Dear Editor:

By now, people are noticing the yellow carpet of flowers by the roadside. I gave samples last year to the TNRD, and it was identified as Bur Buttercup. It is a highly invasive and menacing weed that is quickly spreading in our community: to parks, schoolyards, and private property.

It is a menace, because as the flower dries, it turns into a tiny barbed seed that lies on the ground or is blown around by the wind. When it reaches this stage, it cannot be touched or walked on in bare fee or by pets, as it is as sharp as a rose thorn. There can be hundreds of this tiny plant in a square foot.

I do not condone chemical controls, but in this case I don’t see an option. You can hoe it under and smother it with dirt, but it seems impractical when it has spread so far. Unfortunately, it is too late this year to do anything about it except pull the few you find in the garden, if it’s still flowering.

I believe the City, schools, and home owners will have to be vigilant very early next spring (late March) to eradicate this weed before it flowers.

Examine it now while it’s bright yellow, and note the small rosette at the base. All you will see in the spring is a nice green carpet of these small rosettes. 


Good luck to us all!

Ginny Prowal
Merritt, B.C.