Canadians keep spotting this invasive shrub everywhere, numbers easing
iNaturalist Community
Invasive Species
If you walk a wooded park edge or trail in Canada this fall, you're probably passing clusters of this shrub whose dark berries and dense thickets choke out native seedlings and shade out the wildflowers that pollinators depend on.
Common buckthorn is a shrub that isn't native to North America and spreads aggressively, crowding out the native plants that belong in forests and hedgerows. This week iNaturalist users across Canada logged 162 sightings of it, making it one of the most-reported plants in the country, even though that's fewer than the 211 logged the week before. Spotting and reporting it on apps like iNaturalist helps land managers track where it's showing up so they can target removal efforts.
Key Findings
162 observations of common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) were logged in Canada over the past 7 days
Observations fell by 49 compared to the previous week's total of 211, a roughly 23% decrease
The species remains among the most frequently observed plants in Canada on iNaturalist this week
chevron_right Technical Summary
Common buckthorn, an invasive shrub, is still one of the most-logged plants on iNaturalist in Canada this week, with 162 sightings, though reports dropped from 211 the week before. The decline is likely tied to the plant's late-season berries becoming less visible as fall advances, not to any reduction in its spread.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) — 162 observations this week
Common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) is a species in the family Rhamnaceae. iNaturalist users recorded 162 observations of it in Canada in the 7 days before today, among the most for any plant the...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
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 ...
Rhamnus cathartica, the European buckthorn, common buckthorn, purging buckthorn, or just buckthorn, is a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Rhamnaceae. It is native to Europe, northwest Africa and western Asia, from the central British Isles south to Morocco, and east to Kyrgyzst...