RICHMOND, Va. -- Part of the draw to Katy Riley's new job was what she called "the heart" of Richmond: the James River. Riley picked a good week to start her new gig last week, with sunny weather and an opportunity to get her hands dirty.
"They had an invasive species work day here at Chapel Island," Riley, the new community conservation coordinator for the James River Association, said. "We planted 100 native plant species, and it was great to be out there on a beautiful spring day here in Richmond down by the river planting native species.”
Planting native species is part of an ongoing effort by the James River Association and other local groups to push back against invasive plant species in natural spaces and throughout the region.
Invasive plants — which are inherently not from Virginia — can spread rapidly and establish quickly, destroying native plants and the habitats they provide.
"Invasive plant species are a significant threat to our local environment here in Richmond," Justin Doyle, who heads community conservation for the James River Association, said. “This is a problem because native plants provide habitat for native wildlife.”
“English ivy and kudzu — invasive vine species — they can grow up mature trees and eventually kill trees if they're not removed. So that's a significant threat to our riparian areas along the James River," Doyle continued.
Since 200-year-old tree canopies do not grow back quickly, invasive species can cause significant harm to the health of natural spaces in Virginia.
Those problems extend into residential neighborhoods as well, Doyle said.
Being a good neighbor, by removing invasive plants and replacing them with native ones is critical to the overall health of our local ecosystem.
“It limits the amount of habitat available to local wildlife, and really in particular in yards, it’s pollinators, birds, and small mammals that depend on our native flowers, habitat for survival," Doyle said.
For those who might not have a green thumb and cannot pick out a Bradford Pear from a Chinese Privet or a Tree of Heaven, the James River Association is hosting four more workshops, each of the next two Saturdays.
Riley said the more people who get involved in learning about and removing invasive species, the greater impact we can have on the James River, our own neighborhoods, and Central Virginia.
“It is wonderful that we have this tremendous natural resource just in our in our backyards, and I also think that comes with a responsibility to help protect it," Riley said. "That's what I hope people would take away from this: it's a problem certainly but it's a problem that, if we come together, we can all solve through our collective impact.”
You can read more about invasive species in Virginia here.
There are also resources available for nurseries that only sell native plants and programsoffering discounts on native plants.
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