Strathcona Wilderness Institute is hosting a one-day Mycology Workshop on Saturday, September 19, 8:30 a.m. till 5:00 p.m., in the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre located at the Paradise Meadows trailhead in Strathcona Park. The SPWC is adjacent to the Raven Lodge on Mt. Washington.

For interested participants, the workshop is complemented with an optional one-day hike into the spectacular old–growth Divers Lake area on Sunday, September 20 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

The workshop consists of basic and advanced presentations on mushroom ecology, morphology and identification by some of Vancouver Island’s best-known mycologists, followed by in-class hands-on ID sessions and short field trips into Paradise Meadows and beyond.

For registration details and more about the expert team of presenters, download SWI’s information sheet.

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I made a very short PowerPoint from the Mount Washington outing we did July 7 under Martin Dollenkamp’s leadership. He is a first class entomologist and regaled us with all sorts of tidbits on butterfly habits.

The highlight was the mating hydaspe fritillaria couple with a third one trying repeatedly to force himself on the mating couple.

The many flowering sub-alpine flowers were a bonus.

Nice views and weather helped make the day a great success. All our thanks to Martin for donating his time to share something close to his heart with us.

Download the slides here (PDF, 2.1 MB), and see a selection of the photos below.

The post Entomology and botany at Mt. Washington, July 2026 appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

Title: From the Salish Sea to Paradise Meadows: exploring flora, habitats, and communities
Leaders: Mary Sanseverino and Loys Maingon
When: Sunday, June 28, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Strathcona Provincial Park
Participant limit: 20
To register: Email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Registration Fee: $15 (adult); $10 (student / volunteer)

Join photographer Mary Sanseverino and SWI research director Loys Maingon, together with local botanists, for a day of exploring the amazing flora from VI’s east coast to the mountains of Strathcona Park. The day will also be an homage to ecologist Dr. Hans Roemer, who passed away earlier this year. We will use his method of presenting plant diversity in defined communities as a guide to developing a greater understanding of plant ecology in both Paradise Meadows and lower down in the Comox Valley.

The day will be a mix of classroom instruction in the morning and fieldwork in Paradise Meadows in the afternoon. Everyone is welcome! The only prerequisite is a curious mind. We think there will be something here for beginners and experts alike.

The morning session will consist of two slide presentations—Loys, revealing “All You Wanted to Know About Plants but Were Afraid to Ask,” followed by Mary, featuring Native Plants of BC’s Coastal Dry Belt, which she co-authored with Hans Roemer. The group will then turn to a Q&A session with the presenters to discuss the issues raised.

After a lunch break, we will venture out to examine plant diversity within the subalpine meadow ecosystems of Paradise Meadows.

For more details

Download SWI’s notice.

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The Botany Group visited Bear Creek Nature Park on March 3. The focus was on the plants and plant communities of a beautiful second growth bigleaf maple and conifers forest. The walk included a short floodplain section and a very dry little plateau. As in other recent outings, many of the observations were of mosses, liverworts and lichens, but the group also looked for early signs of spring among the vascular plants..

You can download co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species seen on this trip here (PDF, 12.6 MB).

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

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Members of the Botany Group enjoyed a field trip to the Nymph Falls trails along the Puntledge River on February 3. The trip was repeated on February 7 with an invitation for public participation.

In the mild winter conditions (no snow), the group studied various plant communities in the area which consists mainly of second-growth Douglas-fir and western redcedar forest. The focus was mainly on the many mosses and lichens to be seen on living trees, the forest floor, and on stumps and logs. A few forbs, fungi and slime molds were also observed.

You can download co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species seen on this trip here (PDF, 10.2 MB).

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

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A small contingent of botany enthusiasts enjoyed an outing on the trails adjacent to the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds (a.k.a. the Tsolum River flats) on January 13, 2026. The main focus was on the mosses, which are beautiful at this time of year, but other features of the area were also observed—trees and shrubs, identified by their shapes and other winter characteristics; liverworts; and a small number of fungi.

Véronique, the co-leader of the Botany Group, has again prepared a photographic guide to many of the species seen. You can download the guide here (PDF, 5.1 MB).

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

The post Botany at the Exhibition Grounds, January 2026 appeared first on Comox Valley Nature.

On December 2, the Botany Group met at Kitty Coleman Provincial Park to explore both a typical Douglas-fir forest and the estuary at this coastal location. The focus was on the lush mosses and on signs of both winter setting in (but with no snow yet) and optimistic preparations for spring. The group also looked at ways to identify trees without their leaves and at a few fungi, lichens, and slime molds. The trip was repeated on December 6.

You can download co-leader Véronique’s photographic guide to many of the species seen on this trip here (PDF, 12.9 MB).

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

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