You’ve read about the nominated trees here, and you’ve toured at least some of the trees using maps available here, so now it’s time to vote!
Please vote only once.
The last day on which you can vote is June 1, 2022.
Here’s a small sample of the 36 trees nominated this year [click a photo to enlarge it]:
Many CVN members want their gardens to attract pollinators, and carefully select native plants for this purpose. But how much do we know about the pollinators themselves?
As a joint project, the Environmental Youth Alliance and an organization named Border Free Bees prepared a booklet in 2017 to educate the public about insect pollinators:
Common Pollinators of British Columbia: A Visual Identification Guide
This booklet is a useful introductory guide in PDF form that you can download for free and use to learn about the different groups of insect pollinators: honey bees, bumble bees, other bees, hover flies, butterflies, and wasps.
It begins with some general information, including a diagram of basic insect anatomy. Then the section for each of the six groups of insects covered also has a diagram, followed by clear labelled photos of a few examples from the group.
This is not a field guide, but it’s a fun way to enhance your knowledge of the insect pollinators that visit the flowers in gardens and in the wild. For those who want to identify the insects more specifically, this guide can lead beginners to the correct section of their detailed field guides.
From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on May 14.
Last Monday (May 9) we enjoyed a rare sunny day at Kin Beach Provincial Park. There were lots of plants in bloom. Special thanks to Helen R. for helping lead the group, and for showing us a secret patch of camas!
Though we had our heads down looking at plants most of the time, the birders in our group noticed a pairing of American Kestrels atop a Douglas-fir tree! This was a highlight. Thanks to Kim D. for passing along the falcon pics.
Here are a few photos from this outing (click a photo to enlarge it):
The Botany Group recently had a quiz based on these photos of spring blooms by John B. Here we include the answers with the photos. Click a photo to enlarge it.
From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on April 26.
Last weekend I took my kids for a hike on the Ripple Rock Trail (trailhead is about a 15 minute drive north of Campbell River). This is about an 8 km hike return. You can find out more about the Ripple Rock Trail on the Recreation Sites and Trails BC website, where you can download a Visitors Map and Guide brochure.
The trail has exploded in popularity in recent years…which raises concerns about the delicate flora and vernal pools around the viewpoint area, which gets a lot of people and dog traffic.
There were birds and plants galore…much more interesting than the viewpoint, though the swirling whirlpools of Seymour Narrows are always impressive!
There is an interesting mix of habitats on this trail, including some lush riparian/floodplain, mixed forest and drier, mossy bluffs. Camas is in bud near the lookout.
Here are a few highlights [click a photo to enlarge it]:
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