Campbell River’s Canyon View Trail (accessed via parking areas at the old BC Hydro powerhouse and at the logging bridge at Woodburn Road) is a moderate 6 km loop that is excellent for wildflowers in the early spring. The rich soil of the Campbell River flood plain is perfect for both white and pink fawn lilies (Erythronium sp.) and the display can …
Common Horsetail
Exquisite Equisetum
I’ve been on the look out for two kinds of Equisetum over the last couple of days and have found both growing nearby. I often stroll the kids around the paved walkway that loops around the Courtenay Airpark and this is where I found both the Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea) and the Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) growing along the edge …
Ancient Horsetails
The pale, fertile shoots of Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmatiea) are visible for a short period in the spring. During a recent visit to Sayward I happened upon a patch of giant horsetail rising from a roadside ditch. Strangely alluring, the pale brown wand-like fertile shoots appear in spring, followed shortly after by green, vegetative shoots. These anemic fertile shoots, which …