Beside the Tianming Lake in Ninghai, the annual fleabane and verbena have been fighting for territory over the past year

This area was originally an idle plot of land, but later, more than 80 acres of verbena were planted, interspersed with rose corridors and windmill trails. 'If you can't go to Provence, come to Ninghai to see the verbena,' they say. Facing that vast dreamlike blue ocean, the people of Ninghai feel a mix of excitement and pride. Nowadays, this place is still a world of flowers and plants, but after a year of no management, the blue ocean of verbena has been 'whitened' by the annual fleabane. The verbena flower sea, or rather, what should now be called the annual fleabane flower sea, is located on the southeast side of Tianming Lake Park and the north side of Roushi Park in Ninghai County. Judging from its appearance, it has become a 'corner forgotten by love'. Everywhere you look, there is the bright annual fleabane. The thin and tall verbena, however, are still desperately holding on to their conquered city. Presumably, some of the seeds that fell last year have broken through the heavy encirclement of the invaders and stubbornly taken root and sprouted. In a sense, these verbena have also become wildflowers. It's uncertain whether their seeds will have the chance to germinate under the feet of the annual fleabane next year. The annual fleabane is native to North America and quietly entered China as an ornamental plant. It was first discovered in Shanghai in 1886 and rapidly spread after 1930, now found throughout China's temperate and subtropical regions. With a spirit of 'daring to lead the way in blooming', they quickly made a foreign land their home. The seeds of the annual fleabane can drift with the wind and grow vigorously in fields, wastelands, parks, and other places. Since it completes its life cycle from germination to withering within a single year, it is thus named. The annual fleabane is good at 'huddling together for warmth' and will ruthlessly suppress the growth of other plants. In August 2014, it was listed as a harmful organism in China's agricultural system. In summer, the annual fleabane blooms with small white flowers, resembling white chrysanthemums, fresh and lovely. When blooming en masse, they are also overwhelmingly beautiful. Many scenes of white flowers covering the hills in films and TV shows are often annual fleabane. 📍Detailed address: Southeast side of Tianming Lake Park, Ninghai County, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province