#I'm sure sparrows were nesting in the himalayan blackberry

[audible-smiles]

When gardeners get a little too enthusiastic about "native plants good, invasive plants bad", they miss a crucial fact; very few plants have zero value to wildlife. An abandoned urban lot full of invasives still offers some options for shelter, habitat, and food...sure, the species who make best use of them are going to be the resilient generalists quickly adapting to urban life, but it's something. A barren parking lot offers pretty much nothing except human waste scraps.

So when you're managing an area with a large number of invasive plants, you have to keep in mind that in the short-term, you'll actually decrease the complexity of the ecosystem by removing plants. Obviously you're going to make up for it in the long-term with plants better-suited to your region, but some of those will take years to reach maturity. A lot of experienced native plant gardeners will recommend tackling a large space in sections so you don't turn your entire yard into an empty expanse of wood chip mulch all at once.