There's an invasive species causing problems for farmers and their crops throughout the country, but it could easily be mistaken for a flower to the unknowing eye.
Leafy Spurge runs rampant when proper measures aren't taken to contain it. It's long green stem and yellow flowers might look appealing from afar, but getting too cozy could result in serious inflammation and irritation.
The stems of the Leafy Spurge contain a milky liquid, similar to what would be found in a dandelion. If it makes contact with skin, specifically a sensitive part like the eyes or mouth, it can have a similar effect as poison ivy.
"It's a very obnoxious weed, it's very pernicious and very hard to dig up," said Robert Wood, a retired opthamologist.
He's dealt with a case of Leafy Spurge injury. He said what can happen is people are digging up weeds, not knowing the difference between Leafy Spurge and a regular weed, and go to wipe their face and end up coming in contact with the milky liquid.
As far as the rest of the weed goes, he doesn't know of problems with brushing up on the stem or flowers.
"That milky stuff is the stuff you don't want to get on your face," Wood said.
The effect the weed can have on humans isn't the biggest concern, the real problem lies with the issues it creates with crops and livestock. Also, containing the spreading can prove extremely problematic.
Dave Whitehead, manager of the Northwest Weed Management Area, knows this better than anyone. Since 2008 he's been involved with trying to keep Leafy Spurge under control in the Battlefords and surrounding area. It's so difficult to destroy it because its deep roots make it virtually impossible to dig up. He typically recommends municipalities work to contain it to the areas it's already in.
What often leads to the spreading of it is unknowingly mowing it and then moving on to a patch of land without Leafy Spurge infestation, then spreading the seed to a new area. Whitehead said farmers and municipalities need to mow the spurge patches individually and clean off their mowers before going over a non-infested area. There is special equipment that can help limit the unintentional spreading of Leafy Spurge seeds. One is called a sickle mower. Similar to a reciprocating saw, a sickle mower has a blade with triangular teeth that moves back and forth and a plastic guard to keep the seed from going everywhere. By simply brushing the blade off after mowing an area with Leafy Spurge, it would be safe to mow regular grass without spreading unwanted seeds.
Using that kind of mowing technique twice every year would be sufficient to keep the pesky weed in check.
"You're not going to kill it out, because it's tough, but you could prevent spread without having to resort to herbicide in that year," said Whitehead.
There are some natural methods to prevent Leafy Spurge from taking over, too. Sheep will eat the weed, unlike humans or livestock, Leafy Spurge doesn't irritate a sheep's mouth. It would contain the weed, but it wouldn't be realistic in keeping Leafy Spurge under control on the sides of highways.
More realistically, and the way Whitehead and the weed management area plan to address the problem, is the use of beetles. Releasing beetles to a spurge-infested area can slow down the growth because they like to eat it. The beetles are quite slow, so it wouldn't do much in the way of reducing the amount of weeds already in the area. Leafy Spurge is the beetle's food, so they won't completely rid an area of it, but it's a realistic and natural way to contain the spreading.
"They have the potential to reduce the Leafy Spurge to a background weed," Whitehead said.
The University of Lethbridge has been researching how viable of an option the beetles are in combating the problem. One aspect they have to make sure of is that the beetles only eat the Leafy Spurge and don't eat away at the other growth in the area, which wouldn't be much help in a farmer's field.
The impact the weed can have on humans, while irritating, isn't overly common. Wood said he's only seen one bad case in his time as an eye doctor. Leafy Spurge's true impact comes in its effect on livestock. Cows can't eat it, much like humans, so if it begins taking over a pasture that means less food and roaming area for cows and calves.
"In an area where there might be lots of grass land available, but if it's infested by Leafy Spurge, to that person that wants to have a cow-calf operation it's really not saleable," Whitehead said.
Farms that are cultivated consistently wouldn't have a problem with Leafy Spurge, and might not even know it's present on the land. Where it usually pops up is farm land that's been ignored for a couple years because the seeds are there, but while the cultivation was ongoing the spurge didn't have a chance to grow.
It's extremely common in the Battlefords. When going over the Battlefords Bridge there are noticeable fields of yellow, it's a nice sight, but the fields are actually ridden with Leafy Spurge.
Whitehead's seen first-hand examples of the incredible rate of spreading. In 2009, he was driving down Highway 16 and noticed a patch of Leafy Spurge near a farm. He said it was about 600 to 800 square feet at the time. Three years later, in 2012, he went back and the patches totalled up to more than an acre, which is 43, 560 square feet. In just three years it had spread to more than 54 times the original size.
So how did that happen?
Whitehead said it was most likely just because of the seed spreading from mowing.
He began spraying the area with herbicide and said it's now down to about a 10th of an acre. The spray can be effective, but it's an extremely expensive way to contain Leafy Spurge, which is one of the biggest reasons he urges property owners and municipalities to control the perimeter early on because it saves money in the long run.
"We've got work to do, but we've got some good people to do it with. It's not easy to get government to bend to your will, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try," Whitehead said. "Government officials are not resistant, but they've got a lot of priorities."
Now that his weed management group has finished educating officials on the importance of containing Leafy Spurge, his priority is to work out the policy issues to move forward towards getting the weed under control.
Whitehead has seen small victories in his efforts. In one instance, he spoke with a farmer who had a 500 acre hay field, but about 38 acres were infested by Leafy Spurge. Whitehead asked the farmer not to hay that part of the field to avoid spreading it and the farmer agreed. Whitehead also got the city to take less money from the farmer because he was losing farm-able acreage to which they also agreed.
It's a minor triumph, but it gives Whitehead the satisfaction of progress.
He says Leafy Spurge has been in the country for 70 or 80 years, and for the last 40 years it's been considered invasive. Under the Weed Control Act, Leafy Spurge is also classified as a noxious weed, meaning control measures are required if it's on someone's property. One measure is stopping the movement of hay if the weed management group suspects Leafy Spurge.
Whitehead's next step is experimenting with control methods. His management group is applying for grants for the start of next year to experiment on a seven acre chunk of land beside the airport. The area is infested with Leafy Spurge and Whitehead wants to release beetles to test whether it's a viable solution.
