Scenic South Beach
June 18th, 2010 | by Editor | 3 Comments
Published in Destinations, Natural History, Pacific Rim
Tags: Allium cernuum, British Columbia, Mimulus guttatus, Nodding Onion, Nootka Rose, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, Potentilla villosa, Rosa nutkana, South Beach Trail, Vancouver Island, Villous Cinquefoil, Yellow Monkey-flower
The gravel beach and rocky outcrops of South Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve make it a dramatic destination.
I took advantage of the last couple of days of passable weather on the west coast of Vancouver Island to revisit one of my many favourite beaches in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It’s only a short 800 meter walk from the Wickaninnish Centre to South Beach and there is much for the naturalist to see and experience.
Bird song in the Sitka Spruce forest along the South Beach Trail includes the Orange-crowned Warbler, Song Sparrow and Fox Sparrow. There is good edge habitat in the flat section of the trail with thickets of Nootka Rose and Thimbleberry providing flowers that attract bees and Rufous Hummingbirds. Further up the hillside, Pacific-slope Flycatchers call and Chestnut-backed Chickadees forage among the high branches of the Sitka Spruce. In the early evening the song of one of my favourite birds, the Swainson’s Thrush begins to spiral upward.
Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana) grows along the South Beach Trail.
As a photographer and botanical enthusiast, my attention is drawn to the plants. Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana) and Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus) are in full bloom but one has to be careful to avoid the new growth of Stinging Nettle when trying to get closer to the flowers. I knew that Stinging Nettle can sting but now I know what it feels like! The delicate pink flowers of Nootka Rose have a delightful fragrance that fills the air on a warm day. Also growing along the trail are the large leaves of Cow Parsnip, another plant that must be approached with care.
South Beach Trail in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve ascends through a tunnel of Sitka Spruce.
The South Beach Trail ascends on a wooden ramp through a tunnel of thick, stunted Sitka Spruce before reaching the top of a rise. In the damp dark section of trail at the top of the hill look for Skunk Cabbage, Lung Liverwort (Marchantia polymorpha), and Small-flowered Bulrush (Scirpus microcarpus). From here, a narrow cedar staircase descends down towards sound of the open ocean crashing against the rocks of South Beach.
Villous Cinquefoil (Potentilla villosa) has beautiful yellow flowers and leathery woolly leaves.
South Beach is a curving pebble beach with dramatic rocky outcrops along its sides. For the botanist, these outcrops are the home of a number of very interesting plants. Villous Cinquefoil (Potentilla villosa) seems to grow out of the rock itself and its strongly scented bright yellow flowers contrast sharply against the dark stone. The leaves of this plant are distinctively white-wooly below and thick and leathery in texture, well suited for the exposure of these rocky bluffs.
Growing in similar locations nearby is Coastal Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis). It too has thick, leathery leaves but its flowers are white and seem to be scentless. The individual plants are anchored by thick rootstocks that are connected by runners. Coastal Strawberry is never found far from the sea.
Delicate Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) contrasts agains the rough stone.
The delicate Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum) can also be found in crevices on these rocky outcrops. This member of the Lily family has a tall nodding stalk with numerous small pink bell-shaped flowers. The basal leaves are grass-like and have a strong onion smell.
Yellow Monkey-flower (Mimulus guttatus) can often be found in wet seeps on rocky outcrops.
On one of the larger outcrops enough soil has accumulated to support a thicket of Nootka Rose. However, on the lower exposed seeps great profusions of Yellow Monkey-flower (Mimulus guttatus) make a wonderful display.
People have arranged rocks in decorative piles at South Beach.
These are just a few of the flowers in bloom on the South Beach Trail – there’s much more in bloom to inspire a second (or third) visit. To learn more about the ecology of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve make sure to stop in at the Wickaninnish Centre and talk with a Parks Canada Heritage Interpreter. Guided walks and informative nature programs begin on June 26.
About the Contributor:
Dave Ingram is a nature photographer and writer based in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. More of his images can be seen on Flickr and on Dave Ingram’s Natural History Blog.
July 12th, 2010 at 6:16 pm (#)
[...] the ocean. Two very visible coastal plants that I’ve noticed along the top of the beach at South Beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve are also important food plants for a number of first nations [...]
August 20th, 2010 at 8:08 pm (#)
[...] Pacific Water-Parsley (Oenanthe sarmentosa), a plant that grows in wet places along the South Beach Trail in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Today I was out with a [...]
March 7th, 2012 at 4:44 pm (#)
[...] officially allocated for the walk) but I will likely make a couple of hours of it and walk out to South Beach. Keeners will be more than welcome to tag along!The ocean will often serve up a variety of [...]