Category: Nature News from Daily News-Record

By MARLENE A. CONDON
Feb 9, 2025 

Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil may be the most famous weather-forecasting groundhog, thanks to additional publicity from the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. But should mishaps befall Phil, publicity would be virtually nonexistent because his handlers cloak his life in secrecy and tall tales.

For example, he’s supposedly the same critter that’s been making predictions since 1886, even though groundhogs live only about 10 years in captivity (two to three, on average, in the wild). According to The Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, Phil manages this feat by drinking a secret recipe — the “elixir of life”: One sip every summer at the Groundhog Picnic “magically gives him seven more years of life.”

Spinning myths and pretending a zoo animal can tell us whether spring will arrive early seems harmless. But is it really?

Other prognosticating groundhogs provide insight into the risks of being in this famous “job.” In 2014, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio attended the Staten Island Zoo Groundhog Day ceremony. When handed the groundhog by a zookeeper, he dropped it. A week later, the 10-month-old rodent was dead from internal injuries suffered in the fall.

This kind of accident may be rare, but does anyone believe these undomesticated animals want to be handled at all, never mind that they’re brought out into the cold and held high above throngs of people, a frightening situation to an animal that has no comprehension of what’s happening? In Pennsylvania, Phil was obliged to participate in selfies with many of the 10,000 to 20,000 people attending this event, keeping him in disquieting circumstances much longer.

We’ve come a long way regarding animal welfare, but we still have a way yet to go. While dogs and cats have become virtual human beings in the eyes of the law and afforded many protections, many kinds of wild animals continue to be seen as playthings for humans instead of recognized as the sentient lifeforms they are.

Like humans, wild animals have an innate need to live freely, roaming and exploring their world as they search for food and mates and live the life they were meant to live. Groundhogs live in dark burrows, but Phil lives in “a warm terrarium built into the Punxsutawney library. The wall that faces the outside is made of glass, so visitors can pay their respects at any time.”

Does Phil hibernate as he’s biologically “programmed” to do from October to April in Pennsylvania? No, that is not allowed: His “manufactured burrow” is kept at a constant temperature, and artificial lighting prevents the shorter days of autumn sunlight from triggering his urge to put on fat and settle in for a long winter nap.

Like Canada Geese living in Virginia year-round, Phil must become as unsettled as they do during fall. Local Canada geese move around constantly because they undoubtedly still have the biological urge to leave the area. They have descended from geese that reproduced in Canada during summer and had no choice but to migrate south in the fall if they were to survive the winter. The urge to move southwards or to hibernate is “built-in.”

Some people think Phil has a wonderful life because he doesn’t need to find his own food and is protected from predators, which may grant him a longer existence. But would you choose life in prison just because three meals are served every day and health care is provided so you might live longer? Of course not; no one wants to be caged as Phil (and every other zoo animal) is.

In fact, according to the Live Science website, this mammal hasn’t lost his wild instincts. One year, the groundhog tried to escape. “They caught him right before he tried to run for the hills,” wrote the editor of Punxsutawney Spirit, a daily newspaper that covers local news, adding, “If Groundhog Day comes around and the main man doesn’t show up, you have problems.”

Animals try to flee for the same reason people do: They want to live the lives they’re destined to live. I’ve seen a Box Turtle in an aquatic nature center terrarium desperately and continuously trying to climb the glass walls of its tank to escape the boredom of its existence in that cramped space. I’ve watched wolves running back and forth in a crazed manner along a fence enclosing them at a nature park in the Northwest. As a child, I broken-heartedly observed a huge white Polar Bear pacing endlessly back and forth in its tiny cage that was barely larger than it was.

Wild animals don’t exist to entertain us. Each one belongs in the wild, where it plays a vital role in keeping the environment functioning properly. Groundhog Day may be fun for us, but it’s no fun for the groundhog.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• December 16, 2025

A wonderfully valid saying of Albert Einstein is that we should, “Look deep into Nature and you will understand everything.”

I couldn’t agree more.

When I wrote my book, “The Nature-friendly Garden,” in 2005, I mentioned that no matter how many precautions you took, you would still get scratches while gardening. I dutifully pointed out that it was essential to keep tetanus shots up to date and to clean your wounds with soap and water. However, I did not mention applying antibiotic ointment to them, as most folks would suggest.

