Developing Phragship

This morning, I toured a couple areas at the RARE Charitable Research Reserve with their lead conservationist, Dr. Mike McTavish, and scientific illustrator Michelle Parsons. Michelle and I were looking to better understand phragmites, an invasive species in Ontario. As it turns out, there are native phrag here too.

I just received a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for a project called Designing More-Than-Human Futures, and the first line of inquiry is to investigate phrag using various means and media, because I want to know what gives it the reputation as a villainous invader in our landscape, and how can I work with this other-than-human in designing a microhabitat that might exonerate it.

I often wonder if the presence of invasive species on the land or in the water is challenging us to think differently about our relationships with nature. What if these invaders are simply signifying a change, and what if they offer gifts? Rather than spending vast amounts of energy to eradicate in invaders, perhaps we can work with them to innovate?

I suspect I can make something new with phrag, and that it has a lot to teach me. After spending the morning with Mike and Michelle, and picking apart some specimens, I have a new respect for this plant. It is formidable, and I don't think it's going away.

Researchers at RARE as experimenting with methods of biocontrol to limit the invader's creep. They are introducing a species of moth that is known to pupate inside the phrag's stem which can eventually kill an individual shoot. This method has the potential to slow down the spreading. I like methods like this, because it encourages relationship and balance, and not fear.

Though phragmites do spread seeds, these aren't very effective. It's the rhizome underground (the roots system that spreads horizontally) that makes these plants so tough to kill. Mike dug up some to show us, and I couldn't believe how tough the rhizome was - hollow, but so hardy. You can splice through it, or mow down the shoots, but like a hydra these rhizomes will send out new shoots and proliferate.

So far, some of the gifts detected are that this plant is really good at holding soil together. It offers habitat to not only small moths and aphids, but birds, turtles and others. We saw deer tracks around the wetland area of the Blair Flats, so I know the deer use the stands as protection from view.

Michelle will be working on some illustrations to help with this developing more-than-human relationship. Scientific illustration is a wonderful method for research-creation, a visual rendering of data collected and storytelling. There will be more to share in the future.