Invasive creeping Jenny spotted in Ottawa-area provincial park
iNaturalist: naomilanglois
Invasive Species
Creeping Jenny can carpet the forest floor of parks you walk through, crowding out native wildflowers like wild ginger and trilliums that local insects and birds depend on.
Creeping Jenny is a low-growing, coin-leafed plant originally from Europe that spreads aggressively in damp, shady spots. A confirmed sighting was logged at Fitzroy Provincial Park outside Ottawa, adding to the record of where this plant is turning up in Canadian natural areas. It's the kind of plant that looks pretty in a garden pond border but escapes easily into nearby parks and stream edges, where it can take over.
Key Findings
Research-grade observation of Lysimachia nummularia confirmed at Fitzroy Provincial Park, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Creeping Jenny is a non-native European species documented as invasive across much of northeastern North America
Observation contributed to the citizen-science iNaturalist database, expanding the known distribution record for this species in Ontario
chevron_right Technical Summary
A research-grade observation of creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) was recorded at Fitzroy Provincial Park near Ottawa, Ontario. This European native is considered invasive in many parts of North America, spreading through moist, shaded habitats and outcompeting native groundcover plants.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) observed in Fitzroy Provincial Park, Ottawa, ON, CA
Research-grade observation of creeping Jenny in Fitzroy Provincial Park, Ottawa, ON, CA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Warming killed underground fungi and pushed meadows toward shrublands
Mountain meadows and wildflower-rich grasslands many people hike through and depend on for clean water and biodiversity are quietly transforming underground ...
Lysimachia nummularia is a species of flowering plant in the primrose family Primulaceae. Its common names include moneywort, creeping jenny, herb twopence and twopenny grass.