As the summer heat and smoke dissipated at the end of August, drought conditions carried on, with dry vegetation, shrinking lakes, dried-up wet zones, and wildflowers going to seed. A few late-flowering species could still be spotted (curlycup gumweed, white prairie aster, sweet clover, and others), but the usual summer annual weeds also seemed to take over disturbed areas. … Continue reading →
Showy Jacob’s-ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum sp.) is a perennial herb growing from a taproot and a branched stem. Clustered leaves are mostly basal and hairy. The leaves are pinnately compound (featherlike in leaflets). If handle leaves we will not a “skunky” odor. The common name arises from the ladder-like shape of the leaves, a Biblical reference. Clusters of … Continue reading →
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 … Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
There are many hiking routes in the area. We can hike through the forest on the Interior Plateau. We can hike up local hills from the valleys and we can hike through grasslands at lower elevations. Many of the lower elevation hikes go through open forests and open sagebrush grasslands and may climb into ponderosa pine, then Douglas … Continue reading →
Parsnip-flowered buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides) is a perennial herb that often grows in clumps in open areas. Branches diverge from a woody base. Leaves are usually greyish and woolly in a basal whorl. Bracts may be present on stems below the inflorescence. In an umbel shape, many small white-yellow emerge in clusters. Some will appear reddish – rose as they … Continue reading →
For the fiftieth consecutive year, I hiked up the Trophy Mountain, enjoying the many faces of the route to the high alpine cirque. It was a sunny and hot day for this 12.5 km hike. Along the trail through the forest, subalpine glades, seep zones, alpine ridges, and alpine heath there were many plants. Many photos were taken … Continue reading →
