Kudzu
THE VINE THAT ATE THE SOUTH
BY MADELEINE A.
Why it needs to be stopped
I think the government should spend $1,000,000.00 on kudzu.
Reasons:
- It grows a foot a day in the summer
- It devours cars and buses
- It blocks the sun from trees
- It knocks down power lines and even buildings
Classification
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Rosales
Family:Leguminosae
Subfamily:Papilionoideae
Why Did People Plant So Much?
It was originally from Asia but in the late 1800s the U.S. saw it in a garden show and instantly fell in love. It looks so pretty so people planted it all the time. Some people even payed farmers to plant it all over the ground to stop erosion BIG MISTAKE They even planted it on the sides of buildings. BIGGER MISTAKE
Big mistake
Not even a third of the whole picture
It's to pretty
A close up of a kudzu flower
Huge mistake
How much kudzu can grow
What has it done?
There have been many reports about kudzu covering up vehicles. You might think that it won't happen to you but it will. It is spreading like crazy. It also traps animals which will, maybe in a year OR maybe in a second, ruin the food chain. It could even make an animal extinct no one knows if it will or not but don't just assume it won't happen because if you don't help stop it, it will spread into your home. Don't let it spread into your home, stop kudzu.
What will it do next?
By 2005, there was over 1.5 million acres invaded with kudzu. It can grow a foot a day and can block sunlight from trees. It can knock over power lines and even buildings. People lost their homes to kudzu. It's covered many cars, buses even houses and apartment buildings. Who knows what else it could do? People have to live their lives worrying about kudzu. They can't go two seconds without being worried. Kudzu needs to be stopped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0Nk9EJpQWU&edufilter=ARLZpaF3N2gxOyOCzrvizg&safe=active
Solutions
People tried herbicides, but most people said it didn't end up working and some people said it made it worse. Some people have goats eat it. A lot of people want to find a predator but doing that is very risky because it could make them be an invasive species. People have been chopping parts of and using it to weave baskets, make paper and some people even hay. It could work a little but not enough, even if everyone in the world was always chopping it off it would not be enough. In the summer people even close windows at night so kudzu doesn't grow into their houses, it is hot but worth it to keep kudzu away.
Conclusion
As you can tell, kudzu needs to be stopped. It grows a foot a day in the summer. It blocks sun from trees. It even knocks over power lines and buildings. We need to find a solution before it's to late! If we wait a week, a day, an hour, a minute, even another second, it might be to late. STOP THE MADNESS
stop the madness
Works cited
"Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest." Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"-- Exploring Nature Educational Resource." -- Exploring Nature Educational Resource. N.p., 2013. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Exotic Species: Invaders in Paradise. Brookfield, CT: Twenty-First Century, 1999. Print.
"Harvard Gazette: Kudzu Cuts Alcohol Consumption." Harvard Gazette: Kudzu Cuts Alcohol Consumption. N.p., 19 May 2005. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.