Dana Johnson joined us on a tour of the Kings Community Greenspace alongside Bowker Creek. Dana is working on a Masters degree in ethnobotany. She is also on the Habitat Acquisition Trust (HAT) restoration crew for the last two years. On the tour, we found a massive amount of non-native invasives in the NW corner of the greenspace. Dana sent us this information about what we saw and what online resources she uses to identify plants and her recommendations of what to plant:
If you’re ever unsure of a plant I.D. here’s what to do:
1. iNaturalist app on your phone (or computer)
A Community for Naturalists · iNaturalist – Identifies anything living! Flora, Fauna, Fungi… if you don’t get a 100% positive ID, it certainly helps get you started.
2. To double check, I cross reference the latin name (Genus species) with another database. My #1 favourite is: Eflora BC
E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia
– Tip: Use a search engine instead of typing directly into the Eflora website. It can be a little fussy.
– This is what I would type into the search engine for crows garlic:
“Allium vineales Eflora BC”
– Common names rarely work for Eflora, but for natives and invasives (not always great for non-invasive horticultural species)
– There’s also an Efauna database: E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia
Some non-native / invasive species we saw today:
Periwinkle Vinca spp.
– Common periwinkle – Invasive Species Council of British Columbia
Violet species:
– Wait until you see the flowers, but I think it’s Viola odorata
– Viola Odorata on Eflora BC Atlas Page
Boxleaf honeysuckle: Lonicera ligustrina
– No wonder I thought it was a privet…Ligustrina, is Latin for “privet-like”!
– No Eflora page, but there are horticultural sites with info
Aaron’s beard aka St. John’s Wort
– Hypericum calycinum L.
– St. John’s Wort is common name for different species invasive and native)
– Hypericum calycinum Eflora BC Atlas Page
Spanish bluebells: Hyacinthoides hispanica
– Spanish bluebells BC Atlas Page
– Bluebell Weed Control – How To Control Bluebells In The Garden | Gardening Know How
Allium vineales (see other email)
Crow Garlic Eflora BC Atlas Page
Friends of Beacon Hill Park – Crow Garlic
Native Species present for protecting/pruning/planting around:
Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus
– Great winter forage for birds.
– Easy to grow almost anywhere.
– Spreads fast, which would be great for high traffic areas.
Native Rose Rosa nutkana
-Grows alongside snowberries.
-Spreads fast / high traffic shrub too.
-Easy win for pollinators.
Osoberry /June plum:Oemleria cerasiformis
– Awesome early pollinator
– NOTE: this plant is dioecious aka male and female on different plants. It’s important to plant more than one of both sexes nearby!
Red flowering currant: Ribes sanguineum
– Red Flowering Currant, Ribes sanguineum | Native Plants PNW
– Plant wherever you can! Hummingbirds will thank you. One of the first flowers of spring. These are a #1 favourite for restoration sites.
Red osier dogwood Cornus stolonifera
– LIVE STAKING ON THE BANK OF THE CREEK! YAHOO!
– Live staking some Salix hookeriana (Hooker’s Willow) alongside it too!
Trailing blackberry Rubus ursinus
– https://web.pdx.edu/~maserj/ESR410/rubisursinus.html
– Look into propagating and spreading around under shrubs! I bury parts of it to root and then cut it off / transplant after flowering in the fall.
Bracken Fern Pteridium aquilinum
–Bracken Fern EFlora BC Atlas Page
– Restore that corner of the park where they are before they resprout!
– If they recover well, it’s worth transplanting to somewhere near the water.
It is always best to do a site walk / talk. This was a perfect time of year to go, because you can see all the invasives through the brush, and get an ID of things early in the growing season.
Feel free to copy / send this info to anyone. Whenever I learn something, I always try and share it! It’s the best way to remember.
Cheers,
Dana