As you walk around your neighbourhood admiring abundant summer gardens, chances are, some of those plants you’re checking out are actually sneaky invasive species! If left to invade, these invasive species can have significant impacts on human, economic, and environmental health.
You can help protect your neighbourhood by eliminating these invaders!
We’ve put together a handy toolkit to help you get started. Watch the video or scroll down for more information:
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Eliminating invaders is easy!
Just follow these steps:
- Identify the invaders: Squamish, Whistler & Pemberton
- Gather your supplies
- Make a plan
- Report and pull!
Scroll down to learn more, or download the mobile version.
Step 1: Identify the invaders
A. Lions Bay’s Invaders
Yellow Lamium
What it looks like:
- Trailing plant that can also grow over other low-lying plants
- The leaves are oval and variegated, with grey and silver markings
- The stems are square (you’ll feel the edges between your fingers)
- Yellow inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Full shade and moist, rich soils; ravines, greenbelts, forest floor, and parks
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
Himalayan Balsam
What it looks like:
- Exotic-looking with pink, helmet-shaped flowers
- Leaves are egg-shaped and have serrated edges
Where to find it:
- Moist, low-light environments such as shaded riverbanks or ditches
Removal tips:
- Hand-pull. The roots are very shallow, so removal is easy!
Oxeye Daisy
What it looks like:
- Leaves are broad with coarse teeth, unlike other daisies
- Up to 1 m tall
- Grows in dense clumps
- Daisy-like flowers
Where to find it:
- Dry areas like roadsides, pastures, waste areas, grasslands, and forests
Removal tips:
- Remove as much of the root as possible
Common Tansy
What it looks like:
- Button-like, yellow flowers with no rays that grow in dense, flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems
- Fern-like leaves
- This plant can grow up to 1.8m – as tall as a person!
Where to find it:
- Dry areas with full sun and well-drained, fertile soils; or in wet, coastal habitats
- Newly disturbed sites, river banks, riparian habitats and pasture lands
Removal tips:
- Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
English Ivy
What it looks like:
- A climbing vine with purple-green or brown stems
- Dark green leaves that are leathery and waxy to the touch
- Older plants produce small, greenish yellow, inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Disturbed areas, fields, parks, and even on steep slopes and cliffs!
- Ivy’s climbing vines wrap around trees, walls, houses and fences
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
B. Squamish’s Invaders
Yellow Lamium
What it looks like:
- Trailing plant that can also grow over other low-lying plants
- The leaves are oval and variegated, with grey and silver markings
- The stems are square (you’ll feel the edges between your fingers)
- Yellow inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Full shade and moist, rich soils; ravines, greenbelts, forest floor, and parks
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
Himalayan Balsam
What it looks like:
- Exotic-looking with pink, helmet-shaped flowers
- Leaves are egg-shaped and have serrated edges
Where to find it:
- Moist, low-light environments such as shaded riverbanks or ditches
Removal tips:
- Hand-pull. The roots are very shallow, so removal is easy!
Oxeye Daisy
What it looks like:
- Leaves are broad with coarse teeth, unlike other daisies
- Up to 1 m tall
- Grows in dense clumps
- Daisy-like flowers
Where to find it:
- Dry areas like roadsides, pastures, waste areas, grasslands, and forests
Removal tips:
- Remove as much of the root as possible
Common Tansy
What it looks like:
- Button-like, yellow flowers with no rays that grow in dense, flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems
- Fern-like leaves
- This plant can grow up to 1.8m – as tall as a person!
Where to find it:
- Dry areas with full sun and well-drained, fertile soils; or in wet, coastal habitats
- Newly disturbed sites, river banks, riparian habitats and pasture lands
Removal tips:
- Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
English Ivy
What it looks like:
- A climbing vine with purple-green or brown stems
- Dark green leaves that are leathery and waxy to the touch
- Older plants produce small, greenish yellow, inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Disturbed areas, fields, parks, and even on steep slopes and cliffs!
- Ivy’s climbing vines wrap around trees, walls, houses and fences
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
C. Whistler’s Invaders
Yellow Lamium
What it looks like:
- Trailing plant that can also grow over other low-lying plants
- The leaves are oval and variegated, with grey and silver markings
- The stems are square (you’ll feel the edges between your fingers)
- Yellow inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Full shade and moist, rich soils; ravines, greenbelts, forest floor, and parks
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
Common Burdock
What it looks like:
- Large, green, heart-shaped leaves with wavy edges and woolly undersides (it can be confused with rhubarb, which has smooth undersides).
