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Weeds are smothering our native plants and destroying our native landscapes.

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The scale of the problem

About ten times that number of non-native plants have been introduced into this country in the last 100 years, mostly as ornamental plants for gardens.

Already, some 2,500 of these exotic plants have become naturalised to survive and spread in the wild.

Sometimes, however, even a native species can be considered to be a weed in a particular site if it affects an important natural value on that site.

Not all weeds are ecologically damaging but over 250 are causing major ecological impacts to our native plant communities. These environmental weeds are threatening our precious places.

The old saying, 'one year's seeds, seven years weeds', has been proven through science. If weed control is left until the infestation has spread, it is 40 times more expensive than early weed control. Common sense backs this up. What would you rather do - pull out a seedling or cut down a tree?

Weeds can:

transform ecosystems and landscapes, altering the availability of essentials such fresh water, eg wilding pine.

threaten the survival of native plants by smothering or out-competing them eg climbing asparagus.

threaten the survival of native animals through providing cover for predators, reducing the availability of preferred foods and lessening the availability of desirable habitats eg russell lupin.

Weedy environments

It is easy to think of weeds as being a problem only on land and in places where weeds are obvious. But weeds exist in all types of environments and ecosystems - everywhere from marine areas to wetlands, to tussocklands and forests.

Each area and every weed presents different challenges in the battle to control these plant invaders.

Marine

Sea weeds are invasive, just like land weeds! Undaria, a large brown kelp native to Asia, was first recorded in Wellington in 1987. Heavy infestations of undaria can clog marine farming machinery, affect the growth of marine life and kaimoana (sea food) and restrict water circulation.

Freshwater

Didymo is an algae that forms a dense mat and smothers the freshwater habitats important for native invertebrates, fish and birds. Didymo is spread from one river or lake to another by the movement of water, equipment, clothing or any other damp item. You can't always see it (e.g. when it spreads as a microorganism) but it is very ugly when it grows into visible 'rock snot'.

Wetlands

Wetland native plants are often small, and are especially vulnerable to being out-competed by exotic weeds. Such weeds impede water flow and alter the hydrology as well as the environment for native birds. The grey willow and crack willow are obvious examples of invasive weeds in wetland areas.

Forest

Exotic weeds are good at smothering our native plants. Seedlings can be overwhelmed by wandering willie ( Tradescantia fluminensis), while shrubs and trees are smothered by vines such as old man's beard.

Tussocklands

The presence of woody plants threatens to transform iconic landscapes like the South Island McKenzie country from tussocklands to exotic forest. If wilding pines, heather, gorse and broom take over tussocklands, native plants and animals will be displaced and available water reduced.

Sand dunes

The invasion of sand dunes by exotic plants such as marram grass, can result in the alteration of the dune systems and allow other weeds to take hold. Native and endangered plants may become extinct, while pristine dune environments become increasingly rare.

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Weeds cause major ecological impacts to our native plant communities, threatening our precious places.

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We all know about the threats that predators like possums, rats and stoats pose to New Zealand's native ecosystems, but did you know different exotic weeds are threatening our ecosystems too?

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton was concerned at the growing risk weeds pose to our environment. To determine the scale of the problem and what is being done about it, he decided to investigate.

The report examines how weeds in Aotearoa New Zealand harm our native ecosystems and reviews if the system for managing these weeds is fit for purpose.

There is a silent invasion of our forests by plants like wild ginger. Vines like banana passionfruit, old man's beard and climbing asparagus are strangling forest understories. Russell lupins are carpeting braided rivers and wilding conifers covering hillsides. If left to their own devices, these weeds will transform our ecosystems beyond recognition.
Rt Hon Simon Upton, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

What is a native ecosystem weed?

In the report, weeds are defined as exotic plants introduced to New Zealand and growing where they are not wanted. However, this can mean different things to different people. Whether a weed is a plant out of place depends on where it grows and the various social, economic and environmental benefits or risks it represents to us personally or as a group. One person's treasure can be another person's nuisance.

