MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2019

28 ML BLUE SPRING 2019 words :: Bobby Hristova Although dog-strangling vine doesn’t strangle dogs, the nickname is no mistake. It’s one of almost 500 invasive species impacting Canada’s native ecosystems, prompting scientists to get creative. “Scientists get people interested in the problem by giving invasive species really terrifying names, which is what happened with dog-strangling vine,” says Darwin Sodhi, an invasive species researcher in Toronto. Invasive species are a multi-billion-dollar problem. They sink land value and shrink resources and hurt natural habitats. Dog-strangling vine does this by wrapping around plants, not dogs, until they’re smothered. Thanks to some slick scientists, there are more species with hair-raising names: Bloody-red mysid (a crustacean). Koster’s curse (a perennial shrub). Creeping oxeye (a type of daisy). Others aren’t as ghastly: Rock snot (an algae). Old man’s beard (a shrub). Pink lady’s thumb (a herb). Stuart Livingstone, an invasion ecologist and course instructor at the University of Toronto, says these names—dog-strangling vine in particular—aren’t always helpful. “Americans refer to it by the common name, pale swallowwort, so scholars will come to Canada and not recognize the name,” he says. “We need to engage with the public to make them aware of these things, but we need consistency in the science community.” While scientists sit in their labs and spitball nicknames, others are taking the fight further. Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry launched a campaign a few years ago to raise awareness about the problem, complete with posters of giant carp attacking Tilley-hat wearing paddlers on a Canadian lake. The initiative focused on outdoor enthusiasts like boaters, hunters, hikers, campers and cottagers. Jolanta Kowalski, senior media relations officer of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, says their ENVIRO UNNATURAL NATURE Why scientists give invasive species scary names Dog-strangling vine attacks! ILLUSTRATION BY DAVE BARNES