Should it Stay or Should it Go? You’ve Got to Let me Know

At least from where I sit, in Litchfield County on the banks of the Housatonic River, two plants flowering in the woods have caught my attention. Both are small and delicate; one is native and one is not.

I found a group of about 20 native spotted wintergreen on my way the to the swamp.  Called Pipsissewa by Native Americans (the Latin name is Chimaphila maculata) these plants are 3 to 4 inches tall. They have thick dark green leaves with white veining that spread from the very bottom of the plant, and a single thin red stalk that grows above its leaves and branches out at the top like an umbrella.  At each tip is a white flower that later becomes a seed capsule.

The other plant, the non-native one, is a small orchid, the Epipactis helleborine (helleborine as in resembling a hellebore.) The ones deeper in the woods seem to blossom better than those in the sun, which can look like small, wilted asparagus. It is pretty when it is in bloom, liked by bees, and is not terribly invasive — so far.

There are native plants that act like invasives and there are non-native plants that behave well in the woods.  Last year, in the exuberance of naiveté, I posted on Instagram a photo of native Clematis (Clematis virginiana) sprawling its small white blossoms over some shrubs. I was a bit miffed when Anne Day commented, “A killer invasive — be careful.” Well, kill it did.  It killed the shrub underneath and this year sprouted all around the area where it had grown the prior year, ready to smother more small trees and plants.  Luckily it is not hard to cut back, which is what I have been doing, but should have heeded the advice sooner.

Anne’s comment underscores an issue I have with the term “invasive,” as it has come to mean a non-native plant with invasive tendencies. But natives can also have invasive tendencies, as Anne considerately tried to warn me.

This presents a challenge: in one’s effort to restore our woodland and meadows; how does one decide which plants should stay and which should go  (and why do I feel like Carrie in “Sex and the City” at this moment)?

Aubree Keurajian, botanist and founder of Ungardening Native Plants, hesitates to make any blanket statements about a particular species, as decisions vary with each individual property or habitat.  

“Many introduced species can provide pollen and nectar to adult pollinators and some more than others. For example, Queen Anne’s Lace (Daucus carota) is one of the very few that is also a caterpillar food source. The foliage is eaten by Eastern Tiger Swallowtail caterpillars.

“Some native plants have gained a bad reputation for being bullies in the garden, but I absolutely love Clematis virginiana. Its flowers are a total powerhouse for medium and small pollinators. A few moths, including the Brown Bark Carpet Moth and Spotted Thyris, feed on the foliage as caterpillars.

“It is not browsed by deer and other mammals, which can cause it to be overrepresented in some areas. It responds well to being cut back so periodic maintenance — perhaps a yearly big cut —can be sufficient to keep it in check. In naturalistic or rewilded habitats, while it may dominate an area for a short time, other native species will be able to compete with it and strike a balance.”

I keep thinking that some kind of decision-making matrix (one that includes amongst other variables environmental detriments and benefits, growth tendencies and aesthetics) would help me make better decisions about which plants should stay and which should go.  Any suggestions? Maybe a native plant wiki?

Until that resource exists, Aubree suggests paying attention to which insects are enjoying which plants and how they grow alongside others in the habitat.  Which means slow down and look.  That is a suggestion I can appreciate and will apply to the helleborine orchid.

What I am pulling out now is poison hemlock (Conium maculatum). This highly toxic invasive is now in flower and looks like it could be the evil stepsister of Queen Anne’s Lace. Look it up and look for it on your property.

Dee Salomon “ungardens” in Litchfield County.

Native clematis, above, and non-native helleborine orchid both grace the woods in late summer. Should only one be allowed to stay? Photo by Dee Salomon

Non-native helleborine orchid. Photo by Dee Salomon

Native clematis, above, and non-native helleborine orchid both grace the woods in late summer. Should only one be allowed to stay? Photo by Dee Salomon