INVASIVE PLANT AESTHETICS
IF AN INVASIVE PLANT IS AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, WILL THAT AFFECT THE PUBLIC'S PERSPECTIVE ON IT?
Survey conducted in 2020 by students of RNR 4107 Human Dimensions at Lousiana State University assessing whether aesthetic of an invasive plant would affect how the public views it.
OUR BACKGROUND
The public can often be misled to the severity of an invasive plant due to its aesthetically pleasing appearance. The term “invasive” refers to spreading alien species having an ecological or economic impact, or reaching high local abundance in the region where the study was conducted (Kleunen et al. 010). Invasive plant species have the potential to carry toxicants or create an overabundance into an ecosystem and result in a decline of biodiversity. Economic problems arise from invasive plant colonization because it costs money to manage and educate the public about the species. Another cost factor to invasive species is the damage that they contribute to and the restoration efforts for the aftermath. Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) are two invasive plants that are also considered to be ornamental, meaning attractive or decorative. Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) and hyrdilla (Hydrilla verticillata) are two invasive plants that have less ornamental use on a landscape. Two of the plants have bright flowers that bloom and two of the plants lack flowers. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the appearance of invasive plant species affect the way people perceive their impacts. It is proposed that people will perceive the species that they find to be more attractive as less damaging to the ecosystem.
PLANTS OF INTEREST
Japanese honeysuckle is a perennial vine that climbs by twisting its stems around vertical structures, including limbs and trunks of shrubs and small trees. Leaves are oblong to oval, sometimes lobed, have short stalks, and occur in pairs along the stem (Bravo, 2005). They have long tubular flowers that turn from white to yellow throughout maturity and are highly fragrant and have nectar. The Japanese Honeysuckle was introduced into the United States in the early 1800s for ornamental, erosion control, and wildlife uses.
Water Hyacinth was introduced into the United States in the 1800s and can occur in all types of freshwater. They have showy, lavender flowers with rubbery lobed leaves. This plant has such an ornamental use, that there are specific companies dedicated to care for Water Hyacinth. It is considered as one of the showiest water garden plants. It does still have negative impacts. The Water Hyacinth plant forms dense communities of vegetation that block sunlight in a water system and crowd out native species.
Hydrilla is a submerged aquatic plant that was first discovered in the United States in the 1960s. It has a thin stem that can grow at a rate of one inch per day with whorled leaf arrangement of small pointed leaves connected around the stem. Where the plant occurs, it causes substantial economic hardships, interferes with various water uses, displaces native aquatic plant communities, and adversely impacts freshwater habitats (Langeland, 1996).
Giant Salvinia is a wide spreading plant with bright green fuzzy leaves and a root system that creates a dense mat on top of the water surface. It can cause extreme damage to ecosystems by outcompeting native species that provide food for specific wildlife in that area. It is native to Brazil and was first recorded in the United States in 1995. Human activities are the main reason for the rapid spread of the plant.
Photos provided by Wix