[Editorial Note: In an effort to reduce confusion due to common names that vary by country or region, scientific names are included so each plant’s identification is clear.]

Our planet has a large variety of diverse ecosystems. We know where to find a barrier reef, an alpine meadow, or a seaside beach, and we anticipate seeing certain living organisms in each biome. The origin and nature of a species within an ecosystem is distinguished by the terms native, alien, and invasive:

• A species that originated in an area without any human intervention is native to that area.
• A species that has moved from its native environment to another location is alien to its new environment.
• An alien species that harms the environment, the economy, or human health is invasive to its alien environment. The harm caused by invasives can include displacing native species (environmental), causing extensive floods (economy), or carrying infectious vectors (human health). The term environmental weed is often used in place of the word invasive.

On a spring day in May 75km south of Copenhagen in the forest south of Køge, the windy road takes me down a small track, which eventually takes me to a beautiful house in the forest  (this is the place and studio of Mai Hvid Jørgensen, who is a professional willow maker).

When I first heard about the Kids National Basket Weaving Day event, I thought “This is a great idea!” and as I quickly learned, many people also find this new initiative amazing!

Therefore, whether you are signed up to participate or not, it’s worthwhile getting to know about this day (the first time this event will be held is on June 27th 2020).

And what better place to share this information than Weavers around the World. It matches the focus of an international community perfectly and the focus on sharing knowledge is very much aligned with what this website and community is all about.