- Its flowers are pink and purple gumball-like globes that turn into bristly burs.
- The burs, which contain seeds, cling onto clothing, equipment, and animals.
Where to find it:
- Common Burdock often grows along roads and trails, in ditches, and in riparian areas.
Removal tips:
Remove the entire root or it will regrow!
Fun fact: These burs were actually the inspiration for Velcro!
Oxeye Daisy
What it looks like:
- Leaves are broad with coarse teeth, unlike other daisies
- Up to 1 m tall
- Grows in dense clumps
- Daisy-like flowers
Where to find it:
- Dry areas like roadsides, pastures, waste areas, grasslands, and forests
Removal tips:
- Remove as much of the root as possible
Common Tansy
What it looks like:
- Button-like, yellow flowers with no rays that grow in dense, flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems
- Fern-like leaves
- This plant can grow up to 1.8m – as tall as a person!
Where to find it:
- Dry areas with full sun and well-drained, fertile soils; or in wet, coastal habitats
- Newly disturbed sites, river banks, riparian habitats and pasture lands
Removal tips:
- Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
Knapweeds
Spotted Knapweed
Diffuse Knapweed (photo by Bryan Kelly-McArthur)
There are 2 types of invasive knapweed: Diffuse Knapweed and Spotted Knapweed.
What they look like:
- Diffuse and Spotted knapweeds look similar and are both invasive. Spotted Knapweed tends to be taller than Diffuse Knapweed.
- Diffuse Knapweed has white or purple flowers.
- The stem has stiff white hairs, and the lower leaves are greyish-green and hairy.
- Spotted Knapweed has purple flowers that grow alone.
- Flowerhead lower leaves have a black tip that gives a “spotted” appearance.
- The leaves are deeply lobed and hairy.
Where to find it
- Open areas such as grasslands, clear cuts, and roadsides
Removal tips:
Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
D. Pemberton’s Invaders
Yellow Lamium
What it looks like:
- Trailing plant that can also grow over other low-lying plants
- The leaves are oval and variegated, with grey and silver markings
- The stems are square (you’ll feel the edges between your fingers)
- Yellow inconspicuous flowers
Where to find it:
- Full shade and moist, rich soils; ravines, greenbelts, forest floor, and parks
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
Knapweeds
Spotted Knapweed
Diffuse Knapweed (photo by Bryan Kelly-McArthur)
There are 2 types of invasive knapweed: Diffuse Knapweed and Spotted Knapweed.
What they look like:
- Diffuse and Spotted knapweeds look similar and are both invasive. Spotted Knapweed tends to be taller than Diffuse Knapweed.
- Diffuse Knapweed has white or purple flowers.
- The stem has stiff white hairs, and the lower leaves are greyish-green and hairy.
- Spotted Knapweed has purple flowers that grow alone.
- Flowerhead lower leaves have a black tip that gives a “spotted” appearance.
- The leaves are deeply lobed and hairy.
Where to find it
- Open areas such as grasslands, clear cuts, and roadsides
Removal tips:
Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
Oxeye Daisy
What it looks like:
- Leaves are broad with coarse teeth, unlike other daisies
- Up to 1 m tall
- Grows in dense clumps
- Daisy-like flowers
Where to find it:
- Dry areas like roadsides, pastures, waste areas, grasslands, and forests
Removal tips:
- Remove as much of the root as possible
Common Tansy
What it looks like:
- Button-like, yellow flowers with no rays that grow in dense, flat-topped clusters at the top of the stems
- Fern-like leaves
- This plant can grow up to 1.8m – as tall as a person!
Where to find it:
- Dry areas with full sun and well-drained, fertile soils; or in wet, coastal habitats
- Newly disturbed sites, river banks, riparian habitats and pasture lands
Removal tips:
- Wear long sleeves and gloves to avoid skin irritation. Pull out as much of the root as possible.
Common Bugloss
What it looks like:
- Long, pointed, and fuzzy leaves
- Immature flowers are reddish and in coiled clusters at the end of the stems
- Mature flowers are bright blue or purple and have distinctive white centers
Where to find it:
- Sunny, dry conditions, in areas such as roadsides, cultivated fields, and pastures.
