Page 24 - Discover Spring 2023

Weeder’s
Remember, it never hurts to seek professional
advice. You can reach Bob Siren by email:
GardenGab@wslk880.com
www.facebook.com/Garden-Gab-on-WSLK
22 Discover Smith Mountain Lake SPRING 2023
Digest
By Bob Siren
As smart as we may think we are as a species, we sure
do a lot of foolish (if not stupid) things that we end up
regretting… because they sounded like good ideas at the
time. It's in our nature, pun intended, to try to address a
problem in the garden by applying a remedy in the form
of introducing non native flora and/or fauna into our
ecosystem.
Many times, people have caused more harm than
good by implementing a plan that not only backfires, but
causes a new problem that is larger than the one that we
were trying to fix. Ecosystems, which have evolved over
millennia, seemingly have developed in a manner that
seeks harmony and balance. Predators prevent over-
populations of their prey, seasonal temperature changes
inhibit insect proliferation, and among other things
promote bud set, allowing plants to produce flowers and
fruit. Plants, animals and insects coexist in a balance,
which allows each species its space and place. This balance
is maintained when the natural environs remain constant,
until an anomaly is either accidentally or purposely
introduced, causing unintended consequences.
In the late 1800's , Chinese and Japanese Chestnut
trees were intentionally introduced into this country
for their diminutive size and ease of harvesting. The
unintended consequences came in the form of a bark
fungus. The “alien” trees were immune to it, but this
fungus had a devastating affect on American Chestnut
trees, native trees that had previously dominated our
forests. These trees were an important part of our
ecosystem, providing a cash crop that fed people as well as
livestock, and also as a source of rot-resistant timber.
It may have been the same geniuses who introduced
Kudzu and later Autumn Olive for purposes of erosion
control. These plants have no natural local fauna to control
their spread as was the case in their native habitats.
Perhaps the unintentional release of dominant species like
the Lion fish to the Caribbean, or snakehead fish to fresh
water lakes and streams, or the Python to the everglades,
will continue to inflict devastating and unforeseen damage
on those ecosystems; in such cases, the effects are usually
suboptimal.