Often we hear that going with native plants and animals is important for the stability of our gardens and local habitats. But what is native anymore? We move around this earth so freely and drag every species from who knows where with us. The horse was actually native to America and became extinct only to show up again with the Spaniards. How do we judge what is native and what is not? How long must it live here to become a native? Are we native to this place? My Grandmother came from Austria and Grandfather from Romania. He spoke seven languages. Which was his “native” tongue? The dandelion has traveled a circuitous route from Asia to Europe to America. It is a multifunctional plant par excellence. Do we euthanize it with chemicals? Attack it endlessly? Or do we find the opportunity in the dandelion and find ways to garner a yield from it? Here is an interesting article from the Times about pythons in the Everglades, an ecosystem that has been blasted in the past century with every kind of Army Corps of Engineer-pet dumping-tourist junk heap-you name it degradation thang that you can come up with: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/08/us/08pythons.html?hpw
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjaM7wBWWoc&hl=en_US&fs=1&]