Response 2: Putting Weeds Back On My "Good" List

As I read Nancy Gift’s book, A Weed By Any Other Name, whenever I walked down the street or drove on a freeway, I found myself eying the plants. And I wondered what their names were and if Gift wrote about them in her book. Certain weeds I was already familiar with such as Indian paintbrush, thistles, and, of course, dandelions. I have always considered Indian paintbrush to be a pretty and colorful weed, and I can’t say that I have any hard feelings toward dandelions. As a child, I remember making dandelion chains on the playground with my friends.

When Gift explained how she used to play with plants at school—not only dandelions, but plants in general—I could relate. In elementary school, I also had free reign on school grounds where we had open green spaces bordered by trees, rocks and various plants. Although students weren’t allowed to wander off school property, we tested the limits playing beneath the trees with sticks. I do agree with Gift that kids today are missing out if they don’t have the opportunity to interact with weeds. Children are curious beings and nature feeds their imaginations. Yet, if all they have to play with is mulch and man-made structures, how much are they really going to learn about the outdoors?

Even though I spend time outside hiking, gardening and being active in general, I have always treated weeds as a nuisance. I tolerate, even enjoy, flowering weeds because they are attractive. But anything that doesn’t fit in with its surroundings or invades a garden or flower bed automatically makes it to my bad list. Gift, however, raised some interesting points when she described how weeds can also be beneficial: providing food for animals and insects; controlling erosion; offering color during dreary months; and acting as an indicator of soil health. Her book has changed my opinion of weeds, perhaps not permanently but certainly temporarily.

Unfortunately, I thought she seemed too relaxed toward invasive species. On page 165 she admits, “Much of this book is about weeds I love, or love sometimes, and why I think we should tolerate them in our yards.” I applaud her for presenting weeds in an attractive light. Yet, even though she explained that invasive species are a problem, for once I thought she should focus more on the negative than the positive. I once wrote an article about purple loosestrife for my hometown newspaper because a local non-profit environmental organization was releasing the same beetles Gift mentioned on page 163. The purple loosestrife infested area swamps and wetlands, choking out native plants. Although these beetles don’t kill purple loosestrife, they damage it to the point that the plant cannot reproduce. Purple loosestrife is attractive, I’ll admit, but when something attractive has the ability to change the ecology of a wetland, it should be treated as a dangerous weed.

Despite my disappointment in her attitude toward invasive species, I thought Gift did an excellent job highlighting the benefits of weeds while still acknowledging the downsides. She doesn’t glorify weeds to the degree that she treats them as harmless and perfectly acceptable. But she does paint them in a new light so that by the end of her book readers appreciate the raw beauty of nature free of herbicides, and perhaps even welcome the occasional if not regular weed.

Questions for Gift:
1. Were you ever tempted to present certain plants in a different light?
2. Was it difficult to come up with plants to write about for every season? If so, which ones and why?
3. Are there any weeds that are completely useless or harmful. Are there weeds that you truly distaste?