On Saturday, November 6, Free the Fern member, Martin Collins, hosted our monthly Invasive Weed Pull, adjacent to his co-op, Alexander Laidlaw, along the Red Alder Trail.
We had 6 volunteers out to support the removal effort. The focus was on removing the invasive ground cover, Lamium. We began by removing 2 city green bins (240 L) worth of invasives. Volunteers then enjoyed a snack break, with granola bars and juice boxes sponsored by the Independent Grocery. We then worked on replanting the area with 50 native plants. These plants, which included dwarf Oregon grape, sword fern, Douglas Fir, vine maple, and Arbutus, had been funded by both a Neighbourhood Small Grant and our Free the Fern Art for Plants Fundraiser. It was a beautiful day with only a little sprinkling of rain at the end of our planting.
Following the planting, Martin gave us a tour of the area of the Red Alder Trail that he has been stewarding over the past 5 years. He drew our attention to well established native plants, such as thimbleberry, dwarf Oregon grape, and Indian plum (osoberry), in areas that had once been Himalayan blackberry thickets. Martin should be commended for his years of dedication with stewarding the Red Alder trail.
