The Town of Olds is asking for residents to keep their eyes peeled for green foxtail this summer.
Foxtails are notorious, especially among pet owners, for their barbed bristles that can become lodged in your furry friend’s skin, nose or mouth. Currently, both green foxtail and foxtail barley are not considered noxious weeds by the Province of Alberta; however, this hasn’t stopped some municipalities from taking steps to reduce the risk.
Director of Protective Services for the Town of Olds Justin Andrew says it simply isn’t realistic to expect foxtails to disappear, so it’s up to property owners to keep them in check.
“What we do try to ask people is be a good neighbour, if you’ve got some on your property just cut it and collect it,” he says. “It’s hard for us to enforce that because resources are such that chasing around things like green foxtail at every property in Olds could be a full time job in itself, so we do ask for a lot of citizen compliance.”
According to the province, preventing seed production is critical in controlling green foxtail, so mowing before seed production or hand pulling and using herbicides can all be effective methods.
“The sad reality is the ability to rid ourselves of it- it’s a problem all around Alberta, and it’s not easily dealt with,” Andrew says. “It’s the same with scentless chamomile, it’s around and we see it, so when we identify it, we ask for it to be removed.”
Green foxtail is native to the province, so it is not regulated under the Alberta Weed Control Act.
