The Town of The Blue Mountains is advising the public of its annual Wild Chervil Management Strategy.
The town has shifted to a reactive approach to managing wild chervil that will rely on spot spraying and shared stewardship with the public. If residents identify wild chervil within the road allowance fronting their property they are asked to either cut the wild chervil themselves before it goes to seed, or contact the town's operations department to arrange a spot spraying treatment. Residents no longer have to opt out of pesticide spraying.
The pesticide application will be conducted by a licensed technician. Unmaintained sections of the town road allowance will still be sprayed if there is evidence of wild chervil. A map highlighting areas of concern where wild chervil is more likely to be found has been created for the aid of residents and can be found online here.
In addition, a list of frequently asked questions has been posted to the town website here.
The Town of The Blue Mountains is only responsible for rural roads that are within the jurisdiction of the town. All county roads are within the jurisdiction of Grey County, which administers its own noxious weed control program. More information about the county’s program is available here.
Wild chervil is a herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial from the parsley family, introduced to North America from Europe. It was first brought to North America as part of European wildflower seed mix used for plantings along hedgerows and meadows.
This species is short-lived, forming a rosette of only leaves in the first year, then flowering and producing seeds in the second year. As a heavy seed producer, it is easily spread to new locations. Wild chervil has few checks on its population in North America and can quickly take over an area, displacing native species and forming dense stands that are difficult to control.
The town's contractor will utilize a pesticide approved for use and regulated under the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and the Provincial Pesticide Act.
Wild chervil is detrimental to agricultural lands. The town encourages all property owners and residents to actively identify and eliminate wild chervil on their own properties in fields, lawns and gardens to help reduce the spread of this noxious weed.
To assist with identification and elimination options, please visit the invasive species page on the town’s website for more information. More information is also available on the provincial website here.
Wild chervil can be confused with Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota). Wild chervil usually flowers in mid-to-late spring while Queen Anne’s lace flowers later in the season. However, the leaves of wild chervil are more distinctively fernlike in shape. The umbels of Queen Anne’s lace have bracts below them, while the umbels of wild chervil do not have bracts.
