Island NatureExploring nature on Vancouver Island, British Columbia and beyond

On one of the last of the warm, summery weekends of September, my mother and I visited Pender Island. Having spent part of my childhood on South Pender, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Southern Gulf Islands. The tranquil ambiance of rolling farmland, rocky arbutus bluffs, and secluded beaches makes these islands special. [...]

I really didn’t have enough time to explore the beaches and sandstone on Hornby Island during my brief visit this afternoon, but did find some interesting sandstone patterns at the far end of Tribune Bay. The light was less than ideal and I think that it would be fascinating to return and really explore the [...]

With a warm, sunny weekend weather forecast, my mother and I decided to go camping on Texada Island. Boarding the ferry from Comox at Little River, we crossed Georgia Strait to Powell River, then re-entered the terminal for the shorter passage to Texada. The largest of the Gulf Islands, Texada is 50 km long, and [...]

A painting called “The Sunbathers” (by Daphne Stevens) hanging on my kitchen wall depicts a group of smooth, orange-barked arbutus trees basking in the sun on a hot, rocky hillside from BC’s southern Gulf Islands. There is something mesmerizing about this tree, with its sinuous limbs and distinctive orangey-cinnamon peeling bark. Leaning out over bluffs [...]

When is an island not an island? When you can walk to it – at low tide! You won’t find the name Tree Island on many maps – but ask someone from the Comox Valley, and they will refer you to Sandy Island – the Marine Provincial Park so close to the northern tip of [...]

My partner and I are the only divers in the water this afternoon and we are outnumbered 30-2. We hover in 20’ of water anxiously watching an undulating cloud of sand, silt, fur and bubbles head our way. A welcoming committee of curious juvenile California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) is on its way to check [...]

Over the March Break we took a family trip to Salt Spring Island and explored some of the provincial parks on the island. One of the highlights was Mount Maxwell Provincial Park, and the viewpoint from the bluffs at Mount Maxwell (also called Mount Baynes). Given the weather (cloudy and wet) we weren’t expecting much [...]

From a geological and photographic point of view, the western sides of Gabriola, DeCourcy, Link and Valdez Islands have plenty to offer. The geology is interesting and image making opportunities abound. Way back in history great beds of sandstone were laid down and compressed. In a subsequent upheaval, the sandstone beds were tilted so that [...]