<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small">Ms. Condon used to write for Virginia Wildlife in 2002. And has been making these claims for some time. Here's a letter VNPS wrote in 2008 challenging her in print.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small"><p class="MsoNormal">To the Editor</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Roanoke
Times</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We of the Virginia Native Plant Society continue to find it
disheartening that the Marlene Condons of this world still do not understand
the threat to Virginia’s
natural areas of invasive exotic plants. (<b>Native
Plants Aren’t Always Better</b>, April 21, 2008) It’s not that natives are not hardy, it is
that plants introduced to another country (or sometimes even a different
region) do not have the natural checks and balances through evolved
relationships with insect predators and diseases to help keep them from
becoming overabundant. As a result, some
invasive aliens can and do crowd out native species that our native wildlife
(animals and insects) are dependent on. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For example, the invasive non-native Garlic Mustard plant
now appears to be the primary reason for the decline of the West Virginia White
butterfly in our region. The butterfly normally uses Toothwort (Dentaria)
as its natural hostplant. However, the Garlic Mustards give off some type
of strong chemical cues for the West Virginia White females to lay their eggs
on that plant. Thus, they prefer to lay eggs on Garlic Mustard rather
than the native Toothworts. The big problem is that the Mustard is toxic
to the caterpillars. Thus, the butterfly colony rapidly dissappears after
Garlic Mustard invades an area.<br>
<br>
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We commend to your readers a book by Dr. Doug Tallamy, an
entomologist and the chair of wildlife ecology at University of Delaware,
who has just published a book called <b>Bringing
Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain</b> <b>Wildlife</b>
(web site <a href="http://bringingnaturehome.net/" title="http://bringingnaturehome.net/">http://bringingnaturehome.net/</a> or <a href="http://udel.edu/~dtallamy/" title="http://udel.edu/~dtallamy/">http://udel.edu/~dtallamy/</a>
) Tallamy will also be publishing a scientific article soon in the
peer-reviewed journal Conservation Biology, to provide data on a recent study
which showed statistically significant results that insect (lepidopteran)
biomass and species richness were much lower in landscapes where alien species
are the predominant plant type. His study also measured an associated
reduction in bird species richness on properties landscaped conventionally with
alien plants. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation publishes
an advisory list of invasive alien plant species of Virginia to inform land managers of
potential risks associated with certain plant species known to exhibit invasive
behavior. That Department states: “Across the country and around the world,
invasive alien plants and animals have become one of the most serious threats
to native species, natural communities, and ecosystem processes. They also
exact a costly toll from human economies that depend on resources and services
provided by healthy ecosystems.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Sally Anderson</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">President, Virginia Native Plant Society</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Blandy Experimental Farm</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">400 Blandy Farm Lane, Unit 2</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Boyce, VA 22620</p></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Jun 5, 2015 at 9:06 AM, Kathy Michels <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kathleen.michels@verizon.net" target="_blank">kathleen.michels@verizon.net</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">Not just weep. Act and challenge in print!! I thought this kind of thinking disapperared long ago smothered by kudzu mutliflora rose porecelainberry mile a minute , stultgrass, garlic mustard. Callery pear , english ivy etc etc. (Dont we wish they would disappear on their own!)<br>
<br>
we all know there are plenty of natives that shine on degraded soil- but then step back for succession as soils improve. Sometimes they need a jump start. The problem with nonnatives is they dont allow natural succession and often themselves change soils to be inhospitable to natives. . Who is this person and do they have any training in ecology or experience with the natural world!! ??<br>
<br>
This piece needs to be aggressively challenged for those trying to learn what works. I know i have been one of them and planted every invasive you can think of when i started out as a young gardener!! <br>
-Kathy<br><br><div style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif";padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in">
<hr style="border:none;border-top:solid #e1e1e1 1.0pt">
<b>From:</b> Dewey <<a href="mailto:historictimekeepers@gmail.com" target="_blank">historictimekeepers@gmail.com</a>><br>
<b>Sent:</b> June 5, 2015 8:40:18 AM EDT<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:maipc@lists.maipc.org" target="_blank">maipc@lists.maipc.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> Re: [MAIPC] read it and weep or gnash your teeth<br>
</div>
<br>
She (article author) writes:<br>
<br>
<p>"Usually nonnative plants fill an area only after it had been
left barren because of an altered soil profile brought about by
man, severe storms, or both. Very few native plant species can
grow in poor-quality soil.</p>
<p>By moving into these damaged areas, alien plants do what humans
can’t easily do: they rehabilitate the soil. In other words, they
are creating a rich soil so that—once they’ve done their
job—native plants may again be able to grow there.</p>
<p>Nonnative species are able to obtain nutrients from nutrient-poor
soil and transform them into plant tissue. When that plant tissue
is returned to the soil (such as when leaves detach to be replaced
by new ones or when the plant itself dies), it becomes
humus—organic material that enriches the clay soil because its
nutrients are in a form that’s usable by many more kinds of
plants."<br>
</p>
<p>Huh? Guess our concerns about changes to pH and microfauna are
unfounded.<br>
</p>
<p>How many people in Albermarle County (high ed, high income) will
now be quoting her "facts". Nuts<br>
</p>
Regards, Dewey Clark,
<div>On 6/4/2015 11:32 PM, Ruth Douglas
wrote:<br>
</div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.crozetgazette.com/2015/06/blue-ridge-naturalist-invasive-plants-invaluable-to-degraded-environment/" target="_blank">http://www.crozetgazette.com/2015/06/blue-ridge-naturalist-invasive-plants-invaluable-to-degraded-environment/</a><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<pre cols="72">Regards,
Dewey Clark,
<a href="http://www.historictimekeepers.com" target="_blank">http://www.historictimekeepers.com</a>
Omega Recognized Service Provider
WOSTEP Certified After Sales Service of Current Watches
WOSTEP Certified Micromechanics
Restoration of Vintage Timepieces
Precision Timing Specialist
Micromachining</pre>
<div>On 6/4/2015 11:32 PM, Ruth Douglas
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.crozetgazette.com/2015/06/blue-ridge-naturalist-invasive-plants-invaluable-to-degraded-environment/" target="_blank">http://www.crozetgazette.com/2015/06/blue-ridge-naturalist-invasive-plants-invaluable-to-degraded-environment/</a><u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unfortunately, I read this as a last look
at email before going to bed and now I probably won’t get to
sleep for hours.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ruth<u></u><u></u></p>
</div>
<br>
<fieldset></fieldset>
<br>
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