Indeed, when my editor read this section, he called to ask why I hadn’t suggested using the ointments, which are so widely recommended for cuts. I told him that when washing with soap and water was not possible, or my cut was not severe enough to make me take the time to get into the house to clean it, I had always applied my saliva to the broken and bleeding skin instead. I had never gotten an infection in all my decades of gardening, so I had never personally found antibiotics necessary.

I explained that during my life, I had observed numerous kinds of mammals. I’d noticed that when an animal had a wound, it licked it —sometimes a lot — suggesting to me that saliva must have antibiotic properties. Just as form follows function in architecture and animal anatomy, I realized that in life, behavior follows necessity.

Wild animals, like humans, get hurt, but unlike humans, who have salves they can apply, wild animals need a way to help their injuries heal without infection. It was obvious to me that, because wild animals do not waste energy (every behavior can and must be explained in terms of benefit to the organism), they would only lick their wounds if it were beneficial. I saw no reason why that rule of thumb would not also apply to me when I suffered a superficial cut.

My editor found this fascinating. It made sense to him, and he pushed very hard for me to include this information in the book. However, I demurred. Knowing how litigious our society had become, the “lawyer in me” thought better of making any recommendations regarding human health without an official study to back me up, even though the scientist in me knew I must be right.

Indeed, just two years after my book was published in 2006, researchers in the Netherlands confirmed what I’d told my editor, and went even farther than I did.

“A report by scientists from the Netherlands identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. This research may offer hope to people suffering from chronic wounds related to diabetes and other disorders, as well as traumatic injuries and burns. In addition, because the compounds can be mass produced, they have the potential to become as common as antibiotic creams and rubbing alcohol,” according to the article, Licking Your Wounds: Scientists Isolate Compound In Human Saliva That Speeds Wound Healing.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• November 25, 2025

When I heard that Harrisonburg city personnel had killed two raccoons and a fox for supposedly digging up areas of the Heritage Oaks Golf Course, I wrote to City Manager Alexander Banks VI. He responded by telling me he “immediately put a halt to all such practice” and explained that the city’s “staff at [the golf course] put together several non-lethal strategies to address the wildlife destruction…[including] motion sensor cameras/lights and the use of natural repellants.”

I was relieved that the city had changed course, especially if this situation was only about damage that could be repaired. All of us require a properly functioning ecosystem in which to live, and those killed mammals had helped to create such an environment for all of us, humans and wildlife together. Folks need to keep in mind that these critters are simply trying to survive, not be problematic for humans.

One of my earliest childhood memories is of a Red Fox at my grandfather’s farm in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. I was in the front seat between my parents as we entered the driveway to the farmhouse. It was after dark, and as the headlights lit the front of the barn ahead of us, a Red Fox trotted through the beam of light. I was enthralled.

It was my first-ever glimpse of this small relative of “man’s best friend,” the dog. Barely as large as your average house cat, a Red Fox is a slim creature with lovely red fur and a large bushy tail. It’s been said that a fox couldn’t survive without its tail, which it uses as a blanket to cover the bare bottoms of its paws and its nose in cold weather.

Humans aren’t prey species for such a small animal, and wild animals try very hard not to interact with any animal that’s larger than they are. In the natural world, size confers advantage. That means a smaller animal is much more likely to be harmed or killed in an encounter with a larger one. Because it doesn’t want to die, and because it can’t survive easily if injured, an animal will try to flee from bigger creatures if it can.

If it’s not possible to get safely away, the smaller animal will attempt to intimidate the larger animal into leaving it alone. That’s why a rattlesnake rattles its tail tip before striking and a skunk stomps its front paws, hisses, and raises its tail before spraying.

So, generally speaking, people don’t need to fear personal harm to themselves or their pets from a Red Fox. Unless a fox has rabies (a rare disease; otherwise, it would wipe out entire populations of susceptible animals), it isn’t about to attack a human, a cat, or a dog.

Of course, if folks are raising chickens that are food for foxes and other predators, then they need to build a predator-proof enclosure to protect them.

