Diario de piotr12345

Hello there. I live in southern New Hampshire, where the climate is warm in the summer, and can get cold in the winter (not as much as it used to be, a contribution by climate change). This area has a historical background of being settled by European colonists that changed this area into settled fields in a very short amount of time, and agricultural areas. Lumbering was also a major part of this area, and eventually cut down more than 99% of our forests (less than 0.5%) is old growth.

The human presence also brought exotic plants into our regions. People were fascinated by having plants that their families used to have back where they used to live. It also made your property and house look much better to your neighbors. Some kept erosion at bay. Such were brought pesky weeds such as Oriental Bittersweet, Japanese Knotweed, Glossy Buckthorn, and the list goes on.... for a long time.

Much of this could have been avoided by being more careful to what was being brought. Japanese Knotweed was considered a "vigorous" grower, but in my opinion quite too vigorous. Plants were not tested well in controlled areas back then like now. Oriental Bittersweet reached NH by 1938. It was in the 1970's when the invasive species started to dominate our areas, and many new ones also, thanks to improved transportation and global trade.

I recommend using known native plant species, particularly to New England or the state you live in, not just the country abroad. Certain species from other regions of the same nation can also crowd the native organism, such as the Eastern Cottontail to the New England Cottontail. This way we can reduce the threat of bringing harmful organisms to our ecosystems. Not to mention that pollinators and birds are used to the native food they eat, not something from hundreds of miles away. Just keep this is mind.

Perhaps you have noticed this over the past days, weeks or years as you have been browsing through the iNaturalist website. Since I have joined in mid-February of this year as a user, I have seen it quite a few times, and I am starting to get decently annoyed. It is evident that the classification choice between captive and wild for observations is getting out of control.

Let's break the matter down:

1) Do not blindly mark certain observations as captive/cultivated without looking closely at the photo, or the caption. If it is visibly seen that the organism is planted, or captive (such as a Rugosa Rose in a backyard, or an American Goldfinch in a cage), it is okay and suggested to mark the observations as so. However, if there is doubt towards this, and it is unclear, then it is best to leave the observation as normal, and help make it research grade.

2) Naturalized species are not cultivated: I try to repeat this often, however, it seems most people still are defiant to this. If a plant was originally planted, take Clammy Goosefoot or Dappled Willow, and it grew into the environment, it is wild! Defiance to this by blindly marking the specimen as not wild can cause invasive species to spread better by smaller control and knowledge. It will be more hidden and the public will not notice it as easy. Researchers will consider it a cultivated plant that is just kept for personal preferences. Do not do this, please. It is sabotaging functional information.

I know this is a highly debated topic, but please take this into consideration seriously. It will help make iNaturalist a more accurate database and a better source of accurate information.