On a sunny mid-October day I hiked on the slopes of Greenstone Mountain. Much of the area had been burned in the 1998 fire, but some areas had regenerative growht and some had been replanted. The hike was fairly open … Continue reading →
Valerian (Valeriana sitchensis) is a perennial that we most often see in subalpine locations in wet meadows, on snowmelt slopes, or in wet openings in forests. Valerian grows up with a stout stem from thick rhizomes. Leaves grow in pairs … Continue reading →
We hiked to the top of Zoa Peak in Coquihalla Summit Provincial Park. After a long, hot, dry summer, most wildflowers and flowering shrubs had already produced seed, but a few still provided some fall color. Near the start were … Continue reading →
A summer of extended dry, hot weather withered most wildflowers to dormancy, but the floodlands near Cooney Bay remained wet through much of summer. A few wildflowers can be spotted along the river shore near Kamloops Lake. Click an image … Continue reading →
On the Fall Equinox many of the featured perennials and annuals were still flowering in the garden. Can you identify the flowers? Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption (ID). How did you do with the first … Continue reading →
In mid-summer there were hot days and smoky skies, but I paddled on Jacko Lake and made some stops along the rough road. Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) was in bloom and ants were busy cultivating aphids. On the lake were … Continue reading →
The pussytoes (Antennaria sp.) group are perennials that have clusters of flowering heads on unbranched stems. The flowers are often hard to distinguish, except for rosy pussytoes. Most have basal leaves and many species are mat-forming. Rosy Pussytoes (Antennaria rosa): … Continue reading →
We hiked across former trails on the Bonaparte Plateau, now burned by the Sparks Lake Fire of 2021. Some areas were barren, some have healthy succession growth, and some were untouched by the fire, but the effects of a long, … Continue reading →
A hot and dry summer moved most wildflowers and flowering shrubs into seed production earlier than expected. Berries and capsules were more common than flowers on the Stake Lake Trails. Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a low-growing perennial which produces white … Continue reading →
As summer winds down, some of the stars of the perennial bed and the rockeries are still “showing off.” In a south facing rockery Okanogan fameflower (Talinum sedforme) produced small white flowers for a month, only opening on sunny … Continue reading →
Glimpse Lake is located in the forest just above the grasslands on the Douglas Plateau. There are large areas of shallow water in the lake and aquatic plants grow and then flower in summer. Bladderwort (Utricularia macrorhiza) is a floating … Continue reading →
During the hot days of August, the perennial beds are at their height. Some of the perennials that are featured here include Cupid’s-dart (Catananche caerulea), daylilies, perennial phlox, balloonflower, Gaillardia (blanketflower), Heliopsis (false sunflower), Crocosmia, tall hollyhocks, and Clematis. Click … Continue reading →