A late-winter and early spring project is now in the final stages. My back yard was a gravel slope down to the street below and over the years I have hauled in concrete blocks to build three retaining walls for 3 garden levels. Each build was a little better, using the right kind of blocks, backfilling with porous … Continue reading →
After paddling Little Shuswap Lake, I drove up the road to Neskonlith Lake and stopped to enjoy the wildflowers by the roadside. To hike the meadows, we need to get a permit from the Band Office, and this is planned for later this month. This last visit was really a scouting trip (a walk by the road) to see … Continue reading →
Lemonweed or Stoneseed (Lithospermum ruderale) is a spring-flowering perennial found in the dry grasslands and open forests at lower elevations. From a woody taproot, several hairy stems grow up to 1 – 1.5 m. Lanceolate or linear leaves grow alternately up the stems. The inflorescence has clusters of small yellow flowers, with a pale yellow corolla and petals fused … Continue reading →
We hiked at an easy pace on a mild day for about an hour on the Peterson Creek Trails. We were surprised by a few wildflowers emerging along the trails. We spotted arrow-leaved balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), small-flowered woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum), dame’s-rocket (Hesperis sp.) – a species of mustard, lemonweed/stoneseed (Lithospermum ruderale), and one of the rockcresses (Boechera sp.). … Continue reading →
Field chickweed (Cerastium arvense) is a mat-forming perennial in the pinks (Caryophyllaceae) family found in many areas of our region. Slender stems grow from rhizomes. Narrow hairy leaves and slender hairy stems may rise to 40 cm. Chickweed is quite variable, but we usually see a single white flower or a cluster of several flowers, with 5 white notched … Continue reading →
When we hiked the trails around the area in late March, we saw the first appearances of sagebrush buttercups and yellow bells. At the same time, early spring flowers started to bloom in our home garden. Most of these were bulbs we planted some years ago. The first leaves poke up in the third week of March and in … Continue reading →
Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii sp.) is a native long-lived deciduous shrub that is an attractive addition to the home garden. It can be spotted more in the Okanagan Valley than in the drier grasslands of the Kamloops hills. Our home garden mock orange shrubs started as a purchased cultivar. It grew to about 3 m and produced beautiful and … Continue reading →
Yellow bells (Fritillaria pudica) are low-growing perennials found in the grasslands in early spring. They are part of the lily family. They grow from scaly bulbs and many have several small corms. The stems rise to about 15-25 cm. Lanceolate-linear leaves are usually in opposite pairs. A yellow bell-shaped drooping flower sometimes has a faint purple ring near … Continue reading →
Sagebrush buttercups (Ranunculus glaberrimus) are early-blooming perennial herbs found in many habitats in our area. Sagebrush buttercups grow from thick, fleshy woody bases and emerge with low-growing, fleshy, lobed basal leaves with several short stems. All buttercups have shiny, reflective yellow flowers with 5 petals and sepals, although we have spotted many sagebrush buttercups with multiple petals … Continue reading →
Wild asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) and garden asparagus are the same plant. In our area, asparagus can be found in a number of spots in the valley where the soil is moist. We encounter it on sidehills, in seep gullies, in low spots, and in flood zones. Most have become naturalized, descendants of garden plants in both rural areas and green … Continue reading →
