University of Toronto researcher Ian Jones is part of a team using moths to control phragmites.
To control one of the region's worst invasive plants, scientists are releasing special caterpillars in wetlands around Ontario, including in Hamilton. The caterpillars eat phragmites, a reed which takes over ecosystems.Ian Jones wades through a forest of aquatic plants, his feet sinking into the muddy ground. He's surrounded by invasive phragmites, a reed that can grow five-metres tall, and whose roots release biochemicals impeding the growth of other plants.
Weaving between stems, he crouches down by a canister staked about knee-high off the ground. Opening the lid, he reveals his team's secret weapon: multiple tiny caterpillars. The scientist is working with Ducks Unlimited Canada, federal department Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Toronto and the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International in Switzerland.
Scientists are hoping to learn more about where the moths are most effective and use that to maximize their effectiveness. When out in nature, the centre advises staying on designated trails and cleaning off clothing and equipment to avoid tracking phragmites seeds to other places.
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