Friday, September 20, 2002

Loosestrife Lover

Blasphemy? Perhaps. But not everyone thinks of Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) as the scourge of American wetlands. As this article from the Times Herald-Record in New York demonstrates, some researchers consider it a species with wildlife value, and do not concur with claims that it crowds out native wetland plants. I think it is likely that the honeybee and ladybug mentioned as inhabiting the loosestrife that was "teeming with life" are not native either.

No comments: