Yellow Floating Heart (YFH) is an ornamental floating plant that originates in Eurasia. YFH spreads very quickly through its roots, from stem fragments and seeds. This vigorous growth allows YFH to quickly take over new water bodies when it gets introduced.
YFH prefers slow-moving fresh water and can quickly become the dominant plant species in its preferred depth range (0-3 metres).
YFH is rooted below the high-water mark, with foliage growing above the water.
Impacts of yellow floating heart
YFH grows aggressively and is generally able to out-compete native developing plants to become the dominant or even the only species in a water body. YFH can disrupt and reduce the resilience of aquatic ecosystems by preventing sunlight from penetrating into the water column, interrupting nutrient cycling, and depositing nutrient-rich sediment on the beds of water bodies where it grows.
Identifying yellow floating heart
Yellow floating heart is easiest to identify by its small round leaves and characteristic frilly yellow flowers. Flower stems stick straight out of the water for a few inches before ending in a bloom. The petals of YFH have frilled edges. It typically grows in dense patches.
Help reduce the spread of yellow floating heart
Yellow floating heart spreads through its thick, tangled roots. When bits of the plant break off, they can re-establish that plant elsewhere as a new plant. It is often transported by birds or accidentally moved around on recreational equipment like kayaks or canoes.
Here are some ways that community members can help stop the spread of this invasive ornamental flower:
- actively monitor lakes in your neighbourhood for invasive species infestations and reporting suspected sightings to 311 or the Nova Scotia Invasive Species Council
- always clean, drain and dry recreational gear like paddle boards and life jackets
- never dump fish tanks into natural freshwater ecosystems
YFH was unintentionally introduced to Little Albro Lake in 2006. Halifax Regional Council was first notified of YFH in the lake in 2009. By 2024, YFH was the dominant aquatic plant species in Little Albro Lake, covering most of its shallow surface area.
In September 2024, the municipality worked in partnership with the Aquatic Invasive Species team at Nova Scotia Inland Fisheries to apply a selective herbicide in Little Albro Lake to remove the YFH. Treatment took place over one day. Once the treatment was complete, the lake was aerated to maintain oxygen at a safe level for fish as the YFH decomposed, and dissolved oxygen was monitored in the water until it rebounded to pre-treatment levels.
The 2024 treatment was successful at reducing the YFH in Little Albro Lake. Some regrowth was observed in 2025, and municipal staff removed approximately 90lbs of YFH from Little Albro Lake in September 2025. This small amount of regrowth was expected after the 2024 herbicide treatment, as the YFH in Little Albro Lake was so dense, and the water level in the lake was low at the time the herbicide was applied.
This image of Little Albro Lake was taken via drone by Ducks Unlimited Canada (2024), in September 2024, prior to herbicide application. The plant material covering the lake's surface is entirely yellow floating heart.
This image of Little Albro Lake was taken via drone by municipal staff in September 2025. Yellow floating heart is barely visible in the lake roughly one-year post-treament.
Containing the spread
In June 2026, the municipality will be working with Nova Scotia Inland Fisheries to apply a second dose of the same selective herbicide used in 2024 to control the invasive yellow floating heart in Little Albro Lake.
Herbicide application will take place in Little Albro Lake on the week of June 22, 2026. Signage will be posted at public access points to the lake. Signs will be updated with orange stickers while herbicide application is in progress, and for at least seven days following the application. The targeted herbicide will be applied at the water surface and will not be applied to the land surrounding the lake. Out of an abundance of caution, the municipality would like to remind residents to avoid contact with the lake water for seven days after herbicide application is complete. This applies to humans and their pets.
Leading up to the application date, the project team will be on Little Albro Lake taking baseline environmental samples and installing aeration equipment. Aerators will be left in place after the herbicide application is complete to maintain dissolved oxygen levels in the lake during and after herbicide application.
Starting in June 2026, Limardo Drive Park and the public right of way into Little Albro Lake at 174 Albro Lake Road will be closed to the public. This park closure will extend until the herbicide application is complete and conditions in the lake have returned to baseline.
This work aligns with goals of the municipality’s Integrated Pest Management Strategy. This strategy provides guidelines to identify when and how invasive pests will be managed. As Little Albro Lake is the primary site affected by yellow floating heart, eradicating the plant from Little Albro Lake will greatly reduce the risk of its spread into other lakes and water bodies.
When applied at the water surface, ProcellaCOR FX (PCP Registration #34732) targets the root systems of broad-leaved plants. While Health Canada has determined the risks to humans and other mammals associated with contacting ProcellaCOR FX are negligible, out of an abundance of caution, the public access to the lake will be restricted during this period.
This work is being completed with approval from Fisheries and Oceans Canada pursuant to Section 19(3) of the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations (file #25-AIS-001) and from Nova Scotia Environment & Climate Change pursuant to Part V of the Environment Act, SNS 1994-95, c.1 s.1 (Approval #2026-4627399-00).
Benthic barriers
In 2021, the municipality undertook a pilot project to study the effectiveness of benthic barriers, or material that is placed in lakes and ponds to block sunlight, on eradicating YFH. While these barriers showed some success at slowing down the spread of YFH, the resources required to maintain the program were difficult to sustain.
Benthic barrier in place in Little Albro Lake. Jamieson Lab photo, 2021.