At the end of February, TLC co-hosted an invasive species management workshop and ivy pull at UVic’s Cunningham Woods. TLC partnered with the Environmental Restoration Volunteer Network (ERVN) of UVic, as well as Sammy Kent of Pacific Ecoscapes, a local landscaping company with a passion for sustainable and organic gardening. Sammy understands the battle against invasive species, and provided workshop participants with an easy to understand booklet filled with best management practices for common invasive species.
After explaining some of the do’s and don’ts, Sammy demonstrated proper techniques for effective removal, and then the team got a chance to put that into action by pulling a substantial amount of ivy from the woods! Along the way, the group found a giant mushroom growing from an old cut stump; the species is most likely Ganoderma oregonense, a variant of the medicinal reishi mushroom. The sun shone brightly as the ivy was plucked from the ground, and hummingbirds were heard and seen zipping through the trees.
Cunningham Woods is alive with diversity, and that diversity wiill be further explored this Saturday during the BioBlitz at Cunningham Woods from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Come out, come out wherever you are and celebrate the diversity of the woods with us. Local experts and reference materials will guide us in our identification of species, while coffee/tea and snacks will sustain us. Come on down and see what you can find in the forest.
Photo credits Lindsay Kathrens.
