Sassafras - Mount Dandenong Tourist Road
Origin of english ivy
Native to Europe, western Asia, northern Africa and the Azores, Canary and Madeira
islands, in the last 50+ years ivy has naturalized in Canada, the USA, Hawaii, Australia and
New Zealand.
Worldwide, millions of trees and hundreds of forests are infested with ivy, threatening and destroying the habitats of native birds, animals and plants.
A global problem
The problem of invasive ivy is not just a problem for the Dandenong Ranges. It is a problem for all areas in all Australian States and Territories and all countries worldwide. Where ivy has been introduced, spread and left unchecked, it now takes thousands of hours and billions of dollars to remove ivy and keep it under control.
Please view the video below “English Ivy : Managing an Alien Invasive Species” by Ecovision Inc. This excellent video shows the problem within the United States of America. Full of confronting images of ivy invasion, the video also has many useful tips and ideas on how to control and eradicate ivy and the importance of championing local groups to assist to tackle the problem.
Produced by Ecovisions Inc. and directed by Leif Joslyn, English Ivy is the sixth in a series of six videos on invasive alien plants affecting natural areas in the United States.
This Video can be purchased from Ecovision Inc.
The first diagram shows the presence of English Ivy in 2006. The second shows the spread in 2012 to 26 States in just 6 years.
On a visit to Great Britain in 1977, while touring around the country, we observed ivy growing up the trees in the South East section of the country. This ivy appeared on trees close to the road. There was no ivy on trees north or west of that area.
In 2002, 25 years later, ivy had spread throughout the country from south to north, east to west.
Ivy was not considered a problem.
Ivy was not considered invasive.
Ivy was not controlled.
Immortality
Unless there is human intervention, English Ivy can continue to grow for centuries - long after trees have fallen and buildings crumbled.
To cite two classical references, Vincent Van Gogh painted "Tree Trunks with Ivy, an oil on canvas in 1889 and Charles Dickens wrote the poem "The Ivy Green" in the Pickwick Papers between 1836 - 1837.
IVY CAN LIVE FOR CENTURIES