Hi, nature lovers! Welcome to this week's nature column. This week I wanted to talk about an interesting phenomenon—invasive species. Now, we all know how important it is to protect nature, but sometimes nature can be a danger to itself! Invasive species are plants that come from abroad, spread, and cause harm to local plants. Case in point: the plant Mikania micrantha, also known as the "mile-a-minute weed," which is taking over Taiwan's nature parks. The plant, which originally comes from South America, grows at an incredible speed, hence its nickname. After flowering, the plant also produces a large number of very light seeds that are easily spread by the wind, animals, insects, or humans. In addition, sections of the plant can take root independently, helping it spread over a large area. Mikania micrantha is so unwelcome because as it spreads, it clings to other plants until it covers them completely. This effectively chokes the plants, blocking their sunlight and slowly killing them.
Things have gotten so bad in Taiwan that the government has had to hire volunteers to help clear Mikania micrantha from heavily affected areas. It's strange to think that even though we humans do a lot of damage to the environment, Mother Nature does sometimes shoot herself in the foot as well! Get in touch with your nearest nature park and find out if there's anything you can do to help fight this green cancer!
嗨，各位大自然愛好者！歡迎來到本周的自然專欄。本星期我想討論一個有趣的現象：外來入侵種。現今我們都了解自然保育的重要性，但有時候大自然也會自己引火燒身！「外來入侵種」意即來自外地、蔓延並殘害本地植物的植物種。一個典型的例子就是有「一分鐘一英哩」之稱的「小花蔓澤蘭」，正逐漸佔據台灣的自然公園。 這類植物來自南美洲，因其驚人的滋生速度得其暱稱。開花後，即會產生為數眾多且極輕薄的種子，易藉由風、動物、昆蟲或人類的傳播四處落腳生根。此外，其節跟節之間還能長出不定根，幫助其竄延至更大區域。
小花蔓澤蘭會如此不受歡迎的原因，在於當其蔓延時，會依附其他植物攀爬直到完全覆蓋，有效地將它們勒斃窒息，並阻擋陽光照射，使之緩慢枯萎凋敝。 小花蔓澤蘭在台灣所帶來的危害慘重，政府必須雇請志工於災害嚴重的區域協助清除。說來也怪，即便人類對環境多所破壞，大地之母有時竟然也會「拿石頭砸自己的腳」！快和你家附近的自然公園聯繫，看看能否幫忙戰勝這「綠癌」吧！ | 
