Tracy Menzies had been in a battle against slugs in her backyard garden, as they always managed to reach the harvest before her, until this year. The strawberries in her garden this season turned out to be exceptionally beautiful.
The slugs are now encountering a strong adversary — the invasive European wall lizard, rapidly spreading and consuming everything in their path, including insects, spiders, and slugs.
Living near the Gorge Waterway in Saanich, Menzies observed an increasing number of lizards in her yard in recent months, swiftly moving through her garden and scurrying under her feet.
Not having spotted any slugs in her yard, Menzies speculated that the wall lizards were likely preying on the slugs due to their increased presence.
Gavin Hanke, the curator of vertebrate zoology at the Royal B.C. Museum, estimated that there are approximately 800,000 to a million European wall lizards in B.C., mainly on Vancouver Island, with their reach extending as far as Campbell River, 220 kilometers north of Victoria.
Expressing concern about the rapid expansion of the lizards, Hanke emphasized the potential “serious impact” they could have on the environment, emphasizing the need to adapt to their presence.
The lizards, mostly a few inches in size, have been observed to grow larger in certain areas, reaching up to eight to 10 inches, even appearing in crawl spaces, as per Menzies, who is a real estate agent.
Biologist Nicholas Wong, from the Invasive Species Council of B.C., highlighted the absence of formal management programs to regulate the lizard population, emphasizing their competition with native lizards for resources and space.
Hanke, a Victoria resident, noted the infiltration of lizards into his garden around 2019, with their numbers increasing significantly since then, thriving in both his front and back yards.
The proliferation of the European wall lizards in B.C. originated from an intentional release of 12 lizards in 1970 following the closure of Rudy’s Pet Park in Central Saanich. The lizards, originating from Italy, find the cooler winters and hot, dry summers of Southern Vancouver Island conducive to their survival.
The Invasive Species Council of B.C. indicated that the lizards typically expand their territory by approximately 100 meters annually but can cover greater distances by hitching rides on vehicles, firewood, and building materials.
To safeguard her strawberries this year, Menzies acknowledged the contribution of the wall lizards but expressed apprehensions regarding their proliferation, emphasizing the need for a balance in their management.
Hanke suggested that maintaining a “boring” garden with a plain, closely cut lawn could deter the lizards, emphasizing the necessity of collective efforts within a location to effectively control their spread.
Considering the impossibility of eradicating the lizards at this stage, Hanke underscored human responsibility for introducing and unintentionally supporting the invasive species, cautioning against relocating the lizards to prevent further expansion.
Hanke warned against transporting the lizards to new areas, as it could lead to their spread further south, potentially reaching Washington state within a few years.
