robertbenton
Kudzu
This was found in the back yard of an AirBNB in Asheville North Carolina in late January. From what I can tell online, this is either a type of Kudzu, or is English Ivy. In either case, the ecological concept is the same. The plant grows relatively large, canopy like leaves a few inches above the ground that block most of the light from getting to the plants beneath, which has created a microclimate. The average temperature, humidity, light accessibility, and wind speeds are likely to differ in this microclimate from the climate of Western Carolina, allowing different kinds of organisms to flourish that would not be able to otherwise.
If the plant is in fact Kudzu, it is considered an invasive species because it can actually grow with such speed and ferocity as to kill off the natural vegetation in an area, which can drastically affect the ecological balance in an area. This plant, if it is Kudzu, seems to be maintained by the landscaper to prevent dangerous spreading.
Kudzu
This was found in the back yard of an AirBNB in Asheville North Carolina in late January. From what I can tell online, this is either a type of Kudzu, or is English Ivy. In either case, the ecological concept is the same. The plant grows relatively large, canopy like leaves a few inches above the ground that block most of the light from getting to the plants beneath, which has created a microclimate. The average temperature, humidity, light accessibility, and wind speeds are likely to differ in this microclimate from the climate of Western Carolina, allowing different kinds of organisms to flourish that would not be able to otherwise.
If the plant is in fact Kudzu, it is considered an invasive species because it can actually grow with such speed and ferocity as to kill off the natural vegetation in an area, which can drastically affect the ecological balance in an area. This plant, if it is Kudzu, seems to be maintained by the landscaper to prevent dangerous spreading.