Learn about bioblitzes, rare plants, and BC plant diversity at our October general meeting

Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the public to CVN’s October general meeting. where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker:

Title: Bioblitzes and rare plants: Keeping current on BC plant diversity
Speaker: Dr. Gerry Allen
Date: Sunday, October 26, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

Trillium hibbersonii
(Photo: Ian Cruickshank, CC-BY-NC-iNaturalist-Apr-2023)

BC has the highest plant diversity in Canada due to the high diversity of ecosystems. The BC Conservation Data Centre maintains a complete and regularly revised list of all plant species in the province (whether common or rare, native or not). However, we want to know more than just the list. Where are species found? In what habitats? Are they getting more common or less? Bioblitzes (concentrated searches for species in a particular time and place) provide new information, especially for less well-known groups like mosses and lichens. Dr. Allen will describe some plant biodiversity results from recent bioblitzes on Calvert and Quadra islands. She will also discuss rare species, which typically require more targeted searches. An example is the discovery of many new populations of the currently threatened Hibberson’s trillium (Trillium hibbersonii). Continuing field observations by knowledgeable observers are an essential part of these discoveries and are critical to keeping diversity assessments current.

About the speaker

Dr. Gerry Allen is a retired professor of biology but continues working on a number of ongoing projects. Her research is broadly focused on the evolution, ecology and conservation biology of plants. Current and recent projects in her lab include the ecology of arctic-alpine plants, especially migration in response to postglacial climate change, and the reproductive ecology of rare plants. She was also the curator of the University of Victoria Herbarium for many years.

More about the meeting

This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person and videoconference). We encourage members and the public to attend the in-person meeting. Members (only) who cannot attend can participate via videoconference. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to members by email before the meeting.

After the keynote presentation there will be a break with coffee/tea, goodies and socializing, followed by the business part of the meeting. This consists mainly of brief reports from our interest groups and projects, an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.

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Recording for talk on a birding “big year”

Photo: Liam Ragan

Comox Valley Nature hosted the following presentation at our September 2025 general meeting:

Title: 2024 – A Big Year: One birder’s attempt to see more birds on Vancouver Island in a single year than ever before
Speaker: Liam Ragan (BC Nature and Rocky Point Bird Observatory)
Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025

If you missed this event or would like to see it again, a recording is available here (MP4, 107 MB if downloaded).

For more information about this talk, see the announcement in our earlier post.

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Learn about slime moulds of Strathcona Park

CVN members and the general public are invited to attend the following free online lecture hosted by the Strathcona Wilderness Institute, and facilitated by the Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists:

Title: Slime Moulds of Strathcona Provincial Park 2025
Speaker: Zeke Gilmour
Date: Monday, September 29, 2025
Time: 7:00 p.m. PT

See the registration link below.

This presentation will focus on the progress made in 2025 on studying and cataloging the slime moulds in Strathcona Park, including select species of interest and diversity projections for the future.

About the speaker

This summer, Zeke Gilmore was a Research Student at Strathcona Wilderness Institute.

Registration

“Seating capacity” for the talk is limited, and you need to register in advance. You can check the computer requirements for attendees here.

Register here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions for joining the webinar.

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Learn about the medicinal plants of Cumberland

The Cumberland Community Forest Society invites you to participate in an autumn herb walk to learn about the medicinal plants of Cumberland. Herbalist Amanda Howe will lead this fundraising event and donate all proceeds to CCFS to support their campaign to acquire and conserve the area known as Middle Earth.

Date: Sunday, September 28
Time: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: $30
Location: Cumberland trails (exact meeting place provided on registration)
Difficulty: We will be walking for 10 minutes on a logging road at the start to reach the access to the trails. These trails are not suitable for strollers.

REGISTER HERE

Middle Earth is the Cumberland Community Forest Society’s newest focus for acquisition. It is a beautiful, forested wetland corridor that offers refuge for species big and small. Amanda is excited to be leading a herb walk in this area and to introduce people to the wealth of medicinal plants growing there. The walk will take you through some of the trails that are closer to the village and and will be alive with the folklore and medicinal use of the plants and their connection with the land.

