A gardener sparked a discussion after sharing a post made by another Redditor about a plant in their yard.
Posting on the subreddit r/invasivespecies, the gardener reposted an image from a U.K.-based gardening thread of a buddleia plant, otherwise known as a butterfly bush, that another gardener had asked for advice about after wondering if it looked "diseased."
"Someone had to tell them," the gardener wrote before receiving several comments asking what the issue was.
"It's Buddleia … super invasive, will grow literally into the side of an apartment, so it takes over anything else," the gardener replied to commenters.
While many people plant these shrubs in the hope of encouraging butterflies to come into their yard, buddleia are invasive in Europe and North America. According to the University of Maryland Extension, they outcompete native plants and take over riparian areas such as streams and river banks.
Invasive species are a big problem globally, causing a lot of destruction to native habitats and damaging property and infrastructure. Many invasive plants start out as ornamental plants in people's gardens and escape into the natural environment close by. This can be prevented by planting native plants in your yard, which not only support local ecosystems but are also much easier to maintain.
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Rewilding your yard can have a number of positive benefits, including cheaper bills and reduced time spent mowing. This is because native plants are adapted to the local ecosystem, so they don't require significant watering or the addition of expensive store-bought fertilizers. Additionally, they provide homes for native wildlife, such as pollinators, which help with food production.
Several commenters were aware of the buddleia plant's reputation as being bad news.
"This plant is known to grow literally anywhere and destroys so much," the OP responded to one commenter.
"No Buddejah of mine, [that's] for sure," another commenter added.
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