Why, here and there, of course! What I mean is that while some of us are native to the United States, some of us are not. Those of us that are native have been living in New England for 4,000 years! However, those of us that are not native are the troublemakers or the nuisances, I'm told. We just view it as putting down roots wherever and whenever we can. Invasive indeed! Hmmph!

As you know, we like to grow in marshy areas. However, as you drive along roads and highways, you'll often see us growing in areas that are slightly wet. We like to take over areas that have been disturbed in some way - by new construction, widening of roads, or some other activity that bothers the wimpier native plants. We take advantage of these "opportunities" - therefore, we are opportunists.

Well, other plants may talk the talk, but they can't walk the walk (or grow the growth, I should say)! We put strong intertwined root systems into the ground, and grow very closely together to great heights to form our pretty clumps - or stands, as we like to call them. I guess our immense size blocks the sun and our roots make it hard for other plants to put down roots of their own. We can't help it if herbivores find us too chewy to eat and animals can't push their way through our stalks to find good shelter