I stroll down the outdoor garden aisle lined with beautiful flowering perennials. At home, my curiosity piqued, I scale the Internet for information on this garden perennial. What I find astounds me. Introduced from Europe, this misplaced killer drowns out native vegetation, destroys habitat, and reduces biodiversity in all 48 of the contiguous states.
Purple loosestrife illustrates a situation common to many non-indigenous, or exotic, species.
Some species produce both positive and negative consequences, depending on the location and perceptions of the observers. In some cases, answers seem clearcut. Except for hunters, there are few fans of wild pigs, for example. But rarely is controlling exotic species a cut and dry issue. Many of the species that natural resource managers are frantically trying to eradicate, wildlife lovers and humanitarians are just as frantically fighting to protect.