[Herbalist] Re: Imported Species, Redux.

[Wes Will]

At 09:10 AM 8/12/02 -0400, you wrote:

>There go all the wonderful "native" English herbs - they were shipped to
>England from the Mediterranean & Middle East.  According to that logic, ...

The rosemary, creeping thyme, or banana trees are not crowding out any of
the other native (or even other imported) species, nor do they proliferate
unchecked.  They remain controlled, rather than expanding almost
exponentially.

Your logic is unfounded in fact.  Mine is based upon demonstrable data.
Never once have I heard of a surfeit of oregano; no cases of rampaging
rosemary clinging to and killing native hard maples.  English Ivy, on any
other hand, yours or mine, will always do so in this area, unless vigorous
measures are taken to prevent it.  One ivy plant, left alone for 10 years,
will spread and cover and destroy any trees it can find to cling to.

Fire ants do deter snakes.  The deterrence of snakes often leads to an
excess of grasshoppers, mice, voles, moles, rats, and rabbits.  Not to
mention emergency room bills to treat the agony of hundreds of bites/stings
per leg after the "lawn" caves in underneath you.  (I really dislike Texas,
passionately, and partly for that exact reason...)

I'll take the snakes any day.  Snakes are good and quiet neighbours.  There
is a large black snake living not many yards from where I now sit.  She (I
think it's a she) keeps the mole and opossum populations down, as rent for
the small space she occupies and the occasional startle I get when I don't
know she's there.
--
Eoin Caimbeul

Time flies like an arrow.  Fruit flies like a banana.  (Groucho Marx)