In te ao Māori, the idea of native plants as 'good' and exotic plants as 'bad' is not straightforward. What is more important is whether the plant is negatively impacting the mauri or life force of a place.

Protecting Papatūānuku is paramount, and bare ground is considered a scar on her body that needs to be clothed and protected. In this world view, any green covering is better than no green blanket at all. Such a blanket can help with erosion issues, provide quick-growing shelter and habitat for a range of native animals and improve freshwater quality or sometimes these plants can exacerbate fire risk or destroy habitat .

Weeds can also be viewed in te ao Māori as plants that disrupt the natural balance that Papatūānuku needs to be well. Therefore, the way a plant relates to other species becomes the key issue. If an exotic plant interferes with another species in a major way, this can weaken the mauri of the place, and the integrity of the whole ecosystem suffers.

Russell lupins, for example, are valued by many for their colourful flowers that produce picture postcard landscapes. To some farmers, their ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere and provide nourishment to the soil without the need to apply manufactured fertiliser makes them valuable pasture plants. However, lupins are also weeds that can spread rapidly. They form dense stands in the gravel beds of braided rivers and bush areas, creating problems for the native species that live there and altering ecosystem processes.

How big is the exotic weed problem?

Over 25,000 exotic plants have been introduced to New Zealand. Of these, nearly 3,000 species currently grow in the wild. For comparison, there are about 2,300 plants native to New Zealand, and only 31 introduced land mammals have been able to survive and thrive in the wild.

Problems can arise when exotic plants escape from where they've been planted and spread uncontrolled across the landscape with unintended impacts in new settings. The pool of potential garden escapees is vast, and at current rates, around 20 exotic plants establish in the wild every year.

These plants spread in various ways. Seed may be dispersed far and wide by birds or the wind, and our actions can also move plants around such as dumping of garden waste, tramping and moving materials or equipment.

How much damage can weeds do to native ecosystems?

Weeds can harm native ecosystems in many ways. The severity depends on the type of weed and the native ecosystem it is invading. In some cases, the impact is dramatic and obvious - such as when vines like banana passionfruit or old man's beard smother native bush, killing native plants below and even sometimes causing the entire canopy to collapse. Aquatic weeds like hornwort can choke lakes and rivers.

Take climbing asparagus for example. Climbing asparagus ( Asparagus scandens) can grow throughout the understorey of native forest, halting regeneration of native plants and scrambling up the trunks of trees and shrubs. When it has overwhelmed the canopy, it completely transforms the forest. It reproduces sexually through seeds and can also resprout from small fragments of plant, making it a very successful invader. You can see the damage it can do in Northland where it dominates forests.

Wild ginger ( Hedychium sp.) is another one. It can infiltrate intact forests, forming dense rhizome beds that exclude native species usually found growing in the understorey. Over time, it prevents regeneration and causes the forest canopy to collapse.

Some impacts are less visible but still serious - for example, wilding conifers prevent native plants from growing by changing the soil chemistry and, together with gorse, make ecosystems more vulnerable to fire due to highly flammable foliage and wood.

The invasion of native ecosystems is helped by how easily many weeds can grow and thrive in the open habitats that dominate much of our landscapes. As well as outcompeting native plants, many exotic plants also thrive and spread in disturbed areas of bare earth - scars on the landscape caused by fire, floods, erosion or excavation.

Key report findings

Some of the key findings from the report:

There are 25,000 exotic plant species already in New Zealand, and hundreds of these are actively causing harm to our native ecosystems.

There is no comprehensive, up-to-date record of all the exotic plant species in New Zealand, including where they are, what harm they're causing and how they are managed (if they're managed).

Exotic plants are mostly managed under New Zealand's biosecurity system. However, weeds that impact on our native ecosystems tend to be a lower priority compared with other biosecurity threats like plant or animal diseases (think kauri dieback or Mycoplasma bovis) or animal pests (think possums, stoats and rats) or weeds that affect our productive land. The incentives to act on native ecosystem weeds are weaker or non-existent. Further, biosecurity measures are often focused at the New Zealand border. This means that the weeds that are already here in the country don't get the attention required.

