Well, I’ve opened a can of worms in trying to raise awareness that the highly invasive shiny geranium is present in the CRD. Judging from the Facebook posts for the various Black Press Media outlets, many people are jumping to the conclusion that they’ve seen this plant or have it on their property, when it’s actually one of the similar-looking geraniums found in this area.
Please refer to the online alert sheet from the Province of B.C., where you’ll learn how to differentiate shiny geranium from the other (merely) weedy look-a-likes. Once you are certain it’s the target species, then report it. This is important. No government agency responsible for monitoring or trying to control the spread of an invasive species has the resources to send staff out on a wild goose chase to investigate inaccurate reports. Believe me, they have much better things to do.
Colleen O’Brien
Saanich