You will learn how to make simple and safe preparations with these plants to use in your
everyday life. Amanda will be sharing her 40 plus years experience as a herbalist immersed in the world of medicinal plants.

About the walk leader

Amanda Howe has been a herbalist for over forty years. She’s passionate about herbs and herbal medicine and about sharing the connection with the natural world that can be found through connecting with and learning about the healing power of plants. She trained in England in the early 1980s and became a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK). She went on to receive her MSc in Herbal Medicine from the University of Wales. Amanda teaches in the Pacific Rim College Herbal Practitioner program in Victoria, BC. She also teaches workshops and classes from her home and garden in Cumberland, BC. Amanda loves to teach and is happiest when she is in the garden and forest teaching people how to grow, harvest, use and listen to the magic of the plants that are thriving there.

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Rotary Trail English ivy pull

Comox Valley Nature invites the community to participate in an invasive English ivy pull in the Dogwood Park/Rotary Trail area. The event will tentatively (depending on weather) be on September 27, from 1–4 p.m. We will meet at the 21st Street entrance to the trail, just off Piercy Avenue. 

Why is English ivy considered invasive?
According to the Invasive Species Council of BC, English ivy was intentionally introduced from its native range of Europe. It has since spread throughout rainforest understories, where it can grow as a dense mat that suppresses native plants or climbs up trees, reducing their lifespan and leaving them more susceptible to wind damage. 

Community action
Megan Ardyche had noticed ivy growing between her property on Piercy Ave. and the railroad tracks. Knowing it was invasive, she started removing it. Surprisingly, she found that pulling ivy can be very satisfying as it’s not deeply rooted.. 

Ms. Ardyche has been walking the Rotary Trail stretch between Cumberland Road and 26th Street for two years now. Over time, she has noticed a number of invasive plants growing along the Trail, primarily English ivy. The Rotary Trail in Courtenay is a gem worth protecting, as is the second-growth forest surrounding Dogwood Park. So, Ms. Ardyche contacted Comox Valley Nature to see what could be done about it. Karen Cummins from CV Nature, in turn, contacted the City of Courtenay as Dogwood is a City park. 

The result is an inaugural “Pulling Together” event, with the aim to pull as much English ivy (and potentially other invasives) as we can in one afternoon, from 14 p.m., on September 27 (again, depending on weather). Join us for one hour, two hours, or all three hours with friends and neighbours in what will be a “surprisingly satisfying” afternoon. 

Please pre-register by emailing . Pre-registration lets us know how many people to expect, and also allows us to notify you if the event is cancelled. Come for an hour, two hours, or all three hours. 

What to bring: your own garden gloves, as well as loppers, hand pruners or garden forks, if you have them. Also bring water. Please wear appropriate sturdy footwear. 

For a handy video on pulling ivy, go here.

We hope to see you there! 

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Hear about a birding “Big Year” at our next general meeting

Comox Valley Nature invites its members and the general public to CVN’s September general meeting. where you can hear the following keynote presentation by our guest speaker:

Title: 2024 – A Big Year: One birder’s attempt to see more birds on Vancouver Island in a single year than ever before
Speaker: Liam Ragan (BC Nature and Rocky Point Bird Observatory)
Date: Sunday, September 28, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m. PT
Location: Main hall of Comox United Church, 250 Beach Drive, Comox

About the speaker

Liam Ragan was originally from Vancouver but was raised in Nairobi and went to school in Montréal (BA from McGill in Anthropology and Environmental Studies) before moving to Vancouver Island in 2020. He has studied Community-Based Conservation and currently practises that as the BC Key Biodiversity Areas Manager for BC Nature.

In his free time, Liam volunteers on the Board of Rocky Point Bird Observatory and as RPBO’s First Nations Liaison. He is passionate about supporting communities stewarding nature, specifically to build relationships between naturalists and Indigenous communities.

