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Flowering Dogwood Survives Exotic Attack, W. John Hayden
Flowering Dogwood Survives Exotic Attack, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
It has been said that loss of native biodiversity from the effects of invasive exotic species is second only to that caused by outright habitat destruction. In the world of plants, some of the worst offenders are exotic species that actively invade intact natural habitats and, by their aggressive tendencies, crowd out native species. Attack by lianas (woody climbing plants) such as Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) and Oriental Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) can include effects similar to strangulation, brought on by twining around their host plant’s stems. It is not always the host, however, for which the …
Two Honeysuckles: A Tale Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, W. John Hayden
Two Honeysuckles: A Tale Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
There are about 180 species of Lonicera (honeysuckles) widely distributed in the north temperate zone. These are mostly shrubby plants, but in Virginia, we have two species that are woody vines (lianas). These two lianous honeysuckles should be familiar to all Virginia Native Plant Society members. One is this year’s VNPS Wildflower of the Year, Lonicera sempervirens (coral honeysuckle), and the other is Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), widely and deservedly reviled as one of our most aggressive invasive exotic species. Together, these two plants make an odd pair, a sort of botanical Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What is it, …
Be Creative When Controlling Invasive Plant Species, W. John Hayden
Be Creative When Controlling Invasive Plant Species, W. John Hayden
Biology Faculty Publications
We are often told that every cloud has a silver lining, but when it comes to invasive exotic species, it seems that the proverbial silver lining is vanishingly thin. Invasives like kudzu, Japanese honeysuckle, tree-of-heaven, and oh-so-many others, seem ubiquitous, crowding out native plants and altering all manner of ecological interactions. Like a rock tossed in a placid pond, the negative impact of an exotic species can ripple throughout the entire ecological community. Further, populations of invasive plants can be so large and so extensive across the countryside that complete eradication is simply out of the question. The genie is …