Domestication of poison ivy

[Ed Falk]

In article <1992Nov13.152842.5843 at infonode.ingr.com> jimreed at b23b.b23b.ingr.com writes:
>In article <BxMIuM.Moq at news.cso.uiuc.edu>, cl27111 at uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Christopher  Lindsey) writes:
>|> 	This brings up the interesting issue of ethics in gardening.  Is it
>|> ethical for people to plant species that may damage native habitats (i.e.
>|> kudzu, Purple loosestrife) if they find it attractive?  Is it ethical to
>|> plant harmful plants that have the ability to spread off of your own
>|> property, such as Poison ivy?
>|> ...
>|> Just thought I'd bring that up...  :)
>
>Personally, I'd call the topic of ethics in gardening odd rather than
>interesting (or perhaps interesting because it's odd).  But anyway,
>let me extend your questions.
>
>Is it ethical for people to kill native plants if they find them
>unattractive?  Is it ethical to kill harmful plants that have sprung
>up volunteer?

Yes, and yes; because you're limiting the damage to the area where you
kill the plants.  (Unless, of course, you're killing endangered species.)

If you import noxious non-natives; it's almost a certainty that the
damage will spread.  See kudzu in the south, killer bees in South
America, rabbits in Australia, snails in Northern CA for examples.

		-ed falk, sun microsystems
		 sun!falk, falk at sun.com
To be loyal to rags, to shout for rags, to worship rags, to die for rags 
-- that is a loyalty of unreason, it is pure animal (Mark Twain).