I have heard about the smothering, invasive nature of Kudzu. But until a recent visit through the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina, I hadn’t realized the seriousness of this invasion. Seeing is believing. All the green that you see in this image is Kudzu. I had been introduced to some of it outside of Nashville Tennessee; but what I saw there, several years ago, was nothing like this invasion. Copyright 2021 Pamela BreitbergI tend to be conservative in the belief that “weeds”, aka foreign species, need to be eliminated in North American gardens and natural areas. Evolution and change are a part of life and nature. This is truly one of the first times I hestitate to say that diligent control is warranted. A four + hour train ride showed continued evidence of the Kudzu’s establishment in the Smoky Mountains. The scenes reminded me of science-fiction films with the creepy, smothering, arrival of alien invaders. Just surreal to see in person. Copyright 2021 Pamela BreitbergImages shown so far were in the wild parks along our railroad ride. But Kudzu equally smothered carefully planned garden landscaping; it showed no preferance for terrain other than sunlight. Shady areas were Kudzu free. Copyright 2021 Pamela BreitbergAt first glance this scene is idyllic. Read more on Kudzu. Copyright 2021 Pamela Breitberg
