March Wrap-Up

In the month of March, the I Spy and Identify Invasives project made 6,251 observations of 1,212 species! We had 150 different people observe and report native and invasive species across Canada and our network grew by 45 new individuals. You can tell spring is arriving as we have roughly doubled our observations and observers from February!

This included 716 observations of 182 different introduced or invasive species. Three invasive species reports from March 2022 include:

• A Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolate) observation in Victoria, BC by @bcbirder. Garlic mustard was one of our target species for March due to its early spring growth. It will grow and monopolize an area before native Canadian species kickstart their growing season!
• Reports from a coastal Black knapweed (Centaurea nigra) site in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia by @jollygoodyellow. Canada has several invasive knapweed species, and they can inhibit native plant growth by altering soil chemistry through secreting toxic compounds.
• An American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) sighting in Abbotsford, BC by @rthomas10. They are one of the largest frogs found in Canada with an appetite to match! They alter food webs in freshwater ecosystems by eating our native frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, and insects.

Two species at risk reports from March include

• A Winter skate (Leucoraja ocellata) was observed in Nova Scotia by @angelamac. This marine species is currently assessed as endangered due to its declining population.
• A Western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) sighting in Vernon, BC by @stjayaaa. The Intermountain – Rocky Mountain population of Painted turtles are currently assessed as special concern, with aquatic invasive species such as the American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) or Red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) outcompeting or directly predating on this vulnerable native species.

Thank you for your iNaturalist observations and reports! Let’s look for aquatic invasive species in the month of April in your local lakes, rivers and oceans. Eurasian water milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum), Common reed (Phragmites australis) and Yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltate) are aquatic invasives found across Canada that can dramatically alter how our water ecosystems function!

Publicado el 11 de abril de 2022 a las 05:30 PM por invasive_species_council_of_bc