Learn about your wildlife neighbors to appreciate all they do for you.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• October 21, 2025

At this time of the year, you may be lucky enough to hear owls calling, especially the Eastern Screech Owl.

If you spend time outdoors in the early evening (just as it’s getting dark out) or in the early morning (just before the Sun comes up), listen carefully. This small bird has a very eerie call (often referred to in books as a mournful whinny), which makes it easy to imagine a ghostly spirit crying in the night. It’s quite an appropriate sound for the Halloween season.

Because screech owls hunt mainly at night, they’re not easy to find during the day, unless you spot one in a tree-cavity opening. Eastern Screech Owls are only 7 to 10 inches long. They have ear tufts, bright yellow eyes, and are more often a rusty red color, but sometimes are gray. If it’s late afternoon, the owl may linger on the rim, waiting for dusk so it can start hunting.

Screech owls usually start nesting after the weather warms a bit. If late winter is unusually warm, they may begin nesting then. They have traditionally laid eggs by April at the latest.

When egg incubation begins, both the male and the female owl share the cavity during the day. Once the young hatch, the male typically moves out but remains close by. The young hatch after about 26 days, and fledging occurs approximately 27 days later.

You can keep track of what is happening by paying attention and keeping notes. If you notice an owl using a cavity in March or April, it is most likely nesting (screech owls do not actually build a nest but lay their eggs on the bottom of the cavity).

The pair of owls is quite secretive at this time, though, so you might have to look at the entrance hole very early in the morning to know if the cavity is being used. If you write down the date, you can then calculate the approximate hatching date because the eggs are probably already laid.

A few days before your estimated date and daily thereafter, watch the box as twilight descends and/or very early in the morning before sunrise, and you will eventually see the parent owls bringing food to the young. The average brood size is four.

Until the owlets grow too big, the female will remain inside the box with them during the day. When it becomes overly crowded, she will start perching nearby on a tree, just as the male will have been doing since the eggs hatched.

The male usually perches where he can keep guard over the nest. He often calls very softly throughout the day, possibly to reassure the young that their parents are nearby, and also presumably to teach them the typical screech owl call.

Once you’ve seen the young being fed, you can calculate the approximate fledging date. On the night that they are prepared to enter the outside world, they usually all leave in reasonably prompt succession.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• Aug 19, 2025

One of the first plants I cultivated alongside one of my little artificial ponds was the Touch-me-not or Jewelweed.

In nature, it’s found growing in shade by streams and in swamps, so I felt this annual native plant would be a perfect companion for my new pond.

Blooming from about the middle of July into September, Jewelweed produces many orange flowers that dangle like ladies’ earrings. Each flower is shaped like a miniature cornucopia, a receptacle that resembles a curved goat’s horn.

In times of old, a cornucopia was also known as a “horn of plenty”. Signifying abundance, it would be filled to overflowing with fruit and ears of grain. Appropriately enough, the Jewelweed flower blossom could also be known as a horn of plenty, as it contains an abundance of nectar.

Jewelweed blooms are great in the wildlife garden. Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and numerous species of insects visit the orange “jewels” throughout the blooming season, making this a most valuable gem of a plant.

My Jewelweed was so content in its initial location that it bloomed well, attracting many pollinators (the birds and the bees, etc.). The animals fertilized the Jewelweed flowers, which then created an abundance of seeds.

The following year, new plants came up within several feet of the pond, the result of seed dispersal. I didn’t pull out the seeds that germinated (started to grow) in locations that had no competing plants. Some of the plants were in shady places, but many others were in full sun and received at least eight hours of sunlight a day.

When a friend stopped by and saw these Jewelweed seedlings in full sun, he commented with assurance that I might as well pull them out because there was no way that they would ever survive in that much light. Well, I am a natural-born scientist, and I almost always have to find things out for myself. There was no reason for me not to leave the plants alone to see what happened.

And by the way, this is the beauty of growing what so many folks call “weeds.” If you have not spent money on plants, you can afford to be less worried about their welfare. That’s an especially good thing if you are prone to using pesticides at the first sign of plant damage.

