08/03/2025
I noticed a large stalk 🌱 with leaves growing out of my flower pot. 🌺 She looked so hardy and tall - out of place among the delicate summer annuals 🌹 and succulents thriving in the summer sun. I puller her strong body from my pot. Research revealed she is an invasive, non-native, w**d in the mid-Atlantic known as Palmer Amaranth. Articles suggested managing her by genocide.
Yet, additional research revealed she is considered a leafy vegetable and cereal for indigenous tribes like the Cocopa, Mojave, Pima, Navajo and Yuma.
This seems ironically metaphorical to questions we contemplate today. What makes one valuable? When does one belong? Where is one permitted to live? Who makes these decisions?