Reading Time: < 1 minute White cockle has strikingly lovely white flowers and the fuzzy, almost furry opposite leaves give it a distinctive appearance. It is a member of the Pink family — it looks like pinking shears gave the five petals their deep notches. The Pink family includes chickweed and night flowering catchfly — catchfly is often mistaken for […] Read more

This tenacious invader is hard to defeat

There are many reasons to hate this nasty weed
Reading Time: < 1 minute Medusahead rye is a cool-season annual grass that is rapidly invading many northwestern U.S. states. It also has the potential to invade the Canadian Prairies because it can survive very cold winters and thrive in clay soils. Similar in appearance to foxtail barley (although the seed head does not break apart at maturity), medusahead contains […] Read more

Keep watch for this wetland invader
Reading Time: < 1 minute Flowering rush has been spotted in a few locations in Alberta, including an infestation on Lake Isle, located in Lac St. Anne and Parkland counties. Flowering rush is a perennial of freshwater wetlands that is native to Africa, Asia and Europe and was introduced to North America as an ornamental plant species. It is a […] Read more

Weed an enemy of disturbed soils
Noxious Weeds: Scentless chamomile prolific and problematic
Reading Time: < 1 minute Scentless chamomile can be found across the province. Starland County, Parkland County, MD of Lesser Slave River, and Saddle Hills County are just a few of the municipalities with confirmed populations of this plant. Scentless chamomile is a prolific seed producer, with large, healthy plants able to produce up to one million seeds each. Plants […] Read more

Garlic mustard: An odorous invader
Reading Time: < 1 minute So far, garlic mustard has only been reported in Edmonton and St. Albert. While this species has not yet been spotted in agricultural areas, early identification and response is key in preventing the spread of this biennial weed. Garlic mustard has severely invaded forest understoreys in other provinces, as it generally prefers shaded areas and […] Read more

Don’t give this weed the nod
Reading Time: < 1 minute Nodding thistle is found in pockets around the province, but mainly in southern Alberta. This noxious weed is a prolific seed producer — a single flower can produce up to 1,200 seeds and a single plant up to 100,000 seeds. It can be recognized by the solitary large red to purple flowers at the end […] Read more

A highly destructive weed to be feared
Reading Time: < 1 minute Knotweed has been spotted in recent years in Trochu, Sylvan Lake, Leduc, Parkland County, Grande Prairie, Calgary, and Waterton National Park. There has also been a report of visitors to B.C. returning with a clump of roots to transplant into their garden. This prohibited noxious weed is very destructive, and can grow through cracks in […] Read more