I kept an eye on the new Jewelweed plants, fully expecting that my friend was right and they would succumb to the hot sun beating down upon them. Indeed, every day the plants looked horrible as they drooped and sagged in the sunlight. Yet as soon as shade greeted the seedlings, the plants would perk right back up and look none the worse for wear!

This stressful scenario continued day after day, and still the seedlings grew and prospered, reaching their full height of about five feet. They flowered, the birds and the bees (etc.) visited right on schedule, and the following year the march of the Jewelweed across my yard continued.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• July 17 2025

Whether you have farm animals, pets or exotic animals (think llamas and alpacas), or you want to feed our local wildlife, you’ll find a trip to the Farm Choice Country Store well worthwhile.

Located on South High Street in Harrisonburg, it’s a clean and well-maintained supply store for both people and the animals they want to keep healthy.

For someone like me, who enjoys feeding and watching wildlife, the number of products available as you walk inside is fantastic. You have your choice of an incredible number of feeders of all types and a large variety of seeds to choose from. From 25-pound bags of peanuts in the shell for Gray Squirrels to a variety mix of seeds for birds (think sunflower, safflower, millet, milo, niger, and more, all packaged together), as well as nectar mixes and feeders for hummingbirds, you may well have a difficult time limiting yourself to only one or even a few selections.

But this store isn’t only for the birds and squirrels. Cruise around the different departments, and you’ll be astonished to find everything you need to feed well-pet rabbits and domesticated birds, cats, dogs, horses and other farm animals, as well as llamas and alpacas! This store is truly inclusive.

Are you a beginner and need assistance? The owner, Phillip Liskey, is delighted to help you find just what you need. He’s as much “into” helping to make animals “happy” as anyone I’ve ever met and thus is the perfect person to give you advice and solid information so you can do the same.

I spent a good 45 minutes speaking with him, and I was impressed by the number of people who stopped to ask him questions about feeding wildlife during that time. He always knew exactly where the item they were looking for was located and was always happy to bring it out to their vehicle for them, especially if it was a heavy item they needed help with. You couldn’t possibly spend time in a more friendly place!

I was amazed at how small the store is, yet it is so well-stocked. It’s loaded with inventory. Every kind of item you could need to take good care of the critters you care about is there.

And the cleanliness is wonderful. I’ve been to farm stores in other locations, and I can tell you for a fact that they were far from the immaculate place this store is. Spilled seed attracts rats and mice, rodents that exist specifically to “clean up” the environment. But people prefer not to see these critters inside or around buildings.

Mind you, I have nothing against rats or mice, having had both as pets when I was young and knowing they are vital for keeping our world running properly. And if you had a pet rodent, Phillip would know of just the right food to give it for a well-balanced diet.

Visit the Farm Choice Country Store. You’ll love it.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• May 11, 2025

My mother, who is now deceased, was always there for her children. She didn’t excuse or condone anyone’s bad behavior or the poor choices they made in life, but she didn’t nag about it and was always right there to help us when needed.

Her behavior represents to me the true meaning of a mother’s love. You could do something stupid, such as when one of my older brothers totaled his car by speeding and losing control of it (thank goodness he wasn’t seriously injured), but he knew he could call home, and my mother would come to get him and help him deal with the situation.

On this Mother’s Day, I’d like to offer a tribute to all moms, whether human or not. I’ve amassed fascinating accounts of wildlife behavior that I feel can provide valuable, insightful lessons for folks. Herewith, a couple of those accounts that might guide you on your own journey through life.

Tough love

When people have children, they sometimes find it difficult to make responsible adults out of them. When your heart is full of love, it can be emotionally painful to take the steps necessary to, for example, push your children “out of the nest” to make their own way in life.

Yet, practicing “tough love” when necessary to accomplish this goal is vital, as it’s the whole point of parenting. A mama raccoon can illustrate how it’s done and why it’s so essential for her kits (and your children) to “grow up” when the time is right.

Young raccoons are born helpless (like human babies) in spring and are completely dependent upon “mom” for survival (the dads, like some human ones, are absentee fathers not involved in raising their young because, unlike with humans, they needn’t assist). She provides them with warmth, mother’s milk, and protection from harm.

