Perhaps one of the prettiest invasive species, in the sense that it has beautiful and strong ways of weaving on buildings and trees and fences gives life a greener look.
I’ve always know english ivy to be an invasive species because in my years working in a floral department we were not allowed to carry it in our shop because the owner was passionate about keeping invasive species under control. But it wasn’t until this week I realized what it was doing to our forest environment.
In my EdPHE class we had the opportunity to do outdoor education with a group of volunteers who work in Victoria to help deal with invasive species. We went into Mystic Veil behind UVic and literally pulled english ivy from the ground. It was exhausting work trying to uncover a portion of the forest floor, because the ivy grows in strong thick patches and destroys everything in its path. Peeling it off the trees was the hardest part! (due to their waxy coating)
So when people plant the ivy to cover a house or a yard the ivy mats itself and suffocates the plants underneath, this prevents natural seedling succession, it debilitates trees (ecological) and can actually damage infrastructure (economic). It truly is an engulfing plant that grows rapidly and requires very little care.
This Ivy can even impact your Health: it is toxic to humans when eaten and can cause dermatitis to people with sensitive skin.
As most invasive species in BC English Ivy is native to Europe, specifically northeastern Ireland to southern Scandinavia, and south to Spain. It is also native to western Asia and northern Africa. And as you can almost guess, it was brought here by some settler wanting a landscape that looked like home.
Native Alternatives:
- Salal
- Deer Fern
- Purple Wintercreeper
- Creeping Raspberry
- Privet Honeysuckle
Overall English Ivy is pretty and a good landscape addition, but it got out of control and is suffocating our native plants and we to do what we can to help save our native species.
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