Water soldier, an invasive species of aquatic plant, continues to move into the Bay of Quinte.
The plant is native to Europe and northwest Asia and was brought to the region as a decorative pond plant but made its way into the Trent River in 2008.
Sarah Midlane-Jones of the Bay of Quinte Remedial Action Plan (BQRAP) says it’s believed someone dumped the plant near the river’s edge and it began to spread.
With no natural predators, the aggressive plant spread into the Bay of Quinte in 2021.
It can spread by producing offsets or clones, which are similar to those produced by the household spider plant.
Midlane-Jones says the plant looks like an aloe vera plant or the top of a pineapple above the water and can sometimes have white flowers, but when its leaves sink below water it develops thick mats of vegetation to the point where boats have difficulty moving through it.
“And it also can alter water chemistry. The leaves of it are very, very sharp and it can cut. So if somebody’s swimming or something, they can get cut by it, or if you’re even handling it, you can get cut by the plant.”
An herbicide is used to stop the spread of water soldier.
Such treatment has been going on in the Trent River since 2014.
The original population in the Bay of Quinte was treated in 2022 but more has been found along the north shore and further down the bay near Long Reach.
Water soldier. (Photo: www.invasivespeciescentre.ca)
Midlane-Jones says now they are trying to keep ahead of it by identifying populations early and spraying them with the herbicide.
A management plan is under development for the Bay of Quinte population.
A multi-agency working group that includes BQRAP, Lower Trent Conservation, Quinte Conservation, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, Trent University and the Ministries of Natural Resources and Forestry and Environment, Conservation and Parks is looking out for the plant across the region.
But, with the limited manpower and resources available, the public can be the best help in locating the plant.
“Report any sightings of this plant to the Invasive Species Centre. That’s 1-800-563-7711. The more eyes we have looking for this plant, the better.”
You can also visit EDDMapS Ontario, or search for the ‘Invasive Species in Ontario’ project on iNaturalist.org to report a sighting.
Lower Trent Conservation’s Anne Anderson says in recent years the province has taken action on invasive plant and animal species to prevent their spread and negative impact on biodiversity.
The Invasive Species Act which explicitly regulates the prevention and management of invasive species in Ontario was introduced in 2015 and water soldier was one of the first plants placed on the prohibited species list.
