexploitation and climate change.

Consider the case of the water hyacinth.

Taken from its home in the Amazon by European explorers, the water hyacinth dazzled imperial courts, including France's Napoleon and his plant-loving wife Josephine, with its beautiful floating flowers.

They took it to Egypt, where it escaped and began a continent-wide invasion.

"In Africa, it creates huge green carpets, blocking navigation, fishing, access to water, destroying the habitat for many fish and also increasing evaporation so it decreases the water stock," said Genovesi."

I previously learned about a seacoast plant which is called the Hottentot Fig, sour fig, Cape fig, ice plant. Sadly it does not bear figs.

This interesting site shows a list of all the officially listed invasive plant species in Ireland.



Here it is in Ireland's Biodiversity website.



I previously read of an island where the coasts became covered in Hottentot Fig that washed in on the waves. To get rid of it, the locals thought it would help to import snails that liked munching this food.
But the snails scented better food inland, and promptly took off in that direction, devastating gardens and outcompeting the local snails. I guess a snail that evolved to survive on tough salty coastal greens with an arid shoreline behind, must be pretty tough and opportunist.

Guernsey, one of the Channel islands near France, has produced this list of their biodiversity, with invasive plants as chapter 9 and Hottentot Fig at the top.



This also mentions aquarium plants, Parrot Feathers and New Zealand pygmy weed. Other invasives are Japanese knotweed and self-seeding pampas grass.

An invasive reed can be a helpful part of the ecosystem, but it overcomes and replaces the native species.



"The European Phragmites first appeared in North America in the 1800s, spreading quickly and aggressively through the wetlands of Canada and the United States. Its invasion was dramatic, smothering other native plants and pushing out marsh animals, including many threatened and endangered species. It has also had a negative effect on agricultural production."

More information: Dong‐Ha Oh et al, Novel genome characteristics contribute to the invasiveness of Phragmites australis (common reed), Molecular Ecology (2021). DOI:
Journal information: Molecular Ecology

Earlier story on this reed from 2017



"Phragmites australis, known as the common reed, is an invasive marsh grass that can spread at rates up to 15 feet per year. It thrives throughout North American wetlands, and studies have demonstrated that its densely packed growth pattern chokes out native marsh plants, thereby reducing plant diversity and habitat used by some threatened and endangered birds."

More information: Seth J. Theuerkauf et al, Density-dependent role of an invasive marsh grass, Phragmites australis, on ecosystem service provision, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI:
Journal information: PLoS ONE
Provided by North Carolina State University

And in 2014, goats were a better way to reduce marsh grass than chemicals.



""We find that allowing controlled grazing by goats or other livestock in severely affected marshes can reduce the stem density of phragmites cover by about half in around three weeks," said Brian R. Silliman, lead author of the new study and Rachel Carson associate professor of marine conservation biology at Duke's Nicholas School of the Environment.

"The goats are likely to provide an effective, sustainable and much more affordable way of mowing down the invasive grass and helping restore lost ocean views," he said.

In fenced-in test plots at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland, Silliman and his colleagues found that a pair of the hungry herbivores could reduce phragmites cover from 94 percent to 21 percent, on average, by the end of the study. Separate trials showed that horses and cows would also readily eat the invasive grass.

In addition to restoring views, the controlled grazing allowed native plant species to re-establish themselves in the test plots over time. The native species diversity index increased five-fold.

"For more than two decades, we've declared major chemical and physical warfare on this grass, using all the latest manmade weapons," Silliman said. "We've used helicopters to spray it with herbicides and bulldozers to remove its roots. More often than not, however, it returns.

"In this study, we show that sustainable, low-cost rotational livestock grazing can suppress the unwanted tall grass and favor a more diverse native plant system," he said."