Currently, not enough is being done to prevent exotic plants from escaping from gardens into the wild or to adequately address the risks from the plants that have already escaped (the plants that have 'jumped the garden fence').

Surveillance of weeds is patchy, and reports from the frontline often depend as much on luck as systematic surveillance.

Government organisations like the Department of Conservation can only manage weeds on government land like reserves and national parks. However, the status of a reserve or a national park does not automatically protect from weed invasion. Further, weeds don't respect property boundaries and easily cross between public and private land. If not managed on private land too, weeds can continue to provide a constant source of seeds.

Recommendations

The report is clear that we will never get rid of all the weeds in New Zealand and we will need to keep weeding some plants for a long time to protect the native ecosystems we value.

These are some of the recommendations in the report to ensure native ecosystems and species are better protected from weeds:

Clarify desired outcomes and help align national, regional and local efforts to allow for better guidance about which plants to manage, where and how they are to be managed and by whom.

Any process to prioritise which weeds to tackle needs to be based on the risk each weed poses to native ecosystems. These risks include:

how likely a weed is to invade a given location

how well established or spread the weed is in a given location

the degree of harm it can cause to ecosystems once there

the potential for further spread

what will happen once a weed has been removed has to also be considered - removing weeds can create "weed-shaped holes" where an empty space can become fertile ground for other weeds to move in

Most of these risks are determined by the physical attributes of the plant - such as how the plant reproduces and how it can be dispersed.

Improve existing weed information systems to provide everyone managing weeds with a single authoritative and publicly accessible database of all exotic plants in New Zealand.

Improve monitoring and surveillance of emerging weeds.

Establish an expert team to scan for emerging risks from new exotic plants that may be tomorrow's weeds.

Weed action on the ground

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment states, "Defeating weeds will not be achieved by top-down policies alone. Much of the weed control happening every day throughout the country is being done by passionate community groups, iwi, hapū and landowners."

In the chapter 'Down in the weeds...', the report profiles several grass-roots initiatives of community and individual action against weeds. One of these (from page 201 of the report) looks at the work of rongoā practitioner Rob McGowan.

Taking action is a valuable addition for science learning. Action taking as part of an inquiry model can provide opportunities for students to develop valuable skills. Action taking provides students with a sense of hope, they are empowered to make a difference and this is linked to wellbeing. Learn about ways in which students and schools can take action for conservation in this recorded PLD webinar.

Useful links

Acknowledgement

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We all know about the threats that predators like possums, rats and stoats pose to New Zealand's native ecosystems, but did you know different exotic weeds are threatening our ecosystems too?

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All around us, sleeper weeds are quietly multiplying and spreading - and we may not even notice they're there until it's too late. Words by Margaret Stanley. Illustrations by Pepper Raccoon. This collaboration began at the Drawing Science workshop, hosted by The Spinoff. A directory of illustrators who are eager to collaborate on science projects is available here, via the Science Media Centre.

Aotearoa has a massive weed problem. While we have a little over 2,300 native plant species, we have introduced over 25,000 species from other countries. More than 1,800 of these introduced species now survive in the wild, with another 20 establishing in the wild each year. While not all introduced plant species become weedy, this vast pool of 25,000 species means we have a conveyor belt moving some of these species from our gardens, horticulture and agriculture into the wild. Already we have around 400 environmental weeds we manage around the country, and with more becoming weedy every year it's difficult to figure out where to focus our efforts as the conveyor belt keeps shooting more weeds off the end and into the wild.

