Monthly Archives: August 2026

Trailside in the Forests in Mid-August

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In the middle part of August, each day was an outing in a kayak or on a trail, and quite often both.     Shared here are a few images taken while hiking at Clearwater Lake (cedar hemlock forest), at Stake Lake (Douglas fir, pine, and spruce forests), and mid-elevation mixed forests near McQueen and Isobel Lakes – oak fern, western toad, velvet beetle on Angelica, broadleaf lupine, broad-leaved arnica, showy aster, northern ground cedar, sarsaparilla, red baneberry, fireweed, bunchberry, rattlesnake plantain, harebells, devil’s club, bog wintergreen, and red paintbrush.  

 

Can you match the common names to the Scientific names?

Western Spring Beauty

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Western spring beauty (Claytonia lanceolata) is a perennial that grows from a corm.    Several short stems (some underground) will have a few fleshy basal lanceolate leaves.  Whitish-pinkish flowers with deep pink veins emerge in spring with 2 sepals and 5 petals each in clusters.   After flowering, capsules with seeds develop in late spring and the leaves die back in … Continue reading →

Trailside, on Hot and Smoky Days in Early August

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Early August had smoky, hot, and dry conditions in the southern Interior of BC.   Forest fire smoke blanketed large areas and I used smoke forecast services to go where the smoke was less hazardous.    Often the hikes were shorter, planned for times and areas of tolerable conditions.    The grasslands and forests were very dry and seemed susceptible to … Continue reading →

Showy Milkweed

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Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) is an upright perennial which grows from rhizomes, 0.5 to 1 m in height with a stout stem.    The plant is hairy on the stems and leaves.     The central stem is somewhat hollow, but with a milky juice inside.    The leaves are mostly lanceolate with a point and have a central lighter-colored vein.    … Continue reading →

Little McGillivray Lake Nature Hike

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On a hot and smoky day I drove the backroad from Sun Peaks to McGillivray Lake.     I first paddled around the lake, then secured the boat before starting a loop route on cross-country/mountain biking trails to Little McGillivray Lake.     That whole area is wet year-round, and is often plagued by mosquitoes and flies in summer.     It kept … Continue reading →