Invasion Alert!

The Wanted posters above were on display at the Farmer's Market last year; I've been holding the photo (taken on one of those glaring Arizona days) 'til I had a couple of pictures of the culprits. Enemy plants listed above: Scotch thistle, hoary cress, Russian knapweed and...

...Dalmatian toadflax, aka butter-and-eggs, scientifically known as linaria vulgaris. It's a pretty thing that you see around town; little wonder it was imported as an ornamental from the Old Country back in the 1600s. Today, the dang plant is found in all the states -- from Florida to Alaska; that's real adaptability for you. I too thought this first cousin to the penstemon and snapdragon was pretty, so I uprooted one or two and planted them in my yard. Now I know why they're such a problem. They seed prolifically -- and also spread via underground runners. Almost impossible to get rid of. Flagstaff has a much worse problem than Prescott, BTW; there are roadside embankments that are totally covered by Dalmation toadflax, instead of such high country natives as red gilia or purple Rocky mountain penstemon, which is too bad!

Again, a pretty plant! Not a major problem on the local radar, but a big one along streams at lower elevations -- salt cedar or tamarisk. How come? These trees and shrubs provide shade and are excellent providers of nectar, which is very important in the production of honey . Because of their tolerance to alkaline and saline conditions, they are valuable as shade and ornamental plants. However, in many regions they have become a serious problem because they have formed extensive stands and cause great water losses. These trees take in so much more water than the native plants they displace that they have desiccated southwestern and Californian desert wetlands. So says the US Army Corps of Engineers, whose mission is to worry about waterways. Just in passing, I should mention that I took the picture above in June in a creek bed next to the road to Granite Basin Lake.

A Thousand Pardons! Speaking of invasives, I had, of course, meant to bring up the subject of kudzu, but it completely left my mind when I sat down to type. Here is an account of how the mile-a-minute plant came to the USA; here are many pictures of familiar objects (i.e., cranes, abandoned factories) that have been covered by the infernal vine. When I was in grammar school in the 30s, I heard the virtues of kudzu extolled as a new means of controlling erosion in the southern red clay country. Dotter -- you might ask your DH which government agency sponsored kudzu...