Have you seen this flower? Have you marvelled at some soft beautiful purple snap dragon like flowers waving in the late summer breezes?
Its the Himalayan Balsalm; unfortunately its an invasive species.
Earlier in the summer Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) guided a walk along the Kettleby Creek. (The walk was initiated by outreach work done by Sustainable King.) While doing so the guides noticed that there were several good sized patches of himilayan balsalm along the creek and in Tyrwhitt park. We were told that this species has a very unfortunate dispersal method in terms of biodiversity. This plant has explosive seed pods that can shoot out anywhere from 800-2,500 seeds per plant. It starts with just a small patch but if left unchecked it multiplies exponentially. The guides said that mid-late August would be a good time to pull the plants out as they would be tall and the seeds would not have been dispersed.
In response two parties were held to pull and stuff. (You pull out the plant, ideally by the roots but not necessary as it is an annual; and you stuff it into garbage bags. Unfortunately composting is not feasible due to the need to keep the seeds from being dispersed.) Kettleby residents & friends came out in good number.
Here is more information about this invasive species. 
Good job Kettleby residents!
Debbie, thank you for informing and educating us about this invasive species. A week ago I had an opportunity to cycle along Tom Taylor Trail in Newmarket. The trail follows the Holland River north from Davis Drive. I noticed countless tall plants with pink flowers along both sides of the river. I wondered what these tall showy plants were. Now I know!