Sleeper weeds, so named for the famed "sleeper agents" of cold war espionage, are the introduced plant species that are reproducing in the wild, but in very small numbers, with no noticeable impact. Their small populations just tick along in the background until 'activated'. Some are very slow growing and may take 40 years to produce their first seeds, and 100 years to become widespread. Sometimes they are small, inconspicuous plants that we don't notice until they're widespread, and some haven't yet found the right pollinator or environmental conditions to 'take off' and become more invasive. However, eventually the sleeper weeds 'awaken', and become more noticeable in the environment. By then it can be too late, and their populations explode. Widespread weeds often have brightly coloured flowers like gorse or large pods like moth plant, and in a large infestation they stand out. These weeds cause great harm to our ecosystems, but while we focus all our attention on getting rid of one or two widespread weed species, there are five or even ten sleeper weed species sneaking in behind us and ramping up their numbers and impact. All too soon we realise our error in ignoring these species when we end up with 5-10 new weeds causing massive impacts in our ecosystems. Some clear strategies and roles are needed to prevent managers and community volunteers running around like headless chooks.

It's very easy to focus on the widespread weeds that are in our faces every day - they are everywhere, and we can see they harm they cause as they strangle forests or smother seedlings. But these weeds were the "sleeper weeds" of 50 or a 100 years ago. No one thought gorse or broom would be a problem when they were used as hedge fencing on farms 100 years ago. The costs of trying to manage gorse or broom now are astronomical. Just like Covid-19 and other pests and diseases, eradication (elimination) of weeds is the cheapest strategy and most beneficial for our ecosystems. However, we only have the resources to eradicate weeds when they are in very low numbers or small patches. Once they expand their populations, just like the delta strain of Covid-19, we must switch to management that protects our valued assets: for delta this is hospital capacity so that our sick can be taken care of, for weeds it's our high value ecosystems we are protecting.

If we focus too much of our efforts on widespread weeds - beyond protecting high value sites - then we run the risk of getting distracted while sleeper weeds run rampant and become our next widespread weeds. People are prone to "plant blindness" - we more easily recognise and remember images of animals than plants. Generally, we have an inability to notice the plants in our own environment - we tend to group "green things" together in our minds. So, it's not surprising that we don't notice sleeper weeds in small pockets in our environment until it's too late.

Avoiding total distraction by weeds like moth plant and climbing asparagus, and focusing on sleeper weeds, means we can detect and destroy them quickly - increasing our chances of eradication or at least preventing them from becoming widespread. Balancing up protecting high value sites from widespread weeds with detecting and destroying these sleeper weeds can be super tricky. Often the community wants agencies to deal with the widespread weeds when we know the long-term gains are higher when we eradicate the sleeper weeds.

We're getting pretty good at using science to predict which of the 25,000 plant species in Aotearoa will become the next widespread weeds. We know that species that are weedy overseas are also likely to be weedy here. We can use traits, such as how many seeds are produced or their temperature tolerances, to make predictions and take precautionary action. What's fairly clear is that the more people plant and move introduced species about, the more likely they are to find conditions that are suitable for surviving in the wild and becoming weedy. It's no surprise then that the vast majority of our environmental weeds were once garden plants, bred to thrive and sold in nurseries around the country. So prevention is the key to weed management and it can start in your own backyard. If you're weeding your garden, take care to dispose of the weeds carefully - they can resprout and grow. Dumping garden waste in local parks can cause new infestations that get out of control. If you know you have environmental weeds in your garden, then replace them with a non-weedy variety or even better, a native species. Every you remove prevents a weed infestation in your local reserve.

Don't let the widespread weeds distract you entirely - keep one eye open for those sleeper weeds - and when in doubt give native biodiversity a shot in the arm by planting native species in your garden. Native plant species need some PR - many have beautiful flowers and attract all sorts of native wildlife. Get some advice from Weedbusters , your local nursery or . But never, never turn your back on the sleeper weeds.
More from Drawing Science: Returning to a green Antarctica

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All around us, sleeper weeds are silently spreading - and we may not even notice they're there until it's too late.

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Growing your own food in a garden isn't a new idea. It was a critical way for ancient people to have access to reliable, nutritious foods.

