The headline above, sadly, was not about what I was hoping it would be about. It would have been nice to have cannibalistic bloodthirsty Martian begonias running rampant, with their ray guns zapping away our Earth species. Alas, the article with that headline is from the Surrey Now. They meant invasive species, that other word for non-local plants that thrive in the local environment, free of obstacles, disease, and herbivores that like them.

The current craze for uprooting these green invaders can be witnessed in any Lower Mainland newspaper. Every few weeks, you can read about picking off our nasty Himalayan blackberries and English ivy, about groups of concerned citizens who gather in parks to physically pull them out.

It’s a far cry from 1994, when, on the advice of Port Moody City Hall, my parents planted English ivy in their backyard to hide a few wood beams straddling a building. This winter, we tore it all off.