Guy Shared a Photo of a Wild Plant Spreading in His Garden — People Are Warning Him To Get Rid of It

Gardening, while considered therapeutic, does require some knowledge to ensure the best interests of all stakeholders involved. With that, we mean the natural ecology of an area. The birds, insects, and native plants of a region are of prime importance for the local environment to thrive. But a small gardening mistake may uproot all of it by simply introducing an invasive species into the natural ecology. A gardener (u/Darling_lil_kitkat) shared a similar account on Reddit, asking the internet about a wild plant that had invaded their backyard. 

In the caption, the gardener admitted that they had spread seeds in their backyard in an attempt to turn it wild. The plan seemed to have backfired as the Reddit user shared a photo of a green plant with white flowers that they were unable to identify and resorted to the internet for help. “I turned my backyard wild. Spread random seeds everywhere, as well as letting the natural plants semi-take over. These are everywhere. They don't look like Queen Anne's lace (wild carrot) or poison hemlock. What are they? Central Texas,” the noted stated. 

The wild plant seemed to have invaded the land and spread all across, giving competition to the native species. This is particularly concerning because it could disrupt the ecology and detrimentally affect the local wildlife in the region. Realizing this, many people warned the gardener of the species, demanding the plants be removed instantly. However, there was a conflict of opinions and identification of the plant. “Beggars' lice. All the white flowers will turn into those tiny thorny balls. I'm in central Texas too, and we've gotten tons of these this year,” wrote a person (u/RutabagaAccording834) while another (u/Gopokes1978) said, “Spreading Hedge Parsley. It’s considered an invasive weed in the US.” “Get rid of that, it’s crazy invasive here in Central Texas,” a comment warned.

A fellow Reddit user (u/SoVeryKerry) shared their personal experience with invasive plants. “I bought a bag of Scott’s wildflower seeds and got bunches of turnips and Japanese Hops, which is invasive and illegal to grow in Indiana. Took me several summers to kill that stuff. Screw Scott’s,” the noted read. According to the National Wildlife Federation, invasive species provide little to no food value for the local wildlife. For instance, kudzu is an aggressive plant species that can quickly overturn a diverse ecosystem with a monocultural species.  "[Native plants] are the ecological basis upon which life depends, including birds and people. Without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive,” the National Audubon Society wrote.

Moreover, invasive species interfere with the natural cycle of pollination, which amounts to nearly one-third of all food, per the USDA. Native plants are those species that are naturally available in a region, following years of evolution. These plants form the basis for the vegetation and food production for wildlife as well as humans. In this regard, nurseries are potentially dangerous to native species, as most of the landscaping or ornamental plants are foreign species that may be invasive. Bats and bees are dying, which only limits the scope of efficient pollination, in addition to the threats of invasive species. As an alternative, gardeners and plant enthusiasts can research the native plant options in a region and choose from the variety to flourish in their gardens.