In mid-April we hiked trails above the Salmon Arm of Shuswap Lake, first up the Sunnybrae Bluffs Trail, then on the Reinecker Creek Trails in Herald Provincial Park. Some of the trails were on south-facing slopes and some were in the forest. Along the way, we stopped to enjoy flowering plants, and we spotted some other plants to photograph, … Continue reading →
On a warm spring day we drove to Vernon and then to the Cosens Bay Trailhead in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. We hiked the Coming Around the Mountain Trail and other trails in an 11 km loop. There were many early spring flowering plants along the route and we took some photos along the way. Included here are … Continue reading →
On two hikes in mid-April, I spotted a number of emerging wildflowers, but also flowering shrubs and lichens along the trails. Shared here are saskatoon (Amelanchier sp.), arrow-leaved balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), wax currant (Ribes cereum), lemonweed (Lithosspermum ruderale), woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum), hawkweed (Hieracium sp.), wolf lichen (Letharia vulpina), Beckwith’s milkvetch (Astralagus beckwithii), narrow-leaved desert-parsley (Lomatium triternatum), and cutleaf fleabane … Continue reading →
We camped, hiked, kayaked, and explored New Zealand for a month. We completed two of the Great Treks and we visited a number of remote spots. We liked NZ a lot and we hope to return. There were many photos taken, and only a few are shared here, mostly of plants spotted while hiking the trails. Shared here … Continue reading →
We stayed on Denman Island in the spring to explore the island, mostly by hiking, walking, kayaking, and exploring. Each day we would stop along the trails and routes to enjoy the spring wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and flowering trees that we encountered in this Pacific Northwest – Gulf Islands climate/ecosystem. Some of the photos shared here include Pacific Trillium (Trillium … Continue reading →
We hiked trails in the arid scablands of Central Washington in spring. For two weeks, we hiked a different trail each day and camped in several Washington State Parks. There were a variety of habitats varying from grasslands to desert-like terrain, open steppes, wetlands, and open forests. We saw many wildflowers along the way and a few are … Continue reading →
On a hot summer day at the end of August I hiked through the grasslands and the forested hills on the north side of Lac du Bois. Some of the route was on trails, but a longer section was cross-country or on grown-in tracks. Along the way I observed some flowering plants and took some photos. Shared here are … Continue reading →
Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) is a native evergreen perennial found in our mid-elevation to sub-alpine forests. It has a woody base and spreads by rhizomes. A whorl of 4 – 7 leaves grows at the tops of stems. The leaves have parallel veins and are shaped somewhere from oval to elliptical. The undersides are whitish. An inflorescence … Continue reading →
On a hot summer day a paddle and hike combination in Tunkwa Lake Park was the plan. An early start helped as I paddled around the lake. After securing the boat, I put on hiking shoes to hike the Leighton Lake trail. Much of the route is through grasslands and open terrain, with a short section through … Continue reading →
On a summer morning I drove up the Lac le Jeune Road, then turned onto the Timber Lake forest Service Road. I parked near a side road and hiked up through the hills on double tracks, first to Tower Hill and out to viewpoints, then up secondary roads which wound through the Interior Plateau douglas fir forests at an … Continue reading →
