Winged Burning Bush!

An email I received today from the Montgomery County Weed Warriors program announced a work day on Saturday in one of the parks to remove winged burning bush.  Winged burning bush - what is that?  It's a common name for an ornamental shrub of the genus Euonymus, native to Asia.

I've been a Weed Warrior in the county program for almost 10 years - working to remove invasive plants from county parks - in my case, mainly Sligo Creek Park near our house.

When we take organisms out of the ecosystem they have evolved in and move them to an exotic locale, they often become invasive.  Lacking their natural controls, they spread unchecked and displace native flora or fauna.

Here's some information about winged burning bush from Wikipedia:

"The common name "burning bush" comes from the bright red fall color.

It is a popular ornamental plant in gardens and parks due to its bright pink or orange fruit and attractive fall color. The species and the cultivar 'Compactus' have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

This plant is an invasive species of woodlands in eastern North America, and its importation and sale is prohibited in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire."

That entry reveals so much about humans, our motivations, and how we make decisions.  We're so attracted to colorful and novel things that we seek out plants from around the world to decorate our lawns and public spaces, without consideration of the potential consequences.

Not all pretty plants become invasive, but many do.  Some of us don't care.  So long as we can enjoy the plant in our yard, we don't consider the broader impacts.  Others value the native ecosystem and feel strongly enough about conserving it to advocate for laws that prohibit importation and sale of the invasive plant.

So we have these competing motivations and interests.  I could go to a local nursery and buy a winged burning bush to plant in my yard, while my neighbor might be participating in a Weed Warrior work day to laboriously remove the same species of plant from the park down the street - which has to be dug up from the roots because it is so hardy.

While I may be agitating to ban the sale of invasive plant species, nursery owners and ornamental plant lovers will be lobbying to retain their ability to sell them.

Who is right?