What makes a plant native or alien? For the longest time, humans have divided the plant world intotwo categories: the native and the non-native. The truth is, plants have moved along with humans.They have migrated with them, they have been transplanted, imported, and cultivated by them. Our landscape is the result of these transmutations. If we are to accept this fact, what happens to the verynotion of pristine “natural” ecosystems, and what do we do with the alien species, these unwanted interlopers?

Invasive and other entanglements explores the complex connections that exist in our disturbed urban landscapes, where native and alien species compete. Far from the idyllic representation of “Mother Nature,” the series takes an unflinching look at the tug of war that is at play.

In an era where issues of national identity and nativism are resurgent, the series provides a rich

metaphor to these human questions within the context of nature, advocating for a more sensible

approach. We are after all inextricably linked to each other and to the natural world. What does it

mean to be “of a place”? And can a species’ geographic origin capture the ethical and ecological

complexities of life on a rapidly changing planet.