The Doctor Visit

The news from the Doctor was very disturbing. He showed no consideration whatsoever when the graphic photographs were presented before me; they have turned out to be life-changing views to the future of my physical and mental well-being.

I wonder if the Doctor would have recommended counseling in advance, but then I might have decided not to attend a meeting so detrimental of my immediate future. The diagnosis was unexpected but my spontaneous understanding of the condition

It’s non-native in origin - an invasion of a foreign agent. The diagnosis was bad, the prognosis in favor of the “enemy”. The Doctor admitted that even with his extensive education in this specialized field he has no remedies to offer; there is no known way of eradication. I feel defeated had become a personal nemesis.

At the Board of County Commissioners hearing on July 22, guest speaker Dr. Stacy Strickland, Regional Specialized Agent of the Hernando County Extension Service of the University of Florida, gave a ghastly presentation of a non-native plant to Florida, cogon grass. I had in immediate feeling of deja vu and a sense of despair for what this vegetation has wrought on my life these past three years.

Cogon grass is a plant that is considered to be one of the 10 worst weeds in the world, damaging crops and ecosystems, costing billions of dollars in lost harvests. In the U.S., Florida is the epicenter, extending from the Everglades north to South Carolina and west toward Texas. It has been reportedly seen as far north as Oregon on the west coast and West Virginia on the east. Global warming will most likely see further invasions around the world, as it is adaptable to moist types of soil, including wetlands and clay and sandy soils but needs little water to survive.

Although I didn’t know the name of the plant that was shown before me, that off-center vein was a familiar sight to my eyes. As Dr. Strickland proceeded to explain fact about this aggressively invasive grass, which grows anywhere between 2 to 4 feet, I felt a sense hopelessness, already having spent three years of my life repeatedly uprooting and applying vegetation killer in an attempt to rid a section of my backyard of these yellow-green strands of grass.

In one sense, my mind wanted to find comfort with the fact that my efforts were as good as they could get but it was with dismay and distress to know that I will forever spend my days hawking the growth of this weed grass in an area of the backyard where I had successfully grown a patch of ruellia.

Also known as Florida bluebell, Mexican petunia and Purple Showers, but better known to myself as “bluebell”, it too has some commonality with cogon grass – they both are invasive plants with rhizome root systems. This characteristic spreads the plant quicker and farther than by airborne seeds. Small pieces of the plant can be transported on tires or in displaced soil. Just a piece of a stem of either plant will eventually thrive even though they may lay dormant for a period of time.

From one small potted bluebell, I was able to grow an area of about 12’ by 6’ in a matter of three months. Snap off a branch, stick it in dirt, water it a little and healthy sprouts will appear in a two to three weeks.

In my case, the area of coverage was contained to keep the plant from invading the whole back yard although it would be an awesome sight to see a field of these purple flowers in full bloom every morning, beginning to wilt in mid-afternoon and falling off one-by-one by nightfall.

Although I haven’t let the cogon grass get to the stage of blooming, it has white fuzzy-hairy flowers. The leaves are fibrous and razor-edged, which has two affects: inhibits animals from eating the grass and cuts into other plants as its density increases. It not only overtakes native vegetation but also disrupts animal and bird habitats, affecting whole ecosystems.

Cogon grass is native to Southeast Asia, where it has been widely used for thatched roofing, but now is found in most parts of Africa, South America, Central America and the Middle East and stretches from Japan, throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia downunder to Australia. It inhabits and suppresses other plant growth, reduces crop yields and delays harvests on all continents, save Antarctica.

I’m not really concerned about other places around the globe but for as long as I can imagine living in Spring Hill, I shall spend many days unsuccessfully uprooting this grass, with full knowledge that my efforts won't be fruitless in that I will not allow it to overtake those beautiful bluebells.

I shan't blame Dr. Strickland for the aggravation he brought to me when he gave the presentation on cogon grass. I truly appreciate the Doctor's successes to casually share his knowledge, but it’s not just the thought of cogon grass alone but it’s also the sights of Bermuda grass overtaking my yard that haunts the darkened visions behind my closed eyelids.