Exotic Plants Destroy Native Understory
Some seasons give a little better look at the nature of the forest floor than others. In these photos from a park in East Texas it is evident that the dominant plant in the understory is a non native. In this case, the only green in this scene is Asian Privet, which , in East Texas, is evergreen, and the rest of the understory, what little there is, is asleep for the winter. It is easy to tell that not many native plants live in this tree dominated site.
The photo below is a closeup of an environmental terrorist. Asian Privet.
In the photo below, the only greenery is invasive. It is a mix of Asian privet, and other non native vines, which all have abundant fruit, but it lacks the nutrition needed for native wildlife. This area has been overtaken by the invasive exotic plants in less than 20 years, and almost all forms of native plant life in the understory are gone as a result of the invasion.
Comments are closed.