Non-native plants are not ugly. They don't eat little children or send toxic pollen into the Northwest air. They won't smother you while you sleep or lure you to their poisonous berries. They are not an obvious enemy; deceptively green, they look just like native plants. Yet the damage that they cause is horrific.
"I don't think that they are evil," said Greg Rabourn. "They are just in the wrong place."
Frighteningly enough, that wrong place can be your very own backyard. As skyscrapers replace trees and concrete crowds out our city's green spaces, what we do in our own corner of the world is increasingly important.
Non-native plant species, typically defined as plants that arrived since the time of European contact, interfere with the functioning ecosystems in our region. They displace the native plants that provide food and shelter to native animals.
"They crowd out and smother all of these plants that would provide habitat to animals," explained Rabourn on a recent trip to Discovery Park. "Homeowners with backyards can address this problem by simply changing what they choose to plant on their land. At the very least, people can learn how to not plant a problem."
Rabourn co-manages King County's naturescaping program, which salvages plants from land sites scheduled for development. Volunteers forage terrain in search of native species.
"We are after the plants that transplant well and will survive in restoration sites," said Rabourn. "It is a very cost-effective way to provide plants to our restoration programs and preserve the local genetics of the plants."
Volunteers dig up Northwest natives such as sword ferns, ocean spray, cascara, salmonberry, thimbleberry, snowberry, Western Red Cedar and Douglas fir. The salvaged plants, which otherwise would have been discarded and wasted, are used for restoration sites and the volunteers' personal naturescaping projects.
This afternoon, within Discovery Park's evergreen boundaries, Ra-bourn, a tall, bearded man quite comfortable amidst the trees, points out examples of native plants that could potentially provide valuable habitat in your own backyard.
"The sword fern are a great evergreen ground cover," he commented. "They also serve as great habitat to amphibians."
As the fern fronds die, they form a moist ring - perfect for salamanders - surrounding the stems of the living plant. Rabourn peeks under a pile of dried, crinkling fronds looking for life. "We find amphibians on salvages all the time. We try to pull them off-site and relocate them."
Dried fern fronds are just one example of decaying matter that serves as habitat and enriches the ecosystem. We pass a lone tree, 20 feet tall, pocked and clearly dead. "This is a great snag," said Rabourn. He gazed up the trunk and admired woodpecker and termite holes. "People tend to want to remove everything that isn't alive - to keep things very tidy and clean."
Ironically enough, whether talking about your backyard or the life that you lead, messes tend to be where the life is. Snags serve as bird habitat, downed trees nourish the soil and unruly emotions often feed the soul and keep our hearts thumping.
"Native plants have evolved here along with the wildlife," pointed out Rabourn, who encourages folks to arrange logs around their yards; it creates habitat for soil-enriching insects and food for insect-eating birds. "There is a relationship and a dependency with wildlife and native plants."
Born in Washington, Rabourn grew up walking along Northwest trails eating huckleberries and salal berries with his grandfather. "I think that it had an impact," confided Rabourn, who holds a degree in en-vironmental science from Washington State University. "I appreciate nature."
These days, that appreciation translates to educating the public on the importance of native plants and the interdependent relationships within our ecosystems. According to the United States Forest Service, invasive plants are found on 133 million acres (the equivalent of California and New York combined) in federal, state and private ownerships. Invasive plants are choking 3.6 million acres (that's the size of Connecticut) of national forests.
"You pretty much start to develop a lot of hatred just from the amount of damage that non-native species do," said Rabourn.
English ivy is known to support mosquitoes, rat populations and starlings, non-native birds that diminish our local songbird populations. Non-native plants support non-native animals. They are living outside of their natural environment, free from natural controls like herbivores and parasites. Left unchecked, non-native plants rapidly reproduce, increase their numbers and suffocate the surrounding fauna.
Back on the trail, Rabourn points out a thicket of native snowberry and wild rose. Non-native, Himalayan blackberry wraps around the colorful, fragrant shrubs. The spiked vine is menacing, and in this leafy scene the forces of good and evil seem more apparent.
"Invasive species like holly, blackberries and English ivy are spread by birds all the time," said Rabourn. "The birds eat the seeds out of peo-ple's backyards and then deposit them everywhere."
One effective way to combat the non-native damage is to cultivate native habitat in your own backyard. During Rabourn's naturescape workshops, participants learn how to create low-maintenance landscapes, improve soil quality, shrink lawn space and reduce the amount of time and energy spent on yard work.
"Naturescaping native plants has been very effective because all of a sudden people have a carload of plants that they have dug up." Participants must head home and plant; if they procrastinate, their plants will die.
The program offers a powerful first step for changing your backyard landscape. Participants report cost savings, less pesticide use and a lower-maintenance yard.
"Most of us look around our yards, and there is so much that could be done," concluded Rabourn. "There are lots of little steps that you can take - it doesn't have to be all at once."
It is a comforting approach that is as applicable to the gardens we grow as it is to the lives we lead.
The next naturescape salvage is Saturday, April 2; you must attend a prior workshop to participate. There are two evening workshops to choose from: March 29, 6:30-9 p.m., Rainier Beach High School; and March 30, 6:30-9 p.m., Carnation Elementary School. Space is limited; reserve your spot now. To register, contact Jordanna Black, 386-4162 or jordanna.black@seattle.gov
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