The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth

by Zoë Schlanger

The words we use for invasive species are very often unsubtle in their xenophobia, matching nativist language. We call them “aliens” and drape tropes on them about being unnatural in their abilities, aggressive by nature, like diseases on the land. But what if they’re just more resourceful, more plastic, better at handling change and passing on wisdom to their young? They certainly disturb our landscapes, and supplant species that we have grown to love, in our short evolutionary stint on the planet so far. But we are the youngest brothers of this family of ours. We haven’t been here that long. Change happens, plant communities fluctuate. Of course, there’s a twist. This era is unique in that we are the ones moving plants around the world. We’ve caused—and are still causing!—most of these invasive species to show up in new places, to adapt to new scenarios and locations. We literally bring them there. It’s even stranger to fault a plant for its successes with this fact in mind.