A Flower a Day takes us today along the road of a regular walk we take and past this invasive plant, Japanese Knotweed. Every year it gets cut back to the ground (I think some attempt has even been made to destroy it) but every year it grows back at an unbelievable speed, thick stems and dense leaves leaning over the sidewalk and catching at us as we walk or cycle by. It is truly the most persistent species that I have seen and surely is not good for the local ecosystem. The flowers here are just caught by the light and you can see the extent of the plant stretching back into the murky darkness behind. Although this is an unwelcome species, I feel that we should all take a leaf from its book (see what I did there?) and keep ourselves as strong as we can despite these times when we can almost begin to feel defeated. We just need to push back up into the light and keep going.
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You might call this one the bully of the plant world. Not native to this part of the world, wherever it sets up camp it pushes the existing vegetation out by strangling it with its overzealous root system. Although it prefers moist ground, it can grow pretty much anywhere, spreading easily and quickly, perhaps even altering the soil composition making it unsuitable for native plants. Apparently it can even penetrate decks and building foundations. So, this is not a flower to take home to your wife or mother. It is a challenge to contain and has many varietals. Several Canadian provinces have it listed as a ‘noxious weed’ and will require the use of an herbicide to discourage or defeat it. So don’t be fooled by its clusters of delicate sweet flowers. It’s a ruse. Thanks, Ellie, for the alert.
I absolutely agree Janet, I hate to see it in the two places I find it on my walk.
On a brighter note, however, a reader on another network found this link so maybe it’s not all bad. https://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2015/04/japanese-knotweed-recipe-japanese.html
Still, I wish they would make more of an attempt to get rid of it. I have become very interested in the local ecosystem and hate such species with a passion… (Read the book “Nature’s Last Hope”)
Lovely Ellie you do have to admire the strength and tenacity of the plant. we do need that strength especially what we’re going through today with the pandemic. Thanks for sharing the picture and the insightful thoughts. I really like the little trumpet like flowers on that particular plant.
Thank you Linda, those thoughts you express were going around in my head when I wrote it and I hoped some readers would relate. They are pretty when you look closely. I know you have some in your garden too. Have a good day Linda.