Shore Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium littorale) Flower #1 One of the plants that I’ve been trying to photograph for years is Shore Blue-eyed Grass. I never seem to get the timing right – I’m either too early and find this iris in bud or too late and it has already gone to seed. The plant also is more showy on bright …
Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Strolling the Shorepine Bog Trail
The shorepines in the bog look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. It is a short 800 meter boardwalk through some of the most surreal “Dr. Seuss-like” landscape. Stunted pines grow into twisted bizarre shapes. Small carnivorous plants survive in this acidic and nutrient poor habitat by consuming insects. Water-logged sphagnum moss is also part of the scenery …
Halfmoon Bay – BC Skywatch #9
Rocky islets and wet sand in Halfmoon Bay. Yesterday evening I headed down to Halfmoon Bay in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve to catch the late evening light. This beautiful little sandy beach has a great north-west orientation and lots of little rocky islands and silohuetted trees for sunset photography. Access to the beach is via Willowbrae Trail. Park at …
Scenic South Beach
I took advantage of the last couple of days of passable weather on the west coast of Vancouver Island to revisit one of my many favourite beaches in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve. It’s only a short 800 meter walk from the Wickaninnish Centre to South Beach and there is much for the naturalist to see and experience. Birds Along …
A Rose By Any Other Name
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 …
Exploring Pacific Rim National Park Reserve
Beach walkers at Schooner Cove. We have just returned from a wonderful weekend get-a-way at Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Winter is our favourite time to visit the west coast because there aren’t too many tourists. Rain or shine, the area’s natural beauty is always dazzling. Established in 1970, Pacific Rim National Park …
Sunbathers vs. the Large-headed Sedge
Some weeks ago there was a letter in a local paper complaining about the “invasion” of Large-headed Sedge (Carex macrocephala) at Air Force Beach in Comox. The complaint was based on the fact that the sedge was taking over the prime sunbathing area. Removal was the only solution. Jocie and I decided that it was worth taking a drive out …
A Tale of Two Tansies
Common Tansy | Tanacetum vulgare Common Tansy Up at Paradise Meadows today I had the (unfortunate?) opportunity to photograph some common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) growing along the roadside. Common tansy is an invasive perennial that grows in disturbed places, road edges and stream banks. WeedsBC reports that the common tansy is problematic especially in areas like interior BC so it …