Where does Star Magnolia belong? — Milk & Honey Herbs

And this is where the nuance comes in! I’m not above removing some plants for the benefits of others. I see this as a form of wildtending and at the end of the day of course some subjectivity comes into it. And before the native plant societies come at me, I would argue that the whole field of invasion biology is also subjective! It’s based on some scientific metrics but ALSO economics, to the extent to which now North American native plants are being labeled as “invasive” when it behooves industry interests to label them as so.It’s also anti-establishment to think about “invasives” in this more nuanced way. The state wholeheartedly backs this binary thinking and wants you to too. They are all in on the “war on invasives” and (no surprise) in bed with Monsanto and have been from day one when it comes to making this a conservation issue which is a distraction from very real concerns like habitat loss, pollutants, and industry lobbying groups such as the mining and cattle industries. Instead, we’re told that PLANTS are the issue and the solution is to buy the herbicide Round-up/Glyphosate from one of the most egregious corporations in the world to fix it, Monsanto. The National Invasive Species Council defines these plants as “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.”A plant doesn’t even have to be non-native at this point to be labelled invasive…are you getting the picture?? We’re being duped! Yes, we should exercise discernment when it comes to these things. I’m here for removal of plants from certain areas and have been removing Glossy Buckthorn in other parts of the land I inhabit to make space for the native Spice Bush and have done plenty of removal of Asian Bittersweet vine and more in my day. I’m just asking us to think critically about this issue and- if this isn’t too much to ask- apply an animist lens and zoom out for a minute. In a globalized world, with a rapidly changing climate, if we acknowledge and believe that no human is illegal, that borders aren’t real, and that all refugees deserve a safe home, why wouldn’t we extend this same thinking to the plants (and animals too)? And instead of applying a one size fits all xenophobic approach of “not from here= bad,” instead open up to a deeper and more nuanced way of thinking about such a complex and multi-layered. Indigenous scientist Dr. Jessica Hernandez has introduced the idea of calling these plants “displaced plant relatives” instead of “invasive.” How beautiful is that?And many thanks to the glorious Star Magnolia for inviting us into this dialogue. The plants truly are our elders and teachers, always.References, Resources & Further ReadingWeed Whackers: Monsanto, glyphosate, and the war on invasive speciesBy Andrew CockburnHarper’s MagazineThe Troubles of “Invasive” Plants: Issues of Identification, Control, Restoration, Climate Change & CultureBy Nicole Patrice Hill and Kollibri Terre Sonnenblume