White Cockle | Silene latifolia ssp. alba Walking the riverside walk along the Puntledge River in Courtenay is a great place to see all sorts of invasive, introduced plants. Lately I’ve taken to strolling our two young children around the Airpark Loop. I always keep my eyes open for interesting plants and birds. The Airpark Lagoon is excellent for migrating …
Author: Dave Ingram
Thatching Ants
Thatching Ant (Formica spp.) Thatching ants are fascinating insects. As the days get shorter and the temperature starts to drop activity at the thatching ant (Formica spp.) mound begins to change. Early in the cool morning there is little happening on the surface. A few ants move slowly around the entrance holes, arranging fir needles and other bits of woody …
Rough-skinned Newts on the Move
Rough-skinned newts are common and regularly seen on the west coast of British Columbia. Knowing something about these cute wandering amphibians can be a great way to start conversations. I recently had a call from a woman in Parksville today who had discovered a rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). She was wondering if she had reason to be concerned because she …
Red-legged Frog
This handsome red-legged frog (Rana aurora) was hopping across a trail close to Black Creek in Miracle Beach Provincial Park this weekend. It was interesting to see the frog in the forest. When we first spotted it we thought it might be a western toad (Bufo boreas) due to its size and the habitat. However, a closer look at its …
There Be Dragons
I had the opportunity to lead a Young Naturalists Club walk this morning out at Woodhus Slough just north of the Oyster River. We were looking for dragonflies and on this sunny morning were fortunate to find a few. It’s late in the year for dragonflies and many of the ones that we caught (and released) were looking tattered. Variable …
Seeds on the Wind
It was a very windy day on the east coast of Vancouver Island today and tree seeds were on the move. We took a family walk in Miracle Beach Provincial Park this morning. At one point it seemed like it was snowing seeds! Bigleaf Maple Seeds At first we thought that the seeds were all bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum) due …
Ephemeral
While walking along the Tsolum River this week I took the time to turn a few stones in a fast flowing riffle. Under one of the rocks was a pair of mayfly nymphs (Order Ephemeroptera from Ephemeros – short lived and Pteron – wings). While the nymph part of the life cycle can be anywhere from three weeks to two …
Vancouver Island Shopping Carts
Why do shopping carts end up where they do? Do they have a specific habitat? What sort of behaviours do they exhibit? With a nod to Hugh Griffith at Rock, Paper, Lizard and Julian Montague at the Stray Shopping Cart Project, I have embarked on a study of wild feral carts. I’ve been inspired to collect images and document species …
In the Pink
One of the sure signs of the season is the return of the fall salmon runs to the east side of Vancouver Island. Puntledge Park in Courtenay, BC is an excellent place to witness the phenomena of pink salmon returning to their birth stream to spawn Pink Salmon | Oncorhynchus gorbuscha Pink Salmon Spawning Spectacle! If you have experienced a …
Wonderful Weavers
Went out to the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds today and walked the trails along Dove Creek. At one point the trail leaves the side of the creek and starts to circle back toward the exhibition grounds. The path emerges from the woods and follows the edge of a field. This morning the fence line was decorated with countless spider webs, …