I enjoy the South Beach Trail in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and the number of plants in flower both along the trail and on the rocky outcrops at South Beach itself. Five of these plants belong in Rosaceae (Rose family) and I decided to put them to the smell test and see if they indeed live up to the …
Flowers
August Lake Flowers
In my last post I wrote about Arrow-leaved Balsamroot, the most obvious flower in bloom at August Lake near Princeton, British Columbia. While I have to admit that the fields of beautiful yellow sunflowers were captivating there were a number of other smaller flowers in bloom that were just as striking. Holbell’s Rockcress The delicate white flowers of Holbell’s Rockcress …
Arrow-leaved Balsamroot
Arrow-leaved Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) produces gorgeous yellow flowers in the early spring. One of the signature plants of the Okanagan is the Arrow-leaved Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata). This beautiful member of the Sunflower family is hard to miss – in the early spring the yellow flowers produce a dramatic display on dry hillsides of the interior. During our recent trip to …
Rough Road to Rhododendron Lake
It was years ago, back when I was in the Recreation Administration program at then Malaspina University-College (now Vancouver Island University), that I took a field trip out to Rhododendron Lake, just south of Parksville, British Columbia. The lake is unique in that it is one of two places on Vancouver Island where Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum) grows. Much more …
A Good Bloom of Bare-stem Desert-parsley
I’ve been noticing lately that Bare-stem Desert-parsley (Lomatium nudicaule) is in bloom everywhere on the open sandy areas on the coast here on Vancouver Island. It is not a spectacular plant but it is interesting when one takes a closer look at it. The flowers are small and yellow and form round clusters at the end of stalks. The yellow …
Black Twinberry
The thing that I love about nature walks is that the more often you visit a place, the more likely it is that you’ll see something new. Such is the case with the small non-native flowers that I try to notice more regularly. It is also the reason why I “discovered” a nice stretch of Black Twinberry (Lonicera involucrata). This …
Vexed by Vetches
The Pea Family (Fabaceae) can be a little vexing at times – with this group the small details are often what separates one species from another fairly similar looking species. Fortunately the two vetches that I’ve found so far at the Courtenay Airpark are fairly distinctive and easy to identify. Some features differentiate vetches from most of the other members …
Musing about Mustards
As I begin to tackle some of the more difficult plants here on Vancouver Island, I find that I’m spending a great deal of time musing about mustards. Earlier last month I wrote about Field Mustard (Brassica campestris), a common mustard found at the Airpark Lagoon in Courtenay, British Columbia. On my regular walks around around the estuary I noticed …
Orchids at Little Qualicum Falls
Last week my afternoon destination with the kids was Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park, just outside of Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. The falls are truly spectacular, there’s nothing “little” about them! However, I also searched for late spring blooming plants and wasn’t disappointed with the orchids. The habitat here is fairly open with Douglas-firs and mossy areas underneath. …
Lovely Lupins
Lupin sp. – flower close-up. Just over a week ago during the Comox Valley Spring Bird Count I was leading a team of birders out onto Goose Spit in Comox, British Columbia with our Department of National Defense minder (CFB Comox). We didn’t see much variety in the way of birds, mostly Savannah Sparrows and Killdeer at this site, but …