Kriselle and I worked together yesterday removing many invasives and finding so many native plants! We're so fortunate to have Kriselle with us as she brings a really good eye for spotting so many different plants. While we often come across natives like sumacs, goldenrods and wood avens, we're still learning about so many others like docks, privets and asters, which I find harder to distinguish and figure out which are native. In addition to the plants, we also spotted a cardinal, a spongy moth caterpillar and another bird we couldn't identify that came right to us. We're very fortunate to be able to enjoy lots of wildlife while we steward.
Overall, I'm noticing so many invasive plants are in lesser abundance. For example, I found only 1 plant, in one patch that had about 60-70% cover in hedge parsley back in 2022. While there's still plenty of DSV to clip, I've noticed the areas we've clipped most frequently have much smaller and less abundant plants.
Last Thursday, Betty Sutherland was the first site this year to be inspected by the City. While I haven't received the official report, City staff were impressed and very encouraging of our efforts. We are hopeful that this collaborative spirit will continue so we can work together to make an even greater impact in the coming years.
Come join us at our next event! Whether you want to learn to ID plants, meet new people, or help increase biodiversity in our ravines, all are welcome to join us!