h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

A most interesting and informative contribution (as usual)

I don't remember the year; but many many years ago, SS and I took a motor-home holiday in Wales. Like most of the population, we love ladybirds. However, on this particular holiday, we stopped on the Severn Bridge approach road and were absolutely amazed at the vast numbers of ladybirds (it was like something out of Hitchcock) on the hand-rails of the bridge/on the roadway/absolutely everywhere - you could not put a hand down without touching one - it was simply teeming with them; and for the first time ever, I felt uncomfortable about them - perhaps this was your 1970's outburst WS!

Thanks Scorp,

Yes, it sounds very much like it doesn't it? I don't remember it but perhaps it wasn't everywhere in the country, or perhaps, if it was the 70s I was too busy with elderly parents and young children. The seventies passed me by completely Did I miss anything good

Websailor

Hello Websailor! Great piece of writing. This is an issue about which very few people are aware - the problems caused by creatures that are in the wrong place! Animals or plants introduced by humans into places where they never occurred before, into ecosystems where the other creatures are not adapted to co-exist with them! Here in South Africa we have a big problem with plants. The European colonists brought plants from all over the world and planted them here. Now we have, in many places, these plants growing out of control, displacing our indigenous species. In the Southwestern Cape, Hakeas and Acacias from Australia are crowding out the native fynbos ('fine bush' - a uniquely South African type of vegetation); in the Eastern Cape, Prickly Pear cacti from Mexico are crowding out the natural succulent thickets; in the Natal and the Northern Province, Australian Black Wattles are displacing native forests and grasslands; in many of our rivers and lakes, Water Hyacinths from South America are growing rampantly, choking the waterways and altering the aquatic ecology to the detriment of many native species.

We also have a problem with fish. Many fish species from other places have been released into our waters. They are usually large and aggressive species like trout and large-mouth bass. They have been gobbling up our own native fish species that are mostly smaller and thus very easy prey.

The problem of introduces species is especially huge on islands. On some of the subantarctic islands where we South Africans are involved, there was first a problem with introduced cats. They were introduced to control other introduced species, mice. The cats much more liked to eat the chicks of the many seabirds who nest on those islands and who are thoroughly unacquainted with cats and don't even realise they should flee or try to avoid them. Seabird populations were decimated. At last the authorities stepped in and eradicated the cats. But now the *mice* are eating the seabird chicks! Can you believe that? These little chicks are so totally docile they would not even fight off mice, but allow them to crawl all over them and devour them alive.

There are myriads of similar problems all over the world!

Willem,

We have similar problems here with many species of flora and fauna and unfortunately we are probably realising it too late. The Falklands, Australia and just about every country ha similar problems I think.

It is sad that those introducing plants and animals originally had good intentions, especially with animals etc. for pest control. Little did they realise the havoc they would cause.

Websailor