Sensory Overload.

I set off on my run early this morning (or so it seemed after we put the clocks forward this past weekend), it was barely light outside and following suit, it was raining and windy. I was definitely struggling with wakefulness, but fortunately my legs were on auto-pilot and did their thing, getting me through the first trail and onto the first stretch of road which makes up the particular route I was on. You could say my mind was in a fog. It seemed quieter outside than usual; I did not encounter a single vehicle during the first part of my run and no dog walkers could be seen anywhere.


As I hit the second trail, I was suddenly jolted awake by the faint smell of skunk. I am quite familiar with skunks as we have many that reside in our City, and we even have a small one that lives in our neighborhood, so this pungent “hit” on my sluggish senses put me on full alert as I didn’t want to surprise the skunk and become a target for its most notorious feature. Although skunks have excellent senses of smell and hearing, they have poor vision, so I made a little noise and was able to happily make it through to the other side of the trail without a smelly encounter and I settled comfortably back in to my “foggy” run.


After about 5 minutes of this, I noticed my legs were beginning to hit their stride, finally coming off auto-pilot, and I was feeling a lot more with it. Things were beginning to shape up. It was at this point, at the bottom of a steep hill as I rounded a sharp bend, that I was hit in the senses once again and rousted from my fog-induced state. This time it was the sweet, almost-lemony fragrance emanating from a cluster of mature spurge laurel (Daphne laureola) that had my full attention.  The spurge laurel was growing in a dense stand on the edge of a wooded property. The sweet fragrance was heady and saturated the air around me. I slowed my pace and leaned in for a closer look, fooled for a moment by the similarity in appearance to the Rhododendron species and the encompassing smell. But I didn’t let that sweet smell fool me! I saw the plant for what it really is and it’s fragrance is its only endearing feature. Spurge laurel is extremely toxic and is on the list of invasive species in the Pacific Northwest. The pale yellow flowers that bloom February to April grow in clusters among the leaves near the top of the stem, and are inconspicuous. These flowers then develop into black single-seeded berries which are poisonous. Its ability to grow in deep shade, its tolerance of a range of growing conditions and its ability to rapidly colonize an area has contributed to its invasion of natural spaces. Its growth as a monoculture in the forest understory means that it competes with and displaces our wonderful native plants, resulting in altered native plant communities and natural succession, reduced biodiversity, and in some cases, potentially changes soil chemistry. This plant also poses a health risk to the public, it is highly noxious.


I continued my run, bounding up the third trail along the route which resembles a mini Grouse Grind in places. The steep and narrow stone steps set into the hillside among the tangled mass of ferns and salal were slippery and forced me to slow my pace. The slower pace afforded me the opportunity to take in my surroundings and I marvelled at the view of Passage Island in the distance and the Grebe Islets just below me in the Strait of Georgia. Every time I run this route, the view takes my breath away, no matter what the weather.  Finally I was at the top, I was half way through the run and it was time to pick up the pace.


Whenever I run near my home, I am running through a Coastal Douglas-fir dominated forest. Although it is one of the smallest of BC’s 14 ecological zones, the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone is home to some of the province’s most interesting and diverse ecosystems. Here the majestic Douglas-fir reigns supreme. In my neighborhood, Douglas-fir, western hemlock, western red cedar, big leaf maple, western flowering dogwood and arbutus flourish together with understory plants such as sword fern, salal, Oregon grape, salmonberry, trillium and star flower. Unfortunately, travelers to a new land often bring something to remind them of home. But when the reminder is a living plant or animal, it can create havoc with the local flora or fauna. The spurge laurel is one of the many exotic species introduced into the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone that have had this effect.


As I hit the sixth and final trail on my route, I was really flying. I was on the last leg and homeward bound. The trail is not too steep or narrow, so I can hold this quick pace most of the way. The view from here, another treat, is of Burrard Inlet and unobstructed clear across to UBC. As I glanced around at the understory plants growing along the trail, I noticed several clusters of spurge laurel had cropped up and were already in various stages of bloom. The thought strikes me that there is something so very sinister about the way it mysteriously appears, unbidden, in random areas of heavy shade. But it mostly saddens me, the fact that this invasive intruder (and others) are so close to home, and the fact that without the pests and pathogens that keeps this species under control in its native lands, it will continue its growth as a monoculture and pose a serious threat to our own native species.


As I approached the end of the trail my driveway sprung into view, and beyond it I could see my own garden heavy with the promise of spring. It is then I make a silent vow: to go on a spurge laurel “pull” along the trails that border my property at some point this spring. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate all the invasive species growing in my neighborhood, but any effort I can put in is the least I can do to protect our own wonderful native species which grow in my garden, in my neighborhood and along my running routes.

“The earth laughs in flowers” E. E. Cummings