I am native to Gulf coasts, the eastern seaboard of the U.S., and the Caribbean. I have made my way to the Pacific Coast along the Washington, Oregon, and California shores. I have also been introduced worldwide for erosion control efforts in Great Britain, France, The Netherlands, New Zealand, and China.

I first "crept" into Washington State in the late 1800s when I was used as packaging material for an oyster shipment from the east coast. In the 1970s, I was actually planted on purpose in marsh restoration projects in California and in Washington.

I'm just a little plant but have a big ability to change a shoreline completely and affect people's lives! My secret tool for ecosystem transformation is my dense root system that can trap mud and build up the level of the land. This changes the wide-open mud flats of the west coast into dense and crowded cordgrass meadows. It may look pretty, but my dense roots and long blades leave little room for mud-flat species like shorebirds and native crabs. I also push out the eelgrass beds that salmon need to grow and develop. I hurt people, too. I make it sooooooo difficult to harvest oysters and clams that people may lose their jobs if the shellfish business slows down. I can even cause flooding! I'm not just a problem on the West coast, either. I'm a global invader! Even people as far away as China are worried about my impacts on their coastal ecosystems, including mangrove forests.

In Willapa Bay, Washington, people are slowly getting rid of me by mowing and by applying chemicals. It seems to be working, but it costs as much at 1.5 million dollars a year! My smaller patches can be controlled by covering me with thick fabric or by using your hands to pull me out, but it often takes years to get rid of me. The best thing to do is keep me from invading in the first place. You can help by telling people about my impacts and how to prevent my spread. People should not ever plant me and boaters can make a difference by cleaning my seeds off their boat hulls.