The necessity of vegetable gardens has varied through time. Gardening has gained popularity recently, even with easy and inexpensive access to food at grocery stores.

A study found that interest in gardening increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. People spent more time at home and turned to their gardens for a connection to nature, stress relief and food provisions.

For 10 years, I've tended large vegetable and flower gardens at my home. I find it to be challenging and gratifying to watch the gardens grow and develop.

Here are a few of the many benefits I've found from digging in the dirt:

Increased exercise

A busy day in the garden can be a good form of exercise. While tending a garden, you perform functional movement that mimics whole body exercise. You perform squats and lunges while weeding. Carrying bags of mulch and other supplies works large muscle groups. Digging, raking and using a push mower can be physically intense activities.

You may burn as many calories as a workout in the gym. If you aren't used to these types of activities, it is likely that you will feel a bit sore after a busy day gardening. Gardening also can improve your balance, strength and flexibility.

Gardening activities can be modified if movement is a challenge. There are different ways to participate if you think outside of the box. Use a small stool or raised garden beds if you suffer from back pain. A shovel or rake can be used to support your knees when squatting. Smaller pots are lighter and easier to move than large ones. Buy smaller bags of mulch or soil that are easier to carry.

Improved diet

Growing and eating your own fruits and vegetables can have a positive impact on your diet. Gardeners are more likely to include vegetables as part of healthy, well-balanced diets. My family eats corn, potatoes and salsa made from ingredients grown in our garden year-round.

Different vegetables have a variety of unique health benefits. Peppers contain capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce heart disease. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that may help slow the aging process and reduce the risk of some cancers. Spinach may boost your immune system and broccoli protects your body's cells from damage.

Time in nature

Getting outdoors is good for your physical and mental health. People tend to breathe deeper when outside. This helps to clear out the lungs, improves digestion, improves immune response and increases oxygen levels in the blood.

Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce heart rate and muscle tension. Sunlight lowers blood pressure and increases vitamin D levels.

Reduced stress levels

Nearly all forms of exercise can reduce stress including gardening. It's been shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It's very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food.

Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress.

After a day in the clinic, my routine is to check in with my family and then spend an hour or so in my garden. I find that pulling weeds can be therapeutic and calming after a long day. It provides the opportunity to slow down, plan or mentally work out a problem.

Social connection

Gardening brings people together and strengthens social connections. The gardening community is rich with people willing to share their expertise, time and occasionally plants with new gardeners. Master gardeners are local volunteers dedicated to educating and empowering fellow gardeners. Community garden plots bring together people with diverse backgrounds to work on a common goal. Many gardening friendships begin over celebrating a success or bemoaning a gardening misstep.

Social connections are important because they help lower stress, improve resilience and provide support during difficult times in life. A strong sense of belonging lowers your risk of depression, anxiety and suicide.

The friendships that I've made have been the biggest benefit of gardening for me. During the spring, my friends and neighbors plan our vegetable gardens together. We discuss what worked well or needs to be improved from the previous year. In summer, we share extra produce with each other. In the fall, we host a big salsa making party to enjoy the harvest together. These activities improve the joy we get out of the garden and strengthen our connections.

Starting a garden

Here are three tips if you are considering starting a garden at your home:

Start small.
It's easy to get excited and want a large plot with many plants. Don't take on more than you can handle because that could cause more stress. The larger the garden, the more work it is. It can quickly overwhelm you if you don't have enough resources or time to care for it. You can always increase the size of your garden in the future.

Build a network.
Find other people who are interested in gardening. Learn from each other's successes and failures.

Research appropriate plants.
Find plants that grow well in your climate or hardiness zone. Talk with local master gardeners or county agricultural resource office to get tips on what plants thrive in your area. This improves your chances of success and lowers the stress and potential disappointment.

Lisa Wimmer is a nurse practitioner in Family Medicine and avid gardener in , Minnesota.

