Biologists, ecologists and environmentalists do not shine a light on this bright geranium. The Capital Region and the Invasive Species Council of BC are urging the public to report all outbreaks of this aggressive, invasive member of the geranium family before it destroys the sensitive ecosystems of southern Vancouver Island. “It’s a beautiful little plant, but it’s so aggressive and so successful right now that it can displace all the native species,” said Glenn Harris, senior director of environmental protection at CRD. “We’re starting to see it across the region.” The glossy geranium, popular in Europe and Asia, appeared 10 years ago after it was brought here by nurseries in the contaminated containers of other plants. It has been spotted in Langford, Otter Point, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria and the Gulf Islands, Harris said. There are a few patches in the Lower Mainland. “It’s pretty safe to say it’s spreading fast. We see reports of this everywhere and in many private gardens. That’s why we get attention. Keep your eye out for it. Collect it, haul it and dispose of it properly,” Harris said. Glossy geranium crowds out native vegetation. Left alone, it will take over the understory, the layer of plants and shrubs that grows below a forest canopy, Harris said. “You get a huge carpet of shiny geraniums. It’s so aggressive on anything it competes with down there.” The plants can reproduce five times a year, with seeds that shoot up to six meters without air when the pods are ripe. “It is the rate of change that worries biologists and conservationists. It’s happening too fast and the ecosystem can’t adapt.” Glossy geraniums are really shiny and their stems turn red as they mature, said Harris, who saw them a few days ago in ditches at Goldstream Park. The plant can be confused with pigeon geranium, which has similar leaves, but its leaves and stems are hairy. The leaves of glossy geraniums are softer. Botanist Wylie Thomas manages a federally funded project to protect 16 endangered species at Uplands Park and Cattle Point and more recently at Mary Tod Island and Trafalgar Park, near the Chinese Cemetery. He said the flower meadows are at risk from invasive species and residential development. “And the glossy geranium is a new arrival and seems to like the same habitat,” Thomas said. In March, Thomas found glossy geraniums on King George Terrace, along Foul Bay Road and in Walbran Park in the Gonzales area. “Where we’ve seen it in the South Island, it’s taken up very quickly. It has just arrived in south Oak Bay and I am concerned that the entire natural heritage is at risk. The last thing we want to see is a new invasive weed coming in.” Much municipal funding and volunteer effort has gone into restoring and protecting natural areas in Oak Bay. But it’s also in people’s best interest to get rid of it because it’s taking over gardens, he said. “Shiny geraniums are a good example of an invasive plant where we can make a difference,” said Gail Wallin, executive director of the Invasive Species Council of BC, “Like English ivy and Scots broom, it has been introduced as a garden plant. The public, and gardeners in particular, need to be much more aware and sensitive about what they buy, what they plant and what seeds they trade before they plant them.’ Wallin recommends reporting all instances of glossy geraniums by downloading the Report Invasives BC app or the Report-a-Weed BC app. People can also email CRD at [email protected] to report an outbreak. The CRD has instructions on how to manually remove and prevent the spread of glossy geraniums on its website. The best time to remove glossy geranium is probably April through May, Thomas said. Although they are quite visible now, they are about to sow and shrink. Don’t put it in your compost, all three experts say. CRD warns that the weed should be properly disposed of in thick trash bags labeled “invasive species” at the Hartland Landfill. Oak Bay collected it in double plastic bags and incinerated it, Thomas said. [email protected]
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