Purple Loosestrife

Purple Loosestrife.  It's an invasive species.  Ever heard of it?

Invasive species can be beautiful to look at, but they are blood-thirsty invaders.  They pillage and burn in that they disrupt the native eco-system, affecting native plants, tiny organisms, birds and mammals.

Purple Loosestrife was brought to America for medicinal purposes, and was planted for its beauty.  At that time, people had little idea of the damage it could do.

When I saw these beautiful flowers growing in a ditch in my neighborhood, their brilliancy and color caught my attention immediately.  They were stunning!  I wondered what they were.  The more field guides I looked at, the more worried I became that they were Purple Loosestrife.  They were.

This opportunistic plant establishes itself where the ground has been disturbed and chokes out the life of the native species that otherwise would thrive there.

It's hard to believe that something so gorgeous can be so harmful, but there it is.  There's a lesson in that.