Volunteer captures bizarre photo during invasive species removal effort: 'Looks like the tree ... choked it'

After a long day of ridding their local forest of invasive species, this volunteer saw that one native plant had figured out how to fight back.

In early March, Audrey Berenson went out with a volunteer task force in Topsfield, Massachusetts, with the intention of identifying and removing invasive species. They shared their finds in a Facebook group for fellow enthusiasts and recounted their spoils: "Notable invasive finds were … good old Multiflora Rose, monocultures of Glossy Buckthorn, and tons of Oriental Bittersweet. We even found a few massive Autumn Olives, which are very satisfying to cut down."

Audrey turned to the group for help identifying a native tree that stood out. A picture of a malformed tree showed that whatever it was, it didn't need help removing an invasive oriental bittersweet vine. "Looks like the tree grew around the vine and choked it - the vine crumbled when I tried to cut it!" Audrey wrote.

Invasive species can be incredibly disruptive to ecosystems. As they compete with native plants for resources, they threaten native plants with extinction. Invasive species can also disrupt the patterns of pollinators, reducing biodiversity.

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Invasive species can be challenging to remove from your yard and present major problems for homeowners. They can crowd out native plants, spread at rapid and undesirable speeds, and bring diseases that native plants have no protection from.

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"A great work day indeed," one comment said.

"Awesome work," another comment read.

Should we be actively working to kill invasive species?

Absolutely 💯

It depends on the species 🤔

I don't know 🤷

No — leave nature alone 🙅

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