More information: "Livestock as a Potential Biological Control Agent for an Invasive Wetland Plant," by B.R. Silliman, T. Mozdzer, C. Angelini, J.E. Brundage, P. Esselink, J.P. Bakker, K.B. Gedan, J. van de Koppel and A.H. Baldwin. PeerJ, Sept. 23, 2014. DOI:
Journal information: PeerJ
Provided by Duke University

Excellent example of how there is no free lunch. Animals have major roles in maintaining local eco systems. Unfortunately most of the natural animal populations have been wiped out by human activity, from hunting to building. This leaves many jobs that need to be done, left undone. Bringing in animals to perform the jobs the local animals once did, jobs that humans will not do, can not do, or have no idea the job needs to be done, shows how practical natural solutions are. The question is how many jobs once performed by animals go undone. Those jobs need to be done or those living in improperly maintained environments will suffer all kinds of consequences, including very poor health.

Spain:

"‘Invasive�� canes and other impediments which could cause blockages during torrential rain are being removed from the River Gorgos.

A Jávea town hall spokesman noted that the local authority has been ‘repeatedly�� asking for the task to be carried out �� and work by the Júcar river and water authority (CHJ) is finally underway.

Full report in Friday’s Costa Blanca News"

A new plant biodiversity atlas reveals invasive ones.




"Native grassland plants have suffered the most, but many plants of lakes and wetlands have also declined.

In contrast, 80% of non-native plants introduced into Ireland since 1500 have increased.

Most of these non-native species are benign but some, such as Himalayan Balsam and Rhododendron, have become invasive, with a negative impact on the native flora.

Another non-native plant which has shown a very marked increase is American Willow herb, a North American plant species, common as a weed on waste ground, walls, and in gardens.

It was first recorded in Ireland in 1958, but has spread explosively since 1980."

"‘Disease-like�� goatheads have riddled Boise for years. How the city plans to eradicate them

Puncturevine plants produce bundles of fruit pods known as schizocarps, which then split up into mericarps, Rachman said. The small, spiky structures that get stuck in shoes, bike tires or animal paws are mericarps, which contain seeds from which new plants can sprout.

The spiky, painful and nuisance-causing plants have been plaguing Boise bicycle riders for years. But a new collaboration between Boise State University and City Hall aims to rid Idaho’s capital of puncturevine �� commonly known as goathead �� once and for all."

A novel method of tracking the plants was done by people walking the length of a city block in various locations and using gps to mark the locations of the plants on a map. This lead to the discovery that the invasive weed was more likely to be growing in less affluent parts of the city.

With the precise location information, the efforts to eradicate the plant can be better directed. The plants are found in only 2 percent of the city but the seed pods get spread around to many more areas. The seed pods survive composting and remain viable for up to 6 years.

This kind of seed can be harmful to animals as it gets caught in the coat or between pads of paws. Worse if it gets into the ears.

Giant rhubarb was originally an ornamental plant. Now it's escaped of course and flourishes in large swathes, shading out the native plants.
Here's a look at Scotland, but it's in Ireland too.


"Have you got giant rhubarb in your garden? A European-wide ban on the sale of this invasive non-native plant comes into force today. If you already have the plant, also known as Gunnera tinctoria, in your garden you can keep it, but you must act responsibly, as allowing Gunnera tinctoria to grow or spread outside your garden could be an offence."

"One of the most invasive Australian weeds is being touted as a potential economic crop, with benefits for the construction, mining and forestry industries, and potentially many First Nations communities.

The prickly paddy melon weed, which costs the agricultural industry around $100 million a year in lost grain yields, cattle deaths, and control measures, could turn into an unlikely money spinner as a source of urease enzymes to create bio cement and prevent soil erosion.

In a world-first study, researchers at the University of South Australia (UniSA) screened 50 native plants and weeds to find a cheaper and more environmentally friendly source for bulk producing of urease enzymes to strengthen soil. They presented their findings at The International Conference on Sustainable Civil Engineering and Architecture."

More information: M. V. Tran et al, Powdered Enzyme from Australian Weed for Bio-stabilisation, Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Sustainable Civil Engineering and Architecture (2023). DOI:

Provided by University of South Australia

While nightshade plants may be native to the areas described, they are invasive in crop fields and the study finds that frequent mowing makes them more toxic and harder to kill. Management of invasive plants should be done on a species basis and not with an overall mowing strategy.


