February 8, 2014
Ecological Effects of invasive Plants
During this talk and slide show, ecologist Eric Olson shared insights about the impacts of invasive and non-native plants on New England butterflies, songbirds, and other members of our local food webs. This was a good news story for biodiversity, because as local conservation area managers and landscapers have learned of these impacts, management practices are changing. Prof. Olson also addressed the controversial strategy of introducing non-native organisms to control earlier introductions. Dr. Olson is Senior Lecturer in Ecology at Brandeis University and a citizen steward who has extensive experience working to control invasive species in both Newton and Waltham.
The photo on the right , of a piece by graphic artist Prof. Hoseob Yoon of Seoul, Korea, uses smiley faces to represent all of the tiny caterpillars that have lived on and eaten that leaf.