In the early 20th century, U.S. government scientists and their European colleagues went to great lengths to seek out and bring home from abroad new seeds and cultivars for farms, gardens, and orchards. But in many cases these “plant explorers,” though much vaunted in their day, wound up triggering what we now consider ecological disasters: Some of their discoveries are among the 21st century’s most detested invasive species, joining others that arrived via the pet trade or through the simple carelessness of an earlier era. How did Western attitudes toward imported plants and animals change so completely within a century? The answer is a story of evolving scientific understanding, shifting political winds, and changes in how humans think about nature and our place within it.
Through case studies, historical surveys, exploration of media coverage over the years, and conversations with both experts and the community members who serve as foot soldiers in the war on invasive species, journalist Amy Crawford explores how confronting anxieties about nature and the role of humans in a changing world can place unwanted plants and animals in a new light—and teach us all to be better stewards.
Crawford’s new book, Undesirable: Invasive Species, Humans, and Where We All Belong (Oxford University Press), is available separately for purchase on the registration page. Lecture: $20 Smithsonian Members, $30 nonmembers. https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/programs/invasive-species