Liam’s Big Year in 2024 was to raise funds for RPBO and raise awareness of conservation work being done on the island.

More about the meeting

This will be a hybrid meeting (in-person and videoconference). We encourage members and the general public to attend the in-person meeting. Members (only) who cannot attend can participate via videoconference. The link to join the Zoom meeting will be sent to members by email before the meeting.

After the keynote presentation there will be a break with coffee/tea, goodies and socializing, followed by the business part of the meeting. This consists mainly of brief reports from our interest groups and projects, an opportunity for guests to learn more about what we do.

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Community invited to celebrate Family Watershed Day

Join stewardship and streamkeeping groups from across the Comox Valley on Saturday September 20 from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. in Puntledge Park for Family Watershed Day!

This annual event celebrates the incredible work of local organizations, highlights stewardship and restoration projects, and helps build connections to the waterways of our community. From the Vancouver Island mountains and Comox Lake, through the rivers, creeks and wetlands of the Comox Valley, and down to the shores of the Salish Sea, water connects us all.

Activities will include guided walks of Puntledge Park, demonstrations and information from local groups, and kids’ activities including face painting, book readings, watercolour painting, music and a family scavenger hunt. Attendees will learn about restoration initiatives, land protection projects, research and monitoring programs, salmon enhancement, source-to-tap drinking water education, the science of watershed protection, and cool volunteer opportunities.

This year’s event also features a day-long participatory art project facilitated by Juliana Bedoya of “Plants as Teachers”, all about how we are Connected by Water.

For a detailed schedule of activities, visit the facebook event here.

Participating organizations include Project Watershed, Cumberland Community Forest Society, Beaufort Watershed Stewards, Comox Valley Regional District (Watershed Protection), Comox Valley Naturalists Society, Millard Piercy Watershed Stewards, Tsolum River Restoration Society, Comox Valley Land Trust and Conservation Partnership, Courtenay Youth Climate Corps BC, Morrison Creek Streamkeepers, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and Little River Enhancement Society.

Family Watershed Day aims to build connections between residents of all ages and the special community organizations who care for our watershed in so many ways. Pack a picnic and stay for the day!

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Botany at Paradise Meadows, August 2025

On August 9, a small contingent (two leaders and one member) from the Botany Group enjoyed a mid- to late-summer field trip to Paradise Meadows. This subalpine environment (elevation 1200 m) offers many plants different from those at lower levels. At this point in the season, a good number of plants were still flowering, but attention was also given to identification using leaves, fruits, branching patterns, and general habit where flowering was finished. We also considered distinctions between some related species—for example, subalpine fir vs. amabilis fir, slender rein orchid vs. fragrant white rein orchid, and dwarf blueberry vs. bog blueberry. And we studied the characteristics of many other plants in the varied habitats of the Meadows.

Co-leader Véronique has again provided us with a photographic guide to many of the observed species. You can download the guide here (PDF, 7.4 MB).

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

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Botany at Thames Creek, June 2025

On their first trip (at least in recent years) to Thames Creek near Bowser on June 3, repeated with public participation on June 14, the Botany Group enjoyed exploring the variety of habitats in the area. The presence of old-growth conifers mixed with deciduous trees that open up the canopy was particularly impressive.

Co-leader Véronique has prepared a photographic identification guide to some of the species observed, using her own photos. You can download the guide here (PDF, 6.7 MB).

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

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Botany at the Airpark, May 2025

Botany Group members enjoyed a field trip to the Courtenay Airpark on May 6 (repeated with public participation on May 10). With the (perhaps surprising) diversity of plants at this urban location, there was much to see, ranging from algae to oaks.

Be sure to check out co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species observed in the varying habitats at the Airpark on these outings. The guide is based on her own photographs and research. You can download the guide here (PDF, 4.8 MB).

Here’s a selection of photos from the guide [click a photo to see the whole image]:

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