Protecting our natural spaces is an ongoing practice of attention, requiring an understanding of how our choices shape the world. We are reminded of this as National Invasive Species Awareness Week (NISAW) comes to a close. From February 23 to March 1, many organizations across North America spread the word about the importance of learning more about invasive species.
You can read more about NISAW by clicking here.
Being curious and questioning anything unusual on your property is a great way to maintain this awareness year-round and catch invasive species early. A recent article from an Ontario gardener demonstrated this point well. To read the article, click here.
While all the species in the article are ones to keep an eye out for, the spotted lanternfly does not have any confirmed established populations in Canada. The Okanagan-Similkameen is at high risk for invasion from this insect. This is due to our expansive grape growing industry and the increasing spread of invasive tree of heaven, the preferred host plant for spotted lanternfly.
If you see a spotted lanternfly, report it to the Canada Food Inspection Agency here.
For more information on spotted lanternfly, click here.
For more information on tree of heaven, click here.