The Catch-All Botany Thread

[thesummerqueen]

Which I admit, will most likely be used only by Rhythm, Kichi and I. Oh well.

UBC's Botanical Gardens does a Photo-of-the-Day that features a variety of interesting plants. This one caught my eye because it's striking, and also because the fight to control it in North America mirrors many problems we have with vegetation: how to fight one particular invasive organism without hurting those around it.

In the United States, biological methods of pest control have been implemented in addition to chemical and mechanical approaches. Two species of weevils from Europe, Rhinocyllus conicus and Trichosirocalus horridus, have been introduced to some areas affected by Carduus thistle invasions; the former target the plant's developing seeds, while the latter eat the root crowns. Yet, as with many pest control methods, this one is not without risk, as the introduced insects may also affect non-target species. In Wisconsin, for example, the weevils are not used due to the associated threat to rare thistles native to the state.

I just thought here would be a good place for us to put our "plant porn".