b'CAN YOU IDENTIFY COMMON WEEDS?W hilelearningaboutnativeplants,insects.Butinsectsarehighlyweeds generate billions of dollars ofonequicklyfindstheneedtolearnselective about their host plants andeconomicbenefitforfarmers& more about non-native weed species.havenouseformostnon-natives.ranchers, mostly in the food production Uponlooking,youseethemeveryTheseweedsmayhavepotentialtoofbeefanddairycattle.Coastal day. Weeds can encroach on nativespreadoutofcontrol.Mandatedbybermuda(anAfricangrass)andits plantings,prairies,roadsides,andLegislative House Bill 338, the Texasmanyvarieties,johnsongrass, disturbedplaces.SometimesthisDept of Agriculture was assigned askleingrass,bahiagrass,buffelgrass leads people to believe the plants theythe states authority to classify plantand oldworld bluestems are some of pass by daily are naturally native. speciesasnoxiousorinvasive.themostwidespread.Bermuda AccordingtoUSFederalExecutiveforage grasses are estimated to cover INTRODUCED, ADAPTED, WEEDS Order13112ofFeb.03,1999,8.7 million acres in Texas, not including BecomeawareofthetermsInvasivespeciesmeansanalienall the lawns, city parks & ball fields, introduced, "indigenized", adaptedspecieswhoseintroductiondoesschool & corporate campuses and all orimprovedvarietiesofplants,orislikelytocauseeconomicorthe roadsides. Production potential is flowers and grasses. These words areenvironmentalharmorharmtovalued by Tx A&M Univ. at $120 per oftenusedtodescribealienplantshuman health.acre, or a total $10.44 billion statewide. that may be suited, persist, or thrive inNativebluestemsarevaluedat$10 ourenvironment.TheseplantsmayPerennialwarmseasongrassesareper acre covering 10.8 million acres have no local or natural predators inwidelyusedinlivestockforagefor $108 million; or 10 times less than their new homes. They may not serveproduction.Themajorityofnativealien bermudagrass. Many costs such much, if any, beneficial purpose in thegrasslandsaroundandeastoftheasimpactstowildlifeandpollution ecologicalfoodweb.Thispointis98 th - to the 100 thmeridian (east of Ifrom runoff are being externalized in important,especiallyonthelower35)havebeenconvertedtonon- thesevalues.Bermudagrassand trophiclevelswheretheinsectsnativeintroductionsofimprovedmany other alien pastures have limited reside. All songbirds feed their young pasturesofaliengrasses.ThesevaluetoTexaswildlife.3grandmas 90'