Tracy Menzies had been in a constant battle with slugs in her backyard garden, always losing the harvest to them. However, this year, she was thrilled to see her strawberries flourishing beautifully.
The reason behind the decline in slug population in her garden seems to be the increasing presence of European wall lizards. These invasive lizards are swiftly spreading and devouring everything in their path, including insects, spiders, and slugs.
Living near the Gorge Waterway in Saanich, Menzies noticed a surge in the number of wall lizards in her yard recently, scurrying around her garden. She attributed the disappearance of slugs to the newfound presence of these lizards.
According to Gavin Hanke, the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Royal B.C. Museum, there are an estimated 800,000 to a million European wall lizards in B.C., mainly concentrated on Vancouver Island. The concern lies in their rapid proliferation potentially causing a significant impact on the local environment.
Hanke emphasized the need to adapt to coexist with these lizards, despite their adverse effects on the ecosystem. The lizards’ diet includes invertebrates like insects and spiders, with reports of them preying on baby garter snakes as well.
Biologist Nicholas Wong from the Invasive Species Council of B.C. highlighted the lack of official management programs to control the wall lizard population growth. Wong also mentioned that these lizards are competing with native species for food and habitat space.
The origin of the European wall lizard invasion in B.C. dates back to a deliberate release of 12 lizards in 1970 following the closure of Rudy’s Pet Park in Central Saanich. The lizards find the climate of Southern Vancouver Island conducive, with their numbers expanding annually.
To prevent further spread, experts suggest maintaining a simple garden landscape that is unappealing to the lizards. Collective efforts within communities are crucial as individual attempts to remove the lizards may prove futile if neighboring properties remain infested.
Hanke acknowledged that eradicating the lizards at this stage is impractical, emphasizing the need for collective responsibility due to the human-induced disruption of the ecosystem. He cautioned against relocating the lizards to new areas to prevent their southward expansion.
Given the current scenario, Hanke warned that it may only be a matter of time before the European wall lizards extend their reach to Washington state, underscoring the urgency of addressing the issue promptly.
