Double trouble
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (388255)
Rockingham, Australia
September 15, 2026 9:49pm CST
Yesterday we went looking for wildflowers at Whiteman Park. We saw very few but that’s okay. We’ll have plenty more opportunities.
I took this photo of two introduced plants which have created a lot of headaches throughout much of our farming lands. The white flower is an arum lily, often used in bridal bouquets and also see in funeral wreaths. It has spread down water courses and is a curse now. All parts of the flower are poisonous.
The pink flower is known as Paterson’s Curse or Salvation Jane (Echium plantagineum). It is very competitive and quickly takes over from other grasses. It is poisonous to grazing livestock.
Australia has a number of introduced weeds, not to mention creatures. I’m sure other countries do too. Do you know of any?
11 people like this
11 responses
@Ineeddentures (44594)
•
10h
Creatures
Yes Scotland has them that have been introduced
Grey Squirrels, they kill the native Red Squirrels
Not good Judy
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (46658)
• Denver, Colorado
11h
We have some sort of invasive beetle here in Colorado that's wreaking havoc with all of the trees in the mountains. I forget what they call it. They've been a problem for years, considering all of the wildfires we get.
1 person likes this
@LooeyVille (58)
• United States
11h
Why did people introduce Australia to weeds?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (508822)
• Italy
5h
I like the arum lily, but as all lilies I know it's poisonous.
We have plenty of introduced creatures and not all are welcome. The Louisiana crayfish and the zebra mussel have been introduced into Italian rivers, disrupting local ecosystems and killing native species. There are many more.
@wolfgirl569 (140509)
• Marion, Ohio
40m
They are pretty. But should not be there. I know Florida has a lot of introduced animals
