Nature & You: Non-native kudzu vine scourge of the South

In the current throes of this virus pandemic, I feel at liberty to regale you with tales of my own bout with illness. My particular ailment, however, was of a much milder variety. “Cabin fever” was the malady with which I had to deal. The no-nonsense prescription for just such a predicament is a mini-vacation road trip. I was lured in by the siren song of the Arkansas State Parks radio promo spots. I jumped in my truck and pointed its nose east. My destination was the forested hill country of our sister state to the east.

Now, I know full well that the intention of those Arkansas State Parks radio advertisements was to regale me with the bountiful natural beauty that calls that state home. Nevertheless, it was just downright impossible for me to ignore the sight of the green monster that lurked outside my truck’s side window as I drove down the Arkansas backroads. It was a jaw-dropping sight. This green behemoth was devouring wide swaths of the forested hillside.

True to Japan’s legacy of delivering movie matinee monsters such as Godzilla and the like, this green monster alongside the Arkansas roadside was also a product of that island nation. It is a non-native plant with the romantic-tinged name of kudzu. Don’t get me wrong, however; there is nothing whimsical about this noxious newcomer. This verdant green vine has an enormous appetite. It loves the sun, and it absolutely detests any other plant that exhibits the temerity to get in its way. Kudzu muscles its way up into the crown of the forests and commandeers all of the life-giving sunshine. The forest ecosystem is reduced to a dead/skeletal maze that holds the kudzu vines aloft. It is just downright obnoxious behavior that is being displayed by this interloper from across the sea.

Space limitations do not permit me to wax on about the myriad sources of information on the World Wide Web that graphically show you the catastrophic damage this invasive weed has wrought. I would encourage you, however, to use your internet search engine to show you the many examples of photographic documentation on how this weed has ravaged a once-beautiful forest landscape.

Godzilla, I laugh at the threat of your puny roar.

Kudzu, I shrink at your display of aggression.

Neil Garrison was the longtime naturalist at a central Oklahoma nature center. His email is atlatlgarrison@hotmail.com.