The “All Species Puppet Parade” in Carbondale, Illinois is an annual celebration of the planet’s biodiversity organized by the Beloved Puppetistas collective and directed by artist Cade Bursell. For the past five years on Earth Day, April 22nd, this Southern Illinois town has suddenly become a place to observe rhinoceroses, giraffes, fruit bats, butterflies, whales, wolves, and all other manner of creatures move through the streets in a collective, noisy, and joyous procession. Lovingly hand-built from cardboard, plaster, papier-mâché, and cloth, Carbondalers craft these critters to celebrate the existence of these many species, especially those endangered and at risk of extinction in a world whose land- and waterscapes have become an all-too-humanized “second nature” that leaves less and less room for other ways of life.

It was in this context that Asian Carp—Silvers and Bigheads—showed up to the party in 2019. This species of carp have already been resident in the Carbondale area since the early 1970’s, when they were brought here and pressed into service to eat up the algae fouling catfish aquaculture ponds along the Mississippi. It was only a matter of time before they escaped into the wilds of the river. Its sensitivity, speed, fecundity, large appetite, and lack of natural predators has allowed the fish to flourish and spread throughout the Mississippi watershed—becoming the poster child for invasive species.

This background presented a provocative question: Could Asian Carp be included in an event dedicated to biodiversity, such as the All Species Puppet Parade is? What message does it send to include an invasive species in events oriented toward the protection of endangered species, some of whom face competition and habitat loss from invasives? What business do foreign fish of the Anthropocene’s “second nature” have at such a celebration, given the risk that Asian Carp pose?

At the same time, what does it mean for a parade to be an “all species” parade if some species are excluded simply for doing what any species tries to do—that is, thrive? Asian Carp like the Silver and Bighead didn’t come here, they were brought here, and by every reckoning by wildlife biologists they can never be eradicated;  they are here to stay.

For the organizers of the All Species Puppet Parade, the inclusion of Asian Carp was welcomed because it offered opportunities to examine antagonistic designations, such as “invasive” that are given to animals and plants that have been displaced due to human interventions. With the support and collaboration of the Beloved Puppetistas, we offered an Asian Carp kite making workshop at the Carbondale Community Arts Center to allow everyone to learn more about these fish. Fashioned after the traditional koinobori carp kites of Japan, workshop participants sewed and painted Asian Carp streamers to be part of this year’s parade, reflecting their indisputable part of the ever-emerging ecology of the Midwest. It is a story of the good, the bad, and the ugly, but also a story that will continue to be in the making as these fish—and all the species that connect with them—naturalize to existing and knit new ecologies in the coming decades.