A Prickly Subject

I was initially stumped by the aster I found growing in the Courtenay Airpark. I photographed the plant and was particularly struck by the distinctive row of spines down the midrib of the leaf. With a leaf like that I assumed that the field guides would definitely use it as a field mark and it would be easy to identify. …

White Cockle

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 …

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 …

Awesome Asters

Aster sp. This wonderful seed-head was one of many in a field full of tall weedy dandelion like asters in front of the old Hamilton Mac Laing house in Comox. Unfortunately my 2 year-old son only allowed me to take a couple of photographs before it was time to move on!

Introducing Invasives

An afternoon walk around the Courtenay Estuary revealed almost a dozen of BC’s “least wanted” invasive plant species. These introduced plants are either garden escapees or plants that have been introduced to North America from Eurasia. Over time they spread “naturally” throughout the continent. In bloom were Field Bindweed (Morning Glory)(Convolvulus arvensis), Hedge Bindweed (Calystegia sepium), Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica), …