A park-goer posted on the subreddit r/Tacoma about some alarming activity they witnessed in Tacoma's Puget Park.
The OP realized that someone had been removing native species from the park. Astoundingly, they were planting non-native plants like English ivy in their stead.
"One of my favorite parks is being harmed! Someone in the community is removing Native Species, such as Osoberry, Salmon Berry, Sword Fern, Red Cedar, etc. and leaving roots of invasive [like] English Ivy to spread … This is not approved by stewards of the parks," the original poster said.
The post draws attention to a literally pervasive issue — English ivy.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has explained how much of a problem it is in California and nearby states like Washington. English ivy can easily overrun and crowd out native species.
"English ivy quickly takes advantage of disturbed areas to shade-out and outcompete understory vegetation, and can also kill overstory trees after climbing to and dominating the canopy," the CDFW said.
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Raising awareness of the dangers of invasive plants like English ivy is a way to care for communities and for the planet. It can take over gardens and weigh down structures and trees. Removing and killing it can free those trees and create space for other, more beneficial native plants like the ones being removed from Puget Park.
Native plants usually require much less upkeep — and they provide a home for eco-healthy pollinators like birds, bees, and butterflies.
Commenters on the post were equally shocked and appalled by the strange park behavior.
"The idea of purposefully spreading invasive species in a park like that is totally insane," wrote one.
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Definitely 👍 Another tried to understand the motivation, asking, "Do you think they think they are helping?"
And one other commenter said, "It doesn't even look like they're stealing them, just … hacking them down. This is horrible."
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