I hiked through the grasslands hills south of Kamloops. After some frosts, most of the forbs are now withered and dormant for the winter season. Various species of grasses have lots their summer color, but still stand. I hiked past … Continue reading →
Western spring beauty (Claytonia lanceolata) is a perennial in the purslane (Portulacaceae) family. The fleshy plant grows from a corm with fibrous roots and can have one or several stalks. A few lanceolate basal leaves may have underground stalks. Two … Continue reading →
Silverleaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata) is a highly variable perennial commonly found on rocky slopes. From the taproot, a branched woody base will have several silver-haired stems. Some stems will be prostate and some will be more erect. Elliptical-shaped veined leaves … Continue reading →
Sandy Island Marine Provincial Park (known locally as Tree Island) is a protected area, home to about 140 species of wildflowers and flowering shrubs. It is mostly accessed by boat, but we hiked over from Denman Island at low tide. … Continue reading →
On a grey and mild day I hiked through the Ironmask Hills. The area has open forest, grasslands hills, and dry meadows in October. Along the way I spotted a few plants of interest. From a distance I saw the … Continue reading →
As the last days of gardening for the year are upon us, we can go out and enjoy the last flowers and check on the health of our plants. Soon we will be cutting down the year’s growth and mulching … Continue reading →
By the middle of October when we hike on trails, it is mostly the “weedy” varieties that are still in bloom. On a hike into Lyons Lake the route went through open douglas fir forest to a grasslands lake at … Continue reading →
On a fine fall day we drove down to the Coquihalla Summit area, then took the Falls Lake Road to the trailhead for Zoa Peak. We hiked the 10 km up and back route in sunny conditions. After a summer … Continue reading →
While on Denman Island we took the ferry across to Hornby Island, then we hiked Helliwell Provincial Park. The route was through the forest and out to the rocky headland at St. John’s Point, then along the open seabluffs back … Continue reading →
We hiked the trails on Mt. Embleton and enjoyed the forest, the fall colors, the views, and the plants we saw along the way. We stopped to take some photos in wet areas, on open ridges, and in the forest. … Continue reading →
At the end of September I hiked the trails in Monck Provincial Park, on the slopes above Nicola Lake. After a summer of drought, flowering plants were next to water, or were well-established shrubs or perennials flowering in season. A … Continue reading →
On a late September day I paddled around the lake twice, then secured the boat and went for a short exploratory walk along the lakeshore. Fall was well-established at this elevation, with late flowers and berries somewhat scarce after a … Continue reading →
