plants

Around 1870, America imported Asian porcelain berry for gardens; its fast-growing vines now smother native plants along eastern forest edges

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

In 1778, Captain Cook left goats in Hawaii as food and gifts; centuries later, feral herds had severely stripped native plants and worsened erosion

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

A Florida homeowner replaced a struggling lawn with cardboard, mulch, and native plants to create a bird- and pollinator-friendly garden

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HT US Desk

The Hindustan Times US Desk brings you the latest news and developments from across the United States. The team covers everything from breaking news and politics to sports, business, entertainment and stories that are trending across the country. Our coverage includes the White House, Congress, US elections, immigration and visa updates, H-1B, green cards, Social … Read more

Florida brought in Brazilian pepper as an ornamental shrub; it later infested over 700,000 acres and became one of the states worst invasive plants

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Known for its bright red berries, Brazilian pepper was introduced to Florida as an ornamental plant. (Wikimedia Commons)

A shrub with bright red berries sounds like something nice to plant in a garden. But in Florida, one such bush became a big problem. Brazilian peppertree was introduced into the state as an ornamental plant, according to the USDA Agricultural Research Service. USDA estimates that more than 700,000 acres in Florida are infested with … Read more

In 1868, Hong Kong gifted Hawaii 8 axis deer in goodwill; their descendants now number about 60,000 and damage crops, native plants, and forests

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Eight axis deer arrived in 1868; their descendants now number about 60,000. (Wikimedia Commons)

Eight axis deer, a goodwill gift from Hong Kong, were released on MolokaÊ»i in 1868. Today their descendants number in the tens of thousands, and they eat crops and native plants and damage forests. According to the U.S. Geological Survey fact sheet, Hawaii’s native plants evolved without grazing animals, which can make them vulnerable to … Read more

A Florida man sold hallucinogenic cacti and mushrooms on Facebook Marketplace, gets arrested; police seize 131 plants and 50 pounds of cacti at his Riverview home

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A Florida man sold hallucinogenic cacti and mushrooms on Facebook Marketplace, gets arrested; police seize 131 plants and 50 pounds of cacti at his Riverview home

Florida man arrested after hallucinogenic plants seized at his Riverview home. (Photo: Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office) A man in Florida has been arrested after authorities alleged that he was running a business selling hallucinogenic cacti and mushrooms through Facebook Marketplace. Investigators seized 131 live plants, approximately 50 pounds of mescaline-containing cacti and 1.5 pounds of … Read more

After goats were removed in the 1990s and cats in 2001, Klein Curacao island restored native plants, helping nine bird species breed by 2022

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After goats were removed in the 1990s and cats in 2001, Klein Curacao island restored native plants, helping nine bird species breed by 2022

Klein Curacao, a flat 130-hectare coral island about 10 km southeast of Curacao, was left bare by guano mining and overgrazing by goats and sheep. Feral goats were removed in the 1990s and cats in October 2001, while native planting ran from 2000 to 2005. For decades, the Least Tern was the only seabird confirmed … Read more

Illinois volunteers removed invasive plants from 43 acres; they then planted nearly 9,000 native plugs and more than 1,100 pounds of seed

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Illinois volunteers removed invasive plants from 43 acres; they then planted nearly 9,000 native plugs and more than 1,100 pounds of seed

PC: US Fish and Wildlife Service In northeast Illinois, the Greenbelt Forest Preserve covers 607 acres between North Chicago and Waukegan. Invasive plants, including teasel, Canada thistle, canary grass, buckthorn and common reed, have displaced native vegetation there. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, working with the Lake County Forest Preserve District and … Read more

Nurseries discarded unwanted plants; Pearl Fryar rescued them and spent decades turning them into a three-acre sculpture garden

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Nurseries discarded unwanted plants; Pearl Fryar rescued them and spent decades turning them into a three-acre sculpture garden

Representative Image of a vibrant topiary garden featuring living sculptures shaped like trees, fish, and abstract forms in Bishopville (AI Generated Image) A cleared cornfield in Bishopville, South Carolina, became the setting for one of America’s most distinctive topiary gardens. In the early 1980s, Pearl Fryar began transforming the land around his home without any … Read more

Scientists hung clean moss beside three Russian highways, and the plants began collecting metals linked to traffic pollution

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Scientists hung clean moss beside three Russian highways, and the plants began collecting metals linked to traffic pollution

Researchers in Russia hung bags of moss beside three busy highways to see how much traffic pollution the plants would soak up. Published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, the study exposed moss collected from a clean background site to roadside air along the Leningradskoye, Yaroslavskoye, and Dmitrovkoye highways in central Russia. After analysing the … Read more