Rebekah Neufeld, the acting science manager for the conservancy in Manitoba, explains keeping these invasive species in check is important. Together, the organizations have identified 5 species that are particularly harmful.  They are leafy spurge, spotted knapweed, red bartsia, common tansy and scentless chamomile. She explains these species are among the most significant threats to our biodiversity and they can also have direct economic impacts by affecting land use for agricultural production for example.  She adds they can also affect our waterways and our wetlands so preventing that spread and keeping those areas free of those species is really critical.

Neufeld encourages everyone to check their backyards and gardens for any of these plants and to contact the conservancy through the inaturalist (eye-naturalist) app so they can map the locations where the plants have spread. For more information on invasive plants, go to nature conservancy dot ca.