At about three months of age, they begin to be weaned from her milk and to learn crucial survival skills by accompanying her as she travels around seeking food and shelter. It takes many months for the kits to master these activities, but they have grown enough by the following spring to become independent.

However, like some human children, they don’t feel confident enough to leave their mothers. They continue to follow her, but she is pregnant and knows she can’t continue taking care of this older brood and a new one. Consequently, she’s forced to employ tough love. As the kits try to share food or be close to her, she angrily barks or snaps at them.

Yes, you can recognize emotion in animal voices. After all, the mama raccoon needs to make clear that the kits are no longer welcome and must move away. How else can we convey that message other than by using the same emotional tones humans employ?

This heartbreaking scenario is difficult to witness; you feel sorry for the young animals that so obviously do not want to leave their mom. But you know intellectually that those kits are ready to behave as adults, so that life can be perpetuated.

Love in its purest form

While you might feel the mama raccoon in this story is cruel or heartless, I can say I’ve witnessed a mother raccoon exhibiting great patience and love for her baby.

Years ago, I placed a Chimney Swift box on a tall radio tower in my yard. I hoped that this species would use the box for nesting. That situation never happened, but a female raccoon decided one year to use the box as a den for her babies.

One day, I heard a plaintive cry (I have microphones outside my house for research) that indicated an animal in distress. I immediately looked out and saw a small, young raccoon running around in circles at the base of the tower, obviously quite distraught. I realized it must have fallen from the box and felt helpless. I couldn’t possibly catch it nor get it back to the box (about 20 feet off the ground), even if I could!

But not to worry. I noticed the mother raccoon calmly climbing down the tower to retrieve her baby. Just as you see a mother cat do, she picked up the young-un by the scruff of its neck and made the arduous journey back up the tower—a vertical climb made quite difficult by the force of gravity—carrying that baby by her teeth.

It was a stupendous feat, illustrating a mother’s love, devotion, and concern for her offspring. I see my mother in this raccoon’s dedication to her family, as the raccoon seemed to do what she knew had to be done. That’s love in its purest form.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON
• Apr 29, 2025

I receive many catalogs, some of which sell “pest control” products. I dislike seeing the word “pest” used when referring to our wildlife because it evokes negative feelings in people, causing them to think that certain animals are extremely dangerous or useless and that these creatures should be destroyed.

Many folks get angry about wildlife when the real problem is an environmental one that should be solved first or an issue that has resulted because of how someone is doing something.

For example, when folks feed birds, a big difficulty can be keeping squirrels away from the feeders. Gray Squirrels enjoy seeds as much as the many species of birds that come to feeders, and they can be incredibly persistent about getting their share of the seed supply.

Several years ago, products started coming onto the market for treating birdseed with red pepper before placing it out for birds. With names such as “Scoot Squirrel!” and “Prevent,” these products would supposedly make the squirrels’ mouths burn for a while, causing them enough discomfort to avoid your birdseed.

I cringed when I saw these products being pushed even in bird magazines. It was touted as being safe for birds (because the avian creatures supposedly can’t taste it), but I had doubts. Nor did I think it proper for folks to make squirrels suffer, no matter that the pain was only temporary.

My concern for birds is that they will be temporarily blinded if pepper gets into their eyes, and the same goes for squirrels. If you’ve ever gotten red pepper in your eyes (I had when I used red pepper spray to keep a dog from biting me), you will know how painful it is.

Your eyes burn and water for a long time (if I recall correctly, it was more than 30 minutes for my eye to stop burning enough to see out of it). Thus, birds and mammals could suffer severe pain and be incapacitated long enough to get caught by a predator if the red pepper gets from the seeds to their eyes.

This is not improbable because the red-pepper coating could easily get onto feeder surfaces that the animals may touch directly with their eyes. Because a squirrel handles the seeds with its paws that it might then use to wash its face, it could deposit the red pepper into its eyes directly. I implore you to avoid placing such concoctions onto your birdseed.

Years ago, I overcame the “squirrel problem” by putting my feeders on poles with baffles to keep mammals from climbing to the feeders. The poles and trees, shrubs, and tall brush piles were placed at least 8 feet from my house because squirrels can jump horizontally that far from a stable perch.

