Japanese Honeysuckle

In the few centuries since man settled in the Delmarva region, many plants have been introduced accidentally or  on purpose.  In wildflower books these are listed as  ‘alien’ or ‘escaped’ plants.  Many of the familiar wildflowers of road sides are not native plants.

In the early to mid-nineteenth century, when the Nassawango Iron Furnace was active and the area around Furnace Town more populated, catalogs advertised seeds of ornamental flowers and medicinal herbs as well as farm crops.  In some cases it is possible to locate long-abandoned home sites from the alien plants grown from those mail-order seeds.

Blue Chickory

In late spring an area of Millville Road near the Furnace branch creek has a bank of pink sweet peas that bear evidence that a home was once nearby.  Periwinkle (vinca) is common  through the forest at the entrance  of  the Nassawango Joe Trail and other areas that once had homesteads.

There are many kinds of clover blooming along the edges of farm fields. The large flowered pink variety was once planted as a forage crop for cows.  Few farmers in the area now keep cows, and many of the fields grow corn or soybeans but the clover still persists.  I often enjoy painting the colorful clover because it is a familiar flower and
always handy.

The  common  roadside daisies that decorate the  area  are  not native,  nor is the blue chicory of late summer.   While most  of these  aliens do no direct damage to the environment, they  often take  over  areas that once supported indigenous plants.  The Japanese Honeysuckle that was a featured ornamental in many catalogs is now a persistent and invasive vine through many parts of the swamp.  Moth  mullein, a tall, white flowering plant, and the familiar yellow mullein are both non-natives.

Queen Anne's Lace

It is often  difficult to identify which are the alien flowers;   Various colors of morning glories abound in farm fields and borders where these alien flowers often climb and tangle along side their native cousin, white hedge bindweed.

Animals that are not native to this area range from  white tailed deer, to honey bees and gypsy moths.  Some immigrants like the gypsy moth or chestnut blight are detrimental  to native plants because they have none of their
traditional predators in their new environment.

Some of the original inhabitants of the area are gone. Black bears,  bobcats, and the native Americans are but a few that  are no longer here. Some species, like the wild turkeys we hear  from the  Paul  Leifer Nature Trail, have been reintroduced  (and  are apparently doing well).

For good or ill, man has forever changed the  character of the native woodlands by introducing alien species or driving  out the  original inhabitants.  We can try to  protect such  native plants  and animals that are left and limit  the  accidental  or purposeful introduction of potentially detrimental aliens.  Modern man is of course, the
ultimate alien here, and those of us who treasure the natural world recognize the fact and try to step lightly on what is left of the wild areas.