The study by Lavergne and Molofsky examines the evolutionary mechanisms driving the success of the invasive grass *Phalaris arundinacea* L. in North America. The authors focus on the multiple and uncontrolled introductions of genetic material from different European regions, which have reshuffled and recombined continental-scale genetic variation within North American populations. This process has alleviated genetic bottlenecks, increased genetic diversity, and heritable phenotypic variation in invasive populations compared to their native range. The resulting high evolutionary potential allowed for rapid selection of genotypes with higher vegetative colonization ability and phenotypic plasticity, leading to the species' successful range expansion in North American wetlands. The study highlights that repeated introductions of a single species can inadvertently create harmful invaders with high adaptive potential, potentially allowing them to evolve in response to changing climate conditions and have increasing impacts on native communities and ecosystems in the future.The study by Lavergne and Molofsky examines the evolutionary mechanisms driving the success of the invasive grass *Phalaris arundinacea* L. in North America. The authors focus on the multiple and uncontrolled introductions of genetic material from different European regions, which have reshuffled and recombined continental-scale genetic variation within North American populations. This process has alleviated genetic bottlenecks, increased genetic diversity, and heritable phenotypic variation in invasive populations compared to their native range. The resulting high evolutionary potential allowed for rapid selection of genotypes with higher vegetative colonization ability and phenotypic plasticity, leading to the species' successful range expansion in North American wetlands. The study highlights that repeated introductions of a single species can inadvertently create harmful invaders with high adaptive potential, potentially allowing them to evolve in response to changing climate conditions and have increasing impacts on native communities and ecosystems in the future.