a patch of Dog-strangling vine in flower in the foreground, adjacent to a sidewalk and with the street and a grass boulevard in the background

Dog-strangling Vine

Dog-strangling Vine is one of Kingston's more-than-human neighbours. They're on Kingston's Prohibited Plants list because their dense stands displace Milkweed, reduce insect habitat, and rapidly expand into disturbed areas. Horticulturalists brought them here from southeastern Ukraine in the 1890s, planting them as ornamental curiosities.

Dog-strangling Vine kin card

Dog-strangling Vine arrived without the relationships which kept them in balance in the Ukraine. Dog-strangling Snout, the moth who co-evolved alongside them, is beginning to establish in Ontario.

   

    📥 Download Dog-strangling Vine Kin Card(PDF, 122KB)  

Dog-strangling Vine at the planning table

Because Dog-strangling Vine thrives in disturbance, their populations in Kingston are climbing. What if blooming boulevards became the default landscaping choice, leaving no room for them?

   

    📥 Download Dog-strangling Vine at the planning table (PDF, 82KB)  

Get to know Dog-strangling Vine Return through the seasons. Record what you observe on iNaturalist.

Notice: Keep an eye out for damage to their leaves indicating that Dog-strangling Snout has arrived in Kingston.

Act: To support Monarchs, plant a pocket meadow with Milkweed. Know a neighbour with Dog-strangling Vine? Print the handout and give it to them.

   

    📥 Download Dog-strangling Vine handout (PDF, 234KB)  

Need help: Little Forests Kingston and 1000 Islands Master Gardeners can help you identify plants, choose the right species for your yard, and connect with neighbours doing the same work.

Get involved: Little Forests Kingston is growing. We're looking for people who want to build relationships with the land and tend them over time. Forest Stewards, Neighbourhood Weavers, Community Scientists, Seed Keepers and more. You don't need to arrive knowing everything. Do any of these roles call to you?