A poster titled “Virginia’s Least Wanted” on a recent Facebook page showed color photos of eight non-native plants that are included at some level on the current Virginia Invasive Plant Species List published by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. The poster was produced by Blue Ridge Prism, a non-profit organization working to reduce invasive species in the northern Blue Ridge.
It is important to remember that not all introduced plant species pose a threat to our native plants and wildlife. Not every European or Asian species will overtake and displace native plants, but most non-native plants will not supply the same level of nutritional and habitat support as native plants.
Problems arise when property owners and developers deliberately or unknowingly plant invasive species and allow them to escape into the surrounding environment where they take over and crowd out native flora.
In 1960, my parents bought a new home in a recently completed development in Hampton....