Kip’s Comments - July 3, 2023

Non-native

My post and photo yesterday featuring a beautiful ditch lily (tiger day lily) against a dark background generated some discussion. Is the plant invasive or non-native (both). Are ditch lilies harmful? Depending on what you read, they can be as the plant tends to soak in nearly all moisture - robbing the moisture from neighboring (native) plants. And the plant readily spreads and is easy to establish.

Yet, many people - myself included, enjoy the tiger lilies. Their colorful blossoms add a pleasant touch to many miles of drab roadside ditches. Can there be a happy-medium when non-native or invasive species are considered somewhat acceptable? If the non-native flora or fauna can be kept in check, might there be balance?

In the event a reader is a native purist thinking non-native or even invasives should be removed, let’s think about the ring-necked pheasant. Intentionally introduced in the late 1800’s, ring-necked pheasants have for years had impressive economic benefits through hunters. An additional positive detail about pheasants is the amount of habitat that has been protected by hunters fond of the birds.

So is it possible we can appreciate and monitor the status of non-native or invasive species? Do we have a choice? I am not sure we do.

Ironically, this morning I watched this hen pheasant watch me from a dew-covered ditch.

Hen Ring-necked Pheasant Near Road - Image 829163