When I were a lad, rosebay willow-herb was remarked upon as an alien species which had taken advantage of the age of railway-building to spread throughout Great Britain. Buddleia is another exotic which spread through rather more malign human action as it colonised bombsites. However, Jonathan Calder is struck by its sudden proliferation long after the end of 'World War Two. Perhaps it is related to the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere (a RSPB rep claimed that brambles thrived on increased CO2, but perhaps he was biased). Another possibility is that mutation enabled buddleia to take advantage of many other nooks and crannies.
Another invader described in some quarters as a pernicious weed is Himalayan balsam, commonly found near waterways. Personally, I find it attractive This is a patch snapped on a walk by the Tennant Canal yesterday.
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