- Disturbed sites and waste areas where plant competition is low
Removal tips:
- Remove as much of the root as possible
Dalmatian Toadflax
What it looks like:
- Yellow snapdragon-like flowers with a small orange spot on the lower lip
- Heart-shaped leaves
- A milky sap appears when stems or leaves break
Where to find it:
- Sandy or gravely soil on roadsides, railroads, pastures, cultivated fields, and clear cuts.
Removal tips:
- Remove leaves, stems, and roots or it will regrow.
Step 2: Gather your supplies
We recommend that you bring the following supplies with you while removing invasives:
- Gardening gloves
- Garbage bags (invasive plants must be disposed of in a landfill, not organics bins!)
- Comfortable clothes and shoes
- Phone (to reference invasive plant ID cards and take photos to report your findings)
- A detective’s eye (you never know where invasives might be hiding in plain sight!)
Step 3: Make a plan
Before you head out, consider the following:
- Who owns the land? Make sure you are on public land; always seek the landholder’s permission if you are on private property.
- Are you sure it’s an invasive plant? Make sure to confirm the plant is one of the above invasive species before you start pulling it up. The iNaturalist app can also be very helpful!
- How will I dispose of the invasive plant material? In most areas, all invasive plant material must be disposed of at a landfill and NOT in your organics bin. Learn more about disposal recommendations here.
Step 4: Report and pull!
- Report your findings
- Please take photos and send them to us – before and after photos are especially great!
Have fun eliminating invaders!
Download mobile version
These downloadable versions are easier to use on the go. Print them out or download them onto your phone to help you identify invasive species in your neighborhood.
Downloadable versions for Lions Bay are not available at the moment. They will be accessible soon!
Squamish
Whistler
Pemberton
Lions Bay
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Here are some of our most asked questions. Please contact us if you have any other questions!
I can't find any invasive species nearby. Where should I go?
Our Invader Eliminator kit suggests areas where you are likely to find these species, so try going to places that fit the area descriptions in the kit. If you really can’t find any good spots, send us a message at ssisc.ca/contact/ and we may be able to recommend some!
Can I pull any invasive species that I find?
For some invasive species, pulling them up is not an effective control method; some invasive species are even dangerous to humans, so proceed with caution! For these reasons, it’s best to stick with the five species listed in the Invader Eliminator kit. Check out ssisc.ca/invasives/invasive-plants/ to learn more, or contact us!
Whether the species are in the Invader Eliminator kit or not, please report any invasives you find to ssisc.ca/report so our team can track and manage infestations.
Do I have to pull the root out? Can I just cut the plant at its base?
Whenever possible, try to pull out the root in its entirety, as this is the best practice to ensure the plant won’t regrow. Using a shovel or mattock could be helpful.
Some invasive plants can grow back even if their stem is cut, so simply cutting them down is not an effective control method. For example, cutting Common Burdock at the stem encourages it to grow more and branch out. Always pull out as much of the root as you can.
If you are curious about control methods for a particular invasive species, check out ssisc.ca/invasives/invasive-plants/ to learn more.
There are too many invasives for me to remove! What do I do?
Removing a well-established invasive species from a site is a difficult task. You could share the Invader Eliminator kit with your neighbors, friends, or community and ask if they’d like to help you – many hands make light work! Remember to take care of yourself – this isn’t a burden that you should be carrying alone.
Otherwise, please report any invasives you find to ssisc.ca/report so our team can track and manage the infestations.
My community offers curbside pickup for garbage and green waste. Can I use it to dispose of invasive species?
If the invasive plant material you’ve removed fits into your household garbage tote, then yes – it’s fine to dispose of it that way! However, if the plant material is bulky and does not fit, then it’s best to take it to a waste disposal facility yourself. Leaving plant material outside of the appropriate tote may cause it to be improperly disposed of.
Please do NOT put any invasive plant material in the compost tote.
Are you a plant detective?
You can also head outside for an invasive plant scavenger hunt. The Invasives Scavenger Hunt is a great way for children 7-12 to get to know their environment better, sharpen their plant identification skills, and generally have fun playing detectives!
If you are ready to play detective, visit https://ssisc.ca/scavengerhunt
Plant nerds and nature lovers across the Sea to Sky region have been volunteering their time to fight the spread of invasive plants in their neighbourhoods. We thank them for their time and salute their efforts!
For example, the 19 Mile Creek neighbourhood, in Whistler, joined forces to remove Yellow Flag Iris from their property.
Are you participating in a “worker bee” weekend which involves removing invasive plants? We’d love to hear about it! Get in touch so we can support your event, answer your questions and promote your good deeds.
Links
- More activities: