Re: A slow, steady battle against invaders (News, July 19)
I would like to acknowledge and thank all of the volunteers and Saanich staff who work to “stem the tide” of invasive plant species in our parks.
Despite the generous efforts of many, it needs to be dealt with at its source, namely residents’ backyards and gardens which contain the seed source of many invasive species such as English ivy, English holly, spurge laurel, English hawthorne and Himalayan blackberry.
The berries of these invasive species are eaten by birds and distributed into our parks and natural areas.
We can all contribute to reducing the presence of invasive species by learning about them and removing them from our gardens.
Saanich has a very good brochure on-line called “Controlling Invasive Species on Your Property.” Without stopping the source of invasive plant seeds, there will continue to be invasive species in our parks and native species will struggle to grow in the understory.
Lora Lea
Saanich