• By MARLENE A. CONDON For The Daily News-Record
• Mar 17, 2025

French philosopher Henri Bergson is quoted as saying, “The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”

In the case of “invasive” plants, most people’s minds are prepared only to see useless alien plants pushing out native plants and posing a threat to us and our native wildlife.

In other words, having been repeatedly exposed to the misleading invasive-plant narrative recounted day after day on television news and public television programs, as well as in newspaper and magazine articles, people see what they’ve been told to see. But what they think they see is not reality. It’s the mis- and even dis-information with which their minds have been filled. 

Herewith, truisms regarding the wildlife value of so-called invasive plants that only the unbiased eye can see.

• Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus umbellata). This Asian shrub is the most valuable plant for wildlife usage I’ve ever documented, yet it is, perhaps, the most hated of “invasive” plants. Because it’s easily seen filling in old farm fields and highway medians, usually alongside the native Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) — once also despised by farmers — it appears to be overly numerous.

Yet, we should be thankful for this plant. Like the redcedar, it’s a colonizer working to refurbish degraded soil that has been compacted by cows or bulldozers and is nutrient-poor due to loss of topsoil—conditions most native plants find difficult or impossible to grow in. But unlike the native juniper, Autumn Olive feeds a huge variety of wildlife with its buds, blooms, fruits, and even its leaves, thus dispensing vital nutrition throughout the year. By increasing the diversity of plant life in degraded areas, Autumn Olive also increases the diversity of wildlife.

• Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus). Almost equal in value to the Autumn Olive, this Asian shrub also provides a cornucopia of food in the form of buds, blooms, fruits, and stems for an array of wildlife, in addition to nesting sites for birds.

English Ivy (Hedera helix L.) Brought here by early European colonists, English Ivy is a superb vine for assisting pollinators and birds in areas of disrupted soils (old homesteads and more recent developments). It makes flowers in fall when many blooming plants are petering out, and the resulting blue fruits persist into winter. A plant that spreads mainly by vegetative growth is typically found only where people dwelled long ago or, more currently, having been deliberately planted by them.

• Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). Once disparaged as much as Autumn Olive is now, this vine is a wonderful wildlife plant. In this time of climate change, non-native plants are much more reliable in their habits. They can be counted on to assist animals that come out of hibernation or migrate back too early to receive sustenance from still-dormant native plants. Ruby-throated hummingbirds, in particular, benefit from its early blooms, which are loaded with nectar upon their return to our area in April.

• Bradford Pear (Pyrus calleryana). Native to East Asia and spreading for the same reasons other “invasive” plants move away from their original locations. This species grows profusely in the disrupted soils of retired farmland and disturbed areas of old and new developments. The multitude of trees in limited areas— eye-catching in spring due to the white flowers conspicuously covering every bough— draws attention to their presence. Because these wildlife-friendly trees are non-native, folks complain about them, but they shouldn’t. In this time of pollinators struggling to survive, Bradford Pears are a lifeline, supplying a large supply of nectar for bees and numerous other kinds of insects. The fruits are especially important to wintering birds.

• Royal Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa). Originating in Eastern Asia, this large tree was admired just a few decades ago for its unusually large purple flowers that opened in spring. However, with the big push for only native plants to occupy the landscape, people have been cutting down these unique trees. What’s left are empty spaces unable to provide the wealth of food the Paulownias once did. The huge foxglove-shaped blooms hold an abundance of nectar for pollinators and transform into pods of tiny seeds beloved by finches, especially the American Goldfinch and the Purple Finch from farther north.

• Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra). A lovely herbaceous plant that blooms well into fall, even during severe droughts, this invaluable plant is targeted for removal by folks who are against non-native plants and ignorant of their great worth to wildlife. Black Knapweed is one of the few plants our overabundance of deer refrain from eating, even when food is scarce. Without this species of knapweed growing in my yard in 2024, bees, beetles, and butterflies would have died, especially those still active in late fall as the heat of summer endured into fall.

• Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). Once considered the scourge of lawns, this small, yellow-blooming herbaceous plant has practically disappeared from towns and subdivisions, thanks to pesticides. They might also be lost in rural areas, as people have become obsessed with manicuring (sanitizing) the environment. But it should be noted that they feed pollinators, sometimes even on warm winter days when nothing else is blooming and insects are active.

People need to recognize the significant roles “invasive” plants play in our environment.

By MARLENE A. CONDON For The Daily News-Record

March 30, 2025

Before writing this article, I saw yet another discussion on social media about woods being cleared for more development. In Charlottesville and Waynesboro over the past few months, I’ve been stunned by the absolutely enormous areas of red clay made visible by bulldozers pushing down trees and other kinds of plants. And I’ve wondered how, in the face of all this destruction of natural areas, anyone believes the most pressing problem for our wildlife can be “invasive” plants.

This abundance of development makes the biggest problem for the environment completely clear: too many people on the planet — 8.2 billion and increasing every moment.

Although discussing our booming numbers is considered impolite, if not taboo, folks need to be made aware of the ensuing consequences of human overpopulation.

According to WorldAtlas.com (a site that provides content about the environment and other subject matter), human exploitation of resources — e.g., overhunting, overfishing, and poaching endangered species — is responsible for a 37% loss in wildlife biodiversity. Habitat degradation and alteration accounts for a further 31.4% loss, with complete habitat loss being responsible for another 13.4%. These three causes comprise the major reasons for wildlife depletion at almost 82%.

But what is the most publicized explanation for wildlife losses? So-called “invasives”. Yet “invasive” species rank fifth out of the seven major causes of decline in wildlife populations worldwide, accounting for only 5.1% of the loss in biodiversity. As this category includes non-native animals, I suspect that non-native animals are the real problem rather than non-native plants. Non-native animals compete for space (habitat), whereas all plants provide environmental services that assist wildlife. Only in rare instances might alien plants be problematic, such as in wetlands.

Isn’t it time to focus on problems that are far more impactful and solvable than removing “invasive” plants that assist wildlife in surviving in degraded areas? Cats, for example, are estimated to kill 1.3-4.0 billion birds and 6.3 -22.3 billion mammals annually in the United States. 

If people truly care about our wildlife, why has it been impossible to eliminate this longtime threat to our critters? The answer: People are reluctant to take on this battle thanks to vocal proponents of letting both pet and feral cats roam freely.

Whether it’s a private individual who doesn’t want to make his neighbor angry or politicians who worry more about votes than doing what’s right for the greater good (wildlife keeps the environment running properly), people find it easier to kill plants. And, of course, they themselves may even agree with allowing cats outside.

Then, there are many other aspects of human lives that people don’t want to change. Blaming plants you don’t care about might be preferable to shutting off your outdoor lights that, during warm weather, attract insects that should be mating, such as moths that have declined precipitously,

Some folks give little thought to all the animals they kill while driving and thus don’t limit their trips out and about even though they could with better planning. They should also consider the soil and water pollution caused by runoff of the gas and oil that collects on roadways and parking lots.

You might think people would care about the pollution caused by vehicle exhaust, a leading cause of climate change that affects both wildlife and people. You can drive by any public school in your area before classes begin or end and see a long line of cars waiting to get into or out of the school grounds, even though buses drive by or close to these people’s homes twice a day.

Another serious threat to wildlife is the use of pesticides around homes and businesses, not to mention the pesticides employed in the war on so-called invasive plants.

As an individual, you can help stem the loss of wildlife by seriously considering the actions listed above and limiting how much you participate in them. If you truly care about the future of the Earth and our lives on this planet, you should step up to the plate.

Contact local politicians and make them understand the need to pass a law that demands that cats be kept indoors. It should go without saying that anyone who truly cares about these animals wouldn’t want them to be outside in cold weather (they originated in warm-climate areas) and to be exposed to the dangers outside, such as being run over by a vehicle or sickened by disease.

There are many problems, but they are obvious and fixable. We need folks to stop focusing on the 5% (alien plants and animals they see as “weeds” and “vermin,” respectively) and start focusing on the 95% (everything else) that truly damages the environment, leading to a great loss of biodiversity.