St. Albert residents will rally at Grandin Pond next week to help city crews root out some alien invaders.
The City of St. Albert's first hands-on Weed Warrior event since 2019 will take place July 20. This long-running event has volunteers learn about and pull out invasive weeds from city parks to preserve native plants.
The city cancelled the 2020 Weed Warrior event and held an education-only one last year due to pandemic health restrictions, said city parks supervisor Erin Pickard. Those restrictions are now gone, so this year’s guests can once more get hands-on with weeds.
Guests at this year’s event will learn more about the various invasive plants in St. Albert, including the noxious and prohibited ones the city is required to stamp out under provincial law, Pickard said. Guests can also help crews pull weeds from the upland part of Grandin Pond.
“That particular site has some field scabious in it,” Pickard said, in addition to yellow toadflax, Canada thistle, and bird vetch, all of which crews want gone to make way for native species.
Bird vetch is a pea-like vine found throughout St. Albert, recognizable for its long rows of small purple flowers, Pickard said. While not regulated by the province, bird vetch chokes out native plants, so she encourages residents to pull it out or mow it down on sight.
Yellow toadflax and field scabious are native to Europe and were brought to Alberta as ornamental plants, reports the Alberta Invasive Species Council. Yellow toadflax has dense spikes of flowers that resemble bright yellow snapdragons. Its roots and seeds produce large colonies that crowd out other species. Field scabious has blossoms that resemble balls of blue or purple florets, and can crank out 2,000 seeds per plant. Canada thistle has spiky leaves and flowers that resemble tiny, green pineapples with white or purple hair sticking out the top.
Heavy rains have helped weeds and other plants flourish in St. Albert this summer, Pickard said. She encourages residents to report any invasive plants they spot on city property to public works through the Spruce It Up app or by calling 780-459-1557.
The Weed Warrior event runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Guests should bring close-toed shoes to protect their feet. Gloves will be provided. Visit bit.ly/3ImFZOU to register.
