Exotic Plant Species

Alien plant species, better known as exotic plant species can be found around the community of Lake Lure. There are ornamental shrubs such as hydrangeas, rose bushes, or forsythia, and many ornamental flower species such as pansies, peonies, or zinnias. Even the grass is most likely exotic as most turf grasses such as fescue, zoysia, Bermuda, and centipede grass. Most of the exotic plants that grow around Lake Lure are basically harmless and add character to our landscape, but some are not so good, and even the harmless ones can at times contribute to problems.

Kudzu is probably the most familiar of a group of exotics known as Exotic Invasive Plants (EIP). The kudzu is known because of its arrogant presence in fields and meadows, trees, old houses, and highway right-of-ways. Many EIPs are not so obvious but are just as detrimental to the health of our watershed. First of all, EIPs have some quality about them that makes them invasive: high seed production and germination rates, highly adaptable, no natural predators, with vigorous growth rate. Because of their invasive nature, these plants will compete with and push out our native species that very often are slower growing and must deal with the stress of dealing with natural environmental pressures, which the EIPs do not face. Loss of the native species can have a huge impact on aquatic ecosystems. Many riparian species are impacted by EIPs that cause habitat loss, loss of canopy, which results in higher water temperatures, stream bank erosion, and reduced food sources.

Ironically enough, many EIPs were originally planted with the intent of erosion control and these attempts have been successful. Plants such as Kudzu, Japanese Honeysuckle, Crown Vetch, English Ivy, and Periwinkle have all been used for erosion control by government agencies and land managers. Only recently has the spotlight shifted to native plants and their use for erosion control. This shift in focus is important because the resulting loss of biodiversity due to EIPs is something that we cannot afford to ignore. Through sensible land management practices we can help protect our natural resources and still make our yards and homes look beautiful.