Invasive Plant Activities - Basket Weaving with Invasive Plants

Weaving weeds - Using invasive plants to make art! 

Activity Description: 

Invasive plants are plentiful and highly varied in their physical traits. Many of which are planted in gardens for this purpose. However, certain non-native plants have a tendency to escape gardens and find their way into natural areas. During this event, we will guide you in harvesting plants that are vining and flexible to weave a basket or art piece that you can take home! 

We will start in Ezio Farone Park, and walk up to 3 km out and back down a paved trail. Here, we will make frequent stops to learn about invasive and native plants growing in Edmonton’s River Valley. We will harvest some plant material for our activity, and return to Ezio Farone to complete our projects. Projects will be guided by Invasive Plant Outreach staff - no previous experience is required! 

The event is scheduled for four hours - we ask that you do your best to arrive by 10:00am for instructions and the start of the walk. We will have an optional break at 12:00pm for lunch (bring your own, or visit one of Wîhkwêntôwin’s lovely cafes!) and you are welcome to head out at any time! 

Some example projects! 

Meeting Location

• Parking: Residential street parking is available around Ezio Farone Park. We recommend parking along 110 or 111 streets NW. City of Edmonton staff will be in the park in bright orange vests. 

• Transit: Government LRT station is one block away, on 110 Street NW. There is a bus stop along 109 street, as well as the Government Transit Centre 750 m away. 

• Biking: Although this park is along bike routes from 109 street and a multiuse trail through the River Valley, there are no bike racks at Ezio Farone Park. You are welcome to bring your bike as we move down the trail, or lock it at the nearby LRT station bike racks.

• Washrooms: There are no public washrooms on site. The nearest washrooms are located at the Lodgeview Business Centre (purchase may be required).
  
  

Meeting at the star.

Site Description: 

We will start at Ezio Farone park, which has paved trails and firm, mowed grassy areas. There are benches and picnic tables throughout. To collect our materials, we will head down the paved trail that runs above the Glenora Club and Victoria golf course. It is a somewhat steeply inclined trail, which flattens out. We may work off-trail for short periods, but this is not necessary for collecting materials. We will make many stops as we learn about the various plants growing in the area. 

We will return back to the park space to weave our baskets. You are welcome to bring your own picnic blanket, pillow or lawn chair for more comfortable seating.

This activity has limited space, if you are no longer able to attend, please let us know as soon as possible as there may be a waitlist.

If you require any accommodations, please reach out to us at invasiveweeds@edmonton.ca. We want to keep learning about the diverse needs of our community, and we value your contributions greatly!