By Jo Ann Herbert
If all of us died the earth would heal itself.
Calling a plant a “weed” is like calling a human a racial slur. Every plant has a name and a purpose on earth. Are we to pull out all these plants we call “invasives?” We need more information about each.
That dandelion, big on the “Invasive Hit List,” is completely edible: flower, leaves, and root. The dandelion is one of the first flowers in spring, providing early nectar to bees and feeding other small insects, animals, and even bears! Dandelions are considered medicinal plants. And despite all the haters (human and chemical), it grows a long root for resilience. Dandelion says, “Keep thriving, don’t listen to the haters!”
King County killed some Japanese Knotweed (an “invasive”) on 156th, not far from the highway. All the plants have been lying dead for months. If they were poisoned, this is a dangerous area for all wildlife now. The plants can be mechanically removed (they travel by rhizome) or trimmed. But herbicides, the “easy way,” damage the earth and all the small inhabitants along the way.
Emodin, one of Japanese Knotweed’s active chemical compounds, ends the growth of Borrelia Burgdorferi (the bacteria that causes Lyme disease). The Japanese Knotweed has also been studied for its effect on cognitive disorders, likely due to its resveratrol content. Positive effects on cognition as well as regulating blood sugar levels are also being recognized.
Lyme disease, elevated blood sugar, and cognitive impairment – health issues of our time. Is Japanese Knotweed a threat or a gift?
One out of every three bites of food we eat depends on the ability of pollinators to reproduce. These pollinators, the little, barely seen treasures of our world, lay some of their eggs/larva inside the stalks of tall grasses and plants. In the fall before we tear out the dried grasses and “clean up” the yard, consider leaving nature alone. Or leave the dried stalks upright, maybe somewhere out of sight, so they can keep that cycle of life going for us all.
We’ve heard the term “forever chemicals.” If only we knew what pieces of earth had been poisoned. If only all the animals knew not to forage or nest there and the raptors knew not to pick up their kill there and the deer not to birth there – forever.
On the many acres of a large property on Vashon, a pregnant worker was directed to pull weeds in a driveway recently sprayed with glyphosate. All this for a brief manicured look on the property in the never-ending cycle of grass growth, spray, repeat.
How about eliminating pesticides instead of eradicating plants? What about making pesticides illegal? Glyphosate, it’s sold on Vashon, and has been used by the beloved Land Trust on “invasives.” Glyphosate, implicated in so many human deaths, along with the death of our soils, is being found many miles out in the ocean.
And glyphosate in the courts: About 165,000 claims have been made for personal injuries allegedly caused by Roundup. The Center for Food Safety, Beyond Pesticides, and the United Farm Workers Union have been fighting corporations that enrich themselves from the sale of these chemicals while the Cancer Centers multiply and grow larger.
Keeping rodents out of our crawl spaces? Hire someone (he comes to Vashon on Wednesdays) who goes all around the home and corrects areas where rodents may enter. I daily feed birds, chipmunks, and squirrels (rodents!) and in 28 years, have had no issues with my crawl space after utilizing this more healthy option.
Planting Douglas Fir. Now? In 50 years, our planet will have changed so much. The beloved native Doug Firs cannot take the heat that is upon us, and yet King County and The Land Trust are planting Doug Firs. Native, yes, but not created for the heat coming our way.
The trees that need to be planted now are the trees like those in California, that provide not only blessed shade, but that can also tolerate the sun’s rays as well as radiant heat from the asphalt that we are pouring all over the earth.
Managing Mother Nature? Let the earth do what it will. Humans, if we step back – the earth will heal.
(For joy, listen to Pete Seeger sing “God Bless the Grass.”)
Editor’s note: We have been unable to determine if/when the Vashon Land Trust and King County use herbicides of any sort. However, both organizations have extensive online resources to help with non-herbicide weed control.
