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I’m trying to figure out if our neighborhood’s new community garden is actually helping local wildlife or if we’re accidentally just creating a nice spot for invasive plants to spread. I noticed some birds using it, but also a lot of aggressive non-native species taking over the plots, and I’m not sure how to weigh that balance.

I have watched the plots fill with birds, small thrushes flitting between beds, while the edges creep with a viney non native plant. It feels like a trade off more than a clear win or loss.

From my memory the birds might be using it as a kitchen but the invasive plants could shade out natives and hurt pollinators in the long run.

We started a tiny informal check noting which species we see, what times of day, and which areas are crowded by invasives. Not rigorous but it helped map the problem.

I tried pulling out a patch of a non native plant and noticed the soil loosened and more weeds moved in but I could not keep at it.

One neighbor swears the garden would have died without weekly visits, others worry about a monoculture of one aggressive non native.

Sometimes I wonder if we are solving the wrong problem maybe the bigger issue is habitat fragmentation in the area.

What counts as a win here if birds are present but invasives dominate is that a net gain or not?

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