Maine has some problems with invasive plants, but compared to some places, we have hope.

Nancy and I went to Narraganset, Rhode Island, over the weekend for the baptism of our 4-month-old granddaughter.

Maybe it is because we usually don't leave Maine during the growing season, but the bittersweet, nightshade, burning bush, Japanese knotweed and other invasives were much more prevalent than I can remember.

The sides of the roads, beautiful old stone walls, the shores of lakes and streams are all choked with alien plants.

Above is a photo from the University of Maine Extension showing a bitterwseet choking a deciduous tree of some type.

Seeing the invasives run amok made me promise to be more vigilant about removing any plants such as barberry and burning bush on our property, pulling the bittersweet wherever I find it and keeping Maine free of the invaders so the native plants – and the nonaggressive invitees – can thrive.

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