Crown Vetch

If you've spent time out birding during the summer in the east, you may be familiar with Crown Vetch (Coronilla varia). This attractive member of the Pea family has been planted along slopes on highways and roadsides since the 1950s. Its strong root system helps prevent soil erosion and the pink/purple flowers are very attractive. Like many things, though, too much is never a good thing. Crown Vetch is native to the Mediterranean and has become invasive in many areas where it has been planted. It is very aggressive and will easily crowd out native plants in dune and grassland habitats. The plant has a "nitrogen fixing" ability whereby it helps replenish the nitrogen in the soil where it lives. This can adversely affect some native plants that may require infertile soil to grow.

All is not bad in Crown Vetch land. A small butterfly, the Wild Indigo Duskywing, has added the Crown Vetch to its list of caterpillar host plants. The prevalence of this plant has increased the population and expanded the range of this cryptic butterfly.

Many states have reduced or eliminated the planting of Crown Vetch. I'm sure enough has spread around to sustain the Wild Indigo Duskywing population for many, many years

Know Your Natives, Non-Natives, and Invasives

I thought about writing this post after seeing a ton of Celandine at a local birding spot on Monday. If you're into nature and teaching others about nature, it's your duty to learn the native, non-native, and invasive species of flora and fauna in your area. Most birders know about Starlings and House Sparrows, but may not be as familiar with plants like Celandine, Garlic Mustard, and Tree-of-Heaven. These three plants are among the many invasive species that probably occur in your area. Learning these species can help you identify problem areas in your favorite birding location or in your own backyard. You can take that knowledge and share it with family members, friends, and other birders. Hopefully, by identifying problem species in your area, you can help get the right people involved to control the populations where possible. The Plant Conservation Alliance, part of the National Parks Service, has an excellent web site listing the worst of the worst invasive plants. It's by no means a comprehensive list. Your may have specific plants that are unique to your area. Also, keep in mind that just because a plant is a native doesn't mean that it's non-invasive. Any plant can be invasive under the right (or wrong) circumstances.

There are many great resources out there on all types of invasive flora and fauna. The Invasive Species Weblog is a great place to start.