"Findings in both studies showed that the more silverleaf nightshade was mowed, the more it developed ways to avoid destruction, Kariyat said. The taproot went down further, nearly 5 feet deep, in the first generation of mowed plants. More spikes popped out on the stem as a defense against caterpillars feeding on the flowers. The flowers became more toxic to caterpillars, leading to less pressure from natural predators.

Like time bombs, the plant produced some groups of seeds that germinated faster and others that were delayed. This "staggered" germination was the plant's way to ensure survival over the long haul.

"You are trying to mow these plants so that the plants are getting eliminated," Kariyat said. "But what you are actually doing here, you are making them much worse, much stronger."

Tilling areas with silverleaf nightshade also spreads the plant because the rhizomic roots, like many weeds, can propagate asexually over multiple years and growing seasons."

More information: Alejandro Vasquez et al, Continuous mowing differentially affects floral defenses in the noxious and invasive weed Solanum elaeagnifolium in its native range, Scientific Reports (2024).

Food, Farms & Forests podcast episode "Mow less: Studies Show Less is More When Mowing Noxious Weed."

Journal information: Scientific Reports

Provided by University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture

In trying to find out more about Solanum elaeagnifolium and the Solanum family I learned a few things. Just searching for the time line of the appearance of the Solanum family members I found nothing easily useful. I did find most of the articles were the agendas of what other people wanted to happen to Solanum elaeagnifolium, because it is a "noxious weed" and information about the plant's history. I guess I will have to buy a book that is not polluted by agendas.

Sure its a "bad" weed, very tenacious, very able to respond to negative situations that imperil its survival. When an organism responds responds to negative systems in a way that insures its survival it usually needs extra energy to to build and run the shield. With this plant it seems like it is using more energy to survive but its efforts also bring in more energy. Makes it easier to survive.

I am assuming that Solanum elaeagnifolium came into existence before Tomatoes, Potatoes, Bell peppers, Hot peppers, Eggplant, Tomatillos, Goji berries, and Pepino, and other edible fruits and vegetables. If the original Solanum family members weren't so tough we wouldn't have those plants we are eating now, and in large quantities.

Over here we have the Deadly Nightshade version and a more harmless subspecies called Bittersweet or Woody Nightshade. And of course, the potato and the other plants you mention. The invasive plant in the article must be low-growing in a tillage crop field. The two wild ones here, need to climb through a hedge.

"Invasive species have devastating consequences on the environment, displacing and replacing native species and damaging ecosystems. Today we reveal for the first time just how much local authorities are spending to tackle the issue.

The top three spending councils over those four years were Mayo, Cork and Meath County Councils, with total spends of approximately ��1.28m, ��950k and ��814k, respectively.

Next up were Galway and Fingal County Councils, with spends of around ��700k
and ��650k each.

For 11 of the councils, the amount spent increased from 2021 to 2023, while for 10 councils it stayed roughly the same.

These figures were obtained through Access to Information on the Environment (AIE) requests for our SOIL INVADERS investigation, a multi-part series out over the coming week, into the spread of invasive plants in Ireland."

Here, the invasive rhododendron is being cleared, but that's been going on for generations now. New machinery and pesticide techniques are starting to make a difference for the workers, who are often volunteers.



"Mr Meskell is confident the methods developed in Killarney can be applied in other areas with rhododendron infestations.

"The research we've done, the trials we've done on the most effective way of treating rhododendron, to kill it, and now the new machinery in the heavily infested areas of the first initial clearance will all be used in other areas of the country where there is rhododendron. And it's going to be the template.""

Rhett Ayers Butler
Founder and CEO of Mongabay, a nonprofit organization that delivers news and inspiration from Nature's frontline via a global network of reporters.

"Invasive water hyacinths are effective at removing microplastics

Water hyacinth, long reviled for choking waterways and displacing native species, may be poised for a surprising redemption. A recent study from China has found that the prolific aquatic plant can remove microplastics from heavily polluted water—without harming itself in the process."