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Digging in the dirt and growing your own food can improve your physical and mental health. Get tips before starting a garden.

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Growing your own food in a garden isn't a new idea. It was a critical way for ancient people to have access to reliable, nutritious foods.

The necessity of vegetable gardens has varied through time. Gardening has gained popularity recently, even with easy and inexpensive access to food at grocery stores.

A study found that interest in gardening increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. People spent more time at home and turned to their gardens for a connection to nature, stress relief and food provisions.

For 10 years, I've tended large vegetable and flower gardens at my home. I find it to be challenging and gratifying to watch the gardens grow and develop.

Here are a few of the many benefits I've found from digging in the dirt:

Increased exercise

A busy day in the garden can be a good form of exercise. While tending a garden, you perform functional movement that mimics whole body exercise. You perform squats and lunges while weeding. Carrying bags of mulch and other supplies works large muscle groups. Digging, raking and using a push mower can be physically intense activities.

You may burn as many calories as a workout in the gym. If you aren't used to these types of activities, it is likely that you will feel a bit sore after a busy day gardening. Gardening also can improve your balance, strength and flexibility.

Gardening activities can be modified if movement is a challenge. There are different ways to participate if you think outside of the box. Use a small stool or raised garden beds if you suffer from back pain. A shovel or rake can be used to support your knees when squatting. Smaller pots are lighter and easier to move than large ones. Buy smaller bags of mulch or soil that are easier to carry.

Improved diet

Growing and eating your own fruits and vegetables can have a positive impact on your diet. Gardeners are more likely to include vegetables as part of healthy, well-balanced diets. My family eats corn, potatoes and salsa made from ingredients grown in our garden year-round.

Different vegetables have a variety of unique health benefits. Peppers contain capsaicin, which has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce heart disease. Tomatoes are high in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain lycopene, an antioxidant that may reduce prostate cancer risk. Sweet potatoes are high in beta carotene, an antioxidant that may help slow the aging process and reduce the risk of some cancers. Spinach may boost your immune system and broccoli protects your body's cells from damage.

Time in nature

Getting outdoors is good for your physical and mental health. People tend to breathe deeper when outside. This helps to clear out the lungs, improves digestion, improves immune response and increases oxygen levels in the blood.

Spending time outdoors has been shown to reduce heart rate and muscle tension. Sunlight lowers blood pressure and increases vitamin D levels.

Reduced stress levels

Nearly all forms of exercise can reduce stress including gardening. It's been shown to lighten mood and lower levels of stress and anxiety. It's very gratifying to plant, tend, harvest and share your own food.

Routines provide structure to our day and are linked to improved mental health. Gardening routines, like watering and weeding, can create a soothing rhythm to ease stress.

After a day in the clinic, my routine is to check in with my family and then spend an hour or so in my garden. I find that pulling weeds can be therapeutic and calming after a long day. It provides the opportunity to slow down, plan or mentally work out a problem.

Social connection

Gardening brings people together and strengthens social connections. The gardening community is rich with people willing to share their expertise, time and occasionally plants with new gardeners. Master gardeners are local volunteers dedicated to educating and empowering fellow gardeners. Community garden plots bring together people with diverse backgrounds to work on a common goal. Many gardening friendships begin over celebrating a success or bemoaning a gardening misstep.

Social connections are important because they help lower stress, improve resilience and provide support during difficult times in life. A strong sense of belonging lowers your risk of depression, anxiety and suicide.

The friendships that I've made have been the biggest benefit of gardening for me. During the spring, my friends and neighbors plan our vegetable gardens together. We discuss what worked well or needs to be improved from the previous year. In summer, we share extra produce with each other. In the fall, we host a big salsa making party to enjoy the harvest together. These activities improve the joy we get out of the garden and strengthen our connections.

Starting a garden

Here are three tips if you are considering starting a garden at your home:

Start small.
It's easy to get excited and want a large plot with many plants. Don't take on more than you can handle because that could cause more stress. The larger the garden, the more work it is. It can quickly overwhelm you if you don't have enough resources or time to care for it. You can always increase the size of your garden in the future.

