Well, we’ve often discussed the invasive plants of Gabriola on this blog, and here’s an opportunity for some inventive soul: Invent a ray gun to kill weeds. No, I’m not kidding! The US Air Force has a Request for Proposals out there, right now, for someone to do this. The Air Force is requesting proposals/research [...]
Filed in invasive plants 7 Comments so far
A couple of years ago I found a whole bunch of Cinnabar moth caterpillars on Gabriola. They were eating the tansy ragwort, and I noticed them in several locations. This year I haven’t seen any of these caterpillars. Have you?
Filed in Gabriola Island,insects,invasive plants 6 Comments so far
A few days ago I found one burdock plant. After Karen and skadhu identified it, I figured I should go back and get rid of the plant, since it’s a nasty invasive thing. I set off with the proper Instruments of Death, and figured I’d have the problem dealt with in a few minutes. Was [...]
Well, it’s a mystery to me, and maybe you’ve wondered about it, too. This plant is growing at the side of North Road, and it doesn’t look like any of the Gabriola native plants I’ve met. Do you know what this thing is? It’s about four feet tall.
The Himilayan Blackberry features huge, vigorous vines (and yummy berries). It grows in profusion on many parts of Gabriola and throughout southwestern BC. It’s not a native plant, so how’d it get here? An article by Arthur Lee Jacobson explains:
Filed in Gabriola Island,history,invasive plants One Response so far
Dear people at the Gabriola Office of the Islands Trust, The Islands Trust mandate is to preserve and protect the area and its environment, and I like that just fine. But today it seems that you’re stumbling a bit when it comes to preserving and protecting your land on North Road. You know that Gabriola [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants,Islands Trust 17 Comments so far
A few years ago at the Gabriola Farmers Market, a local gardener/plant vendor lady was selling broom seedlings. I know, I know. Isn’t broom Gabriola’s insanely invasive plant problem? But these were pink broom, she explained. Very pretty, and totally non invasive. Fast forward to now. Do you ever walk past the Islands Trust office [...]
If you’ve hiked in Gabriola’s 707 Acre Wood, you’ll have seen them: piles of logging debris like this. They’re all over the place. What should be done with them, or should they just be left to slowly rot away? I seem to remember hearing that these piles might be removed, possibly so that there’d be [...]
Hearing stories about beavers on Gabriola has increased my interest in these animals, so I read up on them now and again. And look what the Globe and Mail has published: Beavering away to save a lake. It’s the story of Beaver Lake in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, the effects that humans have had on the [...]
Filed in environment,Gabriola Island,invasive plants,wildlife Comments Off
What sort of invasive flora and fauna do we have on and around Gabriola? And should we eat these things to help get rid of them? The New York Times published an article on eating invasives: A Diet for an Invaded Planet: Invasive Species. (Link removed as article is no longer available.) Closer to home, [...]
Filed in food,Gabriola Island,invasive plants 5 Comments so far
In the 707, oxeye daisies are pretty much done for the year. But ah, look at those seeds!
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants,photos Comments Off
Tansy ragwort is a huge problem on Gabriola. If you’ve got some of this invasive plant on your property or on the road outside your house, pull it out! Here, the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands’ tansy ragwort page explains that this plant is poisonous: Tansy ragwort contains at least six pyrrolizidine alkaloids which [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants One Response so far
Apparently the sweet peas one sees here and there on Gabriola are perennial sweet peas, Lathyrus latifolius. I don’t see much of these on the island – do you? This plant is apparently an invasive sweet pea, though it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem here. This flower was on North Road at [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants One Response so far
I’m still thinking about ox-eye daisies. And that the best way to prevent them over-running native species would be to find a use for them. And then I found this document about the economic potential of ox-eye daisy (.pdf) They say: Young ox-eye leaves are delicious in salads or cooked with side vegetables. Its perfume [...]
Filed in food,Gabriola Island,invasive plants 2 Comments so far
After last month’s discussions about oxeye daisy I started looking around for the official list of plant pests in BC — every province has one. So here it is, and even includes a handy field guide to help you determine if that pretty plant taking over your yard is a native species or an out-of-control [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants Comments Off
I often see equestrians on Gabriola trails, particularly in the part of the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve that’s near Windecker, and in the 707 Acre Community Park. I like horses and they (both horses and riders) always seem to be friendly and polite, so this is fine by me. But are horses OK for Gabriola’s [...]
Filed in Gabriola Island,invasive plants,RDN 9 Comments so far
If Gabriola’s wild daisies do your heart good, this is the time to go visit all those untended areas where grass grows tall in the summer-time. These daisies are at the Gabriola Commons. There are bound to be millions in bloom in the 707 Acre Woods, too. I’m very fond of these flowers. The bad [...]
Did you know that Gabriola’s holly trees – well, some of them, anyway – have flowers at this time of year? I hadn’t a clue, and am feeling a bit sheepish about that now. (Although it is hard to know what’s up with the holly trees, because I pass one that always seems to have [...]
Filed in insects,invasive plants,trails 7 Comments so far
