The town of Wellesley is taking an eco-friendly approach to clearing out invasive plants at the Boulder Brook Reservation — goats.

The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission is renting a herd of four goats from The Goatscaping Co. in Duxbury for two weeks starting Thursday. They will be grazing two small areas of the reservation near Kelly Field and Bates Elementary School as a way to get rid of unwanted brush including poison ivy, garlic mustard, bittersweet, and Japanese knotweed.

“For years, goats have been used on farms as a natural way to keep pastures clear,’’ said Brandon Schmitt, director of the Natural Resources Commission, in a statement. “As we continually look for ways to encourage reduced pesticide use, it makes sense to try them in more urban locations like Wellesley as a greener way to landscape our open space areas. The goats eat just about anything — unlike many of us, they’re not allergic to poisonous plants — and can move around in areas that are difficult to mow. They don’t require a lot of care during their stay and their waste is a natural fertilizer.’’

A 4-foot-high electric fence, powered by a solar battery, will keep the goats contained and protected from wild animals and dogs. Residents are welcome to visit the area and watch the goats at work but shouldn’t try to pet them as they may have poison ivy oils on their hair.

“We’re hoping to use it as a fun and educational activity to talk about pesticides and pesticide reduction,’’ said Stephanie Hawkinson, the commission’s coordinator of environmental education and outreach.

Hawkinson said pesticides aren’t used at any of the school properties in town.

Jennifer Fenn Lefferts can be reached at jflefferts@yahoo. com.