A Civic-minded Bearbnb Host goes BroomBuster!

 Hullo!! It is May which means... it is BroomBusting season!!! Scotch Broom (introduced by some anglo-colonizer in the mid 1800s with 3 (THREE!) measly seeds) is a HIGHLY invasive species that crowds out local plants in our ecosystem. It first arrived on Vancouver Island near Sooke and has basically spread all over the Island and is now on the mainland.

It thrives in sunny locations so think highway right-of-ways, hydro lines and forestry cut blocks... oh, and farmers fields!

And it's not just in BC... it's all the way down to California too, so I'm sure Little Fox has this stuff down there...

It is nasty stuff but... if you Cut Broom in Bloom, you can get the upper hand. And here on the Island, there are many chapters of BroomBusters...

And this year, as a civic-minded Bearbnb Host... I decided to drag my human along on an expedition and cut some broom in bloom!!!

Mama hadn't cut broom before so she joined a group and quickly learned the tricks... cut as low to the soil as possible. Pull the ones that are thinner than a pencil. 

We even got signs, high-vis vests and pruner loppers!

Oh yeah... very satisfying!!!

Later that afternoon, Mama took me out on our own broom-cutting expedition. The group ones tackle some of the really dense and populous stands... but it's always good to catch the colonies early... Have the loppers... have the gloves!

Let's cut!!!! We brought some clippers on our expedition because they are handy for the medium plants...

This is a small colony on the edge of the forest, between the trees and the road... they aren't quite in bloom yet, but we are going to tackle this clump.

The thing when they are in bloom... they are much easier to see!!! When you cut them at this time of the year, all of their energy has gone into producing buds and flowers soooo... they theoretically will give a sad gasp and die. Some will come back but if you stay on top of them for several years... you can make a HUGE difference.

Excellent job!!

Not as big as the massive pile we did with the group but... every little bit helps... We even hit some clearings in the forest that have broom infestations... I think we need a sign too... Sandy's Bearbnb and Broom Buster!!!