One homeowner in Virginia shared their story on Reddit in the r/NativePlantGardening subreddit when they faced an uphill battle against a dreaded invasive species: English ivy.
Invasive species are plants or animals that are imported to a new area where they aren’t native. There, they thrive — a little too well. They start to monopolize resources like food and sunlight, sometimes preying on or choking out other species, while multiplying much more quickly than the competition. Suddenly, that one species has taken over, destroying the balance of the ecosystem and driving native species to extinction.
English ivy is a notorious invasive species in the U.S. Because it clings to surfaces, many landscapers use it to decorate walls and fences or create a low, thick ground cover. However, it grows aggressively and can kill off other plants — even full-grown trees if given enough time.
This Redditor was facing that exact problem in their yard. “Spent 66+ hours removing English ivy that had taken over 1/4 acre of my property,” they said.
The photos that accompanied their post told a harrowing tale. In the “before” images, ivy blanketed the slopes of their corner lot, bleeding out onto the road and entangling tree trunks.