They may look festive and fun, but some colorful holiday wreaths actually contain invasive species that can hurt native plants.
This is Scott Fitzpatrick from New Hampshire Audubon, bringing you Something Wild.
Are your holiday decorations providing safe harbor for outlaws? Is the natural wreath on your door an environmental hazard? No? Well, if you've used oriental bittersweet berries or multiflora rosehips to deck your halls, think again.
Invasive plants are non-native species that have established themselves in the wild landscape. Highly aggressive, they produce lots of seeds, grow rapidly and compete with native species. They can take over a habitat and force out native plants that are more beneficial to local wildlife. Invasives are so damaging that they are considered one of the top threats to biological diversity.
Oriental bittersweet, with its red and yellow berry clusters, adds a colorful touch to the holiday home. As beautiful as they are, if these berries get loose, they can grow into a vine that can climb up and smother our native trees.
Or maybe you use festive sprays of tiny crimson rosehips to decorate wreaths. Chances are that they came from the multiflora rose. This plant, which is originally from Japan and Korea, is also extremely aggressive and displaces our native species.
In 2004, the state's Department of Agriculture prohibited both of these plants from being sold, transported, distributed, propagated or transplanted in New Hampshire - so, yep, that makes them outlaws.
When you toss these plants into your compost bin or brush pile, you unwittingly help them take root in new locations.
You might want to familiarize yourself with invasive species and avoid purchasing wreaths and other decorations made from them. And please, don't pick their berries to add to your own holiday decor. If it's too late for that, then be sure to dispose of them properly. The safest way is to completely burn them.
Next time, consider using native species, such as winterberry holly, which are safe to use and just as festive.
For Something Wild, I'm Scott Fitzpatrick.
Something Wild is a joint production of New Hampshire Audubon, New Hampshire Public Radio and the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.
