Not long ago I traveled to a nearby town to do some research for a Tribune article. Before leaving that Iowa locality, a common house fly joined me for the return trip to Albert Lea.

This pesky little rascal flew all around the inside of the car. After all, this was a new and unexpected environment for the insect. I rolled down the front side windows and hoped the cross draft would blow this flying nuisance out of the moving car. However, the dinky scamp must have been resting in the back seat and just didn’t fly out of the car despite my firm invitation. Thus, when I arrived at the Tribune parking lot, the fly (sex unknown) left the car when I opened the door.

One can only speculate as to what the fly’s reaction was regarding a new environment in a new town in a different state.

This particular fly could soon also become a candidate for possible elimination with a handy swatter.

Yet, we all live in a locality with a multitude of transplants. Some are fairly harmless like that little house fly from Iowa. A throng of others have added beauty and prosperity to our region. And a few others are actually harmful to the environment.

Right about here is the logical place for some further explaining. First, let’s deal with the beauty and prosperity aspects.

A good portion of the flowers, shrubs and trees we enjoy seeing actually originated somewhere else. Some of these growing things were brought here by the pioneers. Some others were promoted and sold by area seed, nursery and retail stores through the years. Good examples are certainly grass seeds and pine trees which are not native to this area. And let’s not forget the locally grown vegetables and fruits we all enjoy eating. Those seeds and starter plants and trees originally came from another part of the nation.

One tree some area folks enjoy having in their homes is the Norfolk pine. Now this distinctively different tree didn’t originate in Norfolk, Va., Norfolk, Neb., but on Norfolk Island in the South Pacific Ocean. This somewhat isolated tropical island with a population of about 1,700 people is a part of Australia.

The prosperity factor is based in part on all the farm animals and poultry found on area farms. None of these critters which provide income and enjoyment for these families originated here. Names like Jersey, Dutch belted, Hampshire, Holstein, Duroc, Nubian and even Rhode Island red prove this point.

Then there are the pheasants which are an now a part of area bird or wildlife These colorful birds were originally imported from China by a missionary in 1881 and soon released into the countryside out in west Oregon. From there the birds soon spread out or released into other parts of the nation.

And let’s not overlook the potatoes, wheat (the first major crop), soybeans and corn that are such major parts of the region’s farm crops.

The harmful factors for our environment include buckthorn and purple loosestrife. There other potentially harmful invaders are emerald ash borers, gypsy moths and zebra mussels. Let’s hope that none of those three ever become a part of our area’s environment.

In last Sunday’s Lifestyles section was my article and photos based on six local porches. Those particular porches were selected because of their locations on three busy streets and proximity to Fountain Lake for two in particular. Anyway. I’m fully aware of at least a dozen more outstanding porches in Albert Lea and several in nearby communities, especially two more in Alden.

Ed Shannon’s column has been appearing in the Tribune every Friday since December 1984.