Build a network.
Find other people who are interested in gardening. Learn from each other's successes and failures.

Research appropriate plants.
Find plants that grow well in your climate or hardiness zone. Talk with local master gardeners or county agricultural resource office to get tips on what plants thrive in your area. This improves your chances of success and lowers the stress and potential disappointment.

Lisa Wimmer is a nurse practitioner in Family Medicine and avid gardener in , Minnesota.

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Digging in the dirt and growing your own food can improve your physical and mental health. Get tips before starting a garden.

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Learn about the benefits of planting trees. Check out the different ways trees can help you, your community and the environment.

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There are so many reasons to love native trees - and we've hidden a bunch in this native forest picture! Can you find all twenty reasons below hiding in our big illustration? Can you think of any more reasons to love native trees?

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Why Native Trees - Trees That Count | Trees That Count

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There are so many reasons to love native trees - and we've hidden a bunch in this native forest picture! Can you find all twenty reasons below hiding in our big illustration? Can you think of any more reasons to love native trees?

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For many gardeners, as soon as the growing season begins, so does the battle with weeds. Pulling, picking, and back aching - it is a war that doesn't need to be waged if one changes their perspective.

The word weed comes from the Old English weod- a plant, grass, herb, tree, or anything that flourishes naturally. They are the life that once thrived before our perfectly sowed rows, and their presence, as long as they are not an invasive species, is essential to the ecosystem.

Here are six reasons why you should let weeds bloom.

1. Weeds are essential to pollinators

Bees and other pollinators, including bats, beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, and small mammals, play a crucial role in how life on Earth grows. Over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops worldwide rely on pollination. Weeds are a fundamental food source for pollinators, especially in the early months of spring, and without them, they would not survive.

2. Weeds feed wildlife

All year long, weeds feed all walks of life, yet they become even more critical for some towards the end of the summer. As autumn approaches, once-blooming weeds begin to release seeds and shrivel up. These seeds feed many birds, and the stalks support a variety of wildlife, including deer, rabbits, gophers, and moles.

3. Weeds benefit microorganisms

As weeds die and decay, their roots break down, feed microorganisms and insects, and make pathways and tunnels for worms. While many growers assume a population of pests means a failed garden, it is quite the opposite. Bountiful life below means plentiful life above.

4. Weeds are good indicators of soil health

When microorganisms and insects break down weeds, they release essential nutrients into the soil that plants soak up. They also store nitrogen and carbon dioxide in the ground, creating cleaner air and removing greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere, mitigating the climate crisis.

5. Weeds even provide nutrients for other plants

Many weed species have sturdy and massive taproots, as many gardeners have noticed as they pull them out of the ground. These giant roots break up hard-packed layers of soil, making it easier for the roots of other plants to permeate. They also pull up nutrients and moisture from deeper levels of the soil and share them with the surrounding vegetation.

6. Weeds prevent erosion

Along with being strong, the roots of weeds have a web-like structure that helps hold the soil they break up in place. These fibrous nets make the soil less likely to wash away by irrigation, heavy rainfall, or severe weather. Weeds also help bring degraded soils back to life by feeding microorganisms that release nutrients into the ground.

So, the next time a weed is spotted, remember that it's a sign that life is blooming and robust, rather than think it's a nuisance. Perhaps even revert to the mindset of the child that knows dandelions and the like really are something to be cherished.

Learn more about Regenerative Agriculture

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Six reasons why you should love weeds | One Earth

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Essential to pollinators, birds, and soil, native weeds are not a blot on the landscape but rather beautiful indicators of health and abundance.

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Cross section model - could use hydraulics to push a plant out of the ground

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Cross section model - could use hydraulics to push a plant out of the ground

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Model of roots grasping onto rock (paper mache and clay?)

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Model of roots grasping onto rock (paper mache and clay?)