Are there any non-native plants or animals thriving in your area? Are the natives being displaced?

Question

In Chicago, Ill., USA we have zebra mussels clogging water intakes and displacing food sources for fishes. We have an asian beetle that is destroying trees that supposedly arrived in some wooden crates from overseas. We have an asian carp problem in the Mississippi River where they have no natural enemies and are displacing the native fish. I'm wondering about the situation all over, but in particular I am curious to know if american flora or fauna is causing problems somewhere else. thanks for your input.

Answer 1

I live in New Zealand. We have issues with a whole lot of invasive exotic plants and animals. Especially because our country has been isolated from the rest of the world for millions of years, so our native flora and fauna is very distinct, even from that in our neighbouring Australia. As far as American species that cause issues here, I'm not too sure... Pond Apple (Annona glabra) is a plant that isn't here yet, but that we are concerned about if it does get here - it has become invasive in Fiji, Vietnam and some parts of northern Australia. Queen of the Night (Cestrum nocturnum) is originally from central America, and is a problem here. Century plant (Agave americana) is a problem here too - it displaces our native species on coastal sand dunes - meaning that they become prone to erosion. The list goes on.

Answer 2

In Michigan, we have Purple Loofstrife and Garlic Mustard plants. The loofstrife is taking over the wetlands...it's beautiful (big purple flowers), but none of the wetland plants can compete with it. The GM is overtaking everything else. They think they may have found a beetle that is partial to Purple Loofstrife. We also have the Emerald Ash Borer, killing off Ash trees.

Answer 3

Yeah. Honeysuckle is taking over the forrests. You can't even walk through it without a chainsaw. I heard that a foreign grass is taking over the desert in the southwest that causes fires that burn down cactii that are hundreds of years old. Sad. Remember that killer bee scare back in the 1990s?

Answer 4

Because many Europeans wanted to stay in Europe and not migrate to America. The majority of Africans in early times didn't come to the "new world" by choice. They were given a free ticket by evil slave traders. I would say, "poor Africans!"

Answer 5

There are invasives ALL over the place. Here in California we have Giant Cane Reed (Arundo donax), pepper weed, tree tobacco, horehound, Castor bean, pampas grass, fennel, and black mustard just to name a few.