Karissa Chandrakate

English ivy (Hedera helix) is a fast-growing evergreen vine that will flourish nearly anywhere. It thrives in multiple soil types and under most weather conditions — with waxy, dark leaves that rampantly weave through forest networks, up walls and along buildings, fences, and tree trunks.

Sarah Jim is W̱SÁNEĆ from the village of W̱S͸ḴEM (Place of Clay) — the territory also known as the Saanich peninsula on “Vancouver Island.” As she got older, she started spending more time in her family’s forests and noticed that English ivy — originally brought over from Europe — was a significant problem.