2022 CVN Tree of the Year announced!

Posted on June 21, 2022 by web_admin

By Karen Cummins. Updated 2022-07-15 to add link to Kerri Scott’s podcast.

2022 Tree of the Year

Tree #13, a Garry oak located at 3015 Glacier View Rd. in Courtenay, amassed the most votes in the 2022 Tree of the Year event. The nominator was property owner Ruth Barry. It is a beautiful tree that has been lovingly protected and appreciated for a very long time.

The nominator of the winning tree receives a gift bag or basket consisting (mostly) of consumable treats. They also have the privilege of having an original tree painting in their home for the coming year. This year, Ruth will soon be moving to England so she has requested that the loan of the painting go to the nominator of the second place tree. Tree #5 Douglas fir at Kin Beach nominated by Bev Wolsey was second, so Bev will be the custodian of the painting until next year’s contest.

Nominator Ruth Barry and husband Jerry Van (with prize bag) at the winning tree
Ruth and Jerry with the painting

To hear more of the story of this tree, listen to Kerri Scott’s podcast.

Following close behind, in order, were:

  • #5 Douglas fir at Kin Beach
  • #2 Dawn redwood on Pritchard St. in Comox
  • #20 Douglas fir on the bluffs near Connemara in Comox
  • #9 Garry oak on Grieve Rd.
  • In a three-way tie for 6th place were #10 Apple in Courtenay, #32 Lazo Garry oaks, and #27 Garry oak on Ryan Rd.

We have had a lot of positive feedback about the number and diversity of the trees that were nominated this year as well as the pleasure of reading their stories followed by touring to see and appreciate the trees where they live. These are the goals of the event and it is both the people who nominate the trees and the people who tour and vote for their favourite that make it happen.

What we also heard was that it was very difficult to vote in favour of just one tree. All the trees are “winners”! The descriptions of the nominated trees and the tour maps will stay on the CVN website so that the stories can be shared and the trees toured throughout the year.

Our Tree of the Year Committee would be happy to hear any feedback CVN members wish to share to keep improving this event in the future.

For more information:

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Intertidal life at Willow Point Reef

Posted on June 8, 2022 by web_admin

Trip report provided by Kathleen W. with photos by Barbara N.

On May 18, despite a dismal weather forecast, 13 Shoreline Group members joined our enthusiastic trip leader Sandra Milligan for a productive low tide outing at Willow Point Reef, south of Campbell River. Sandra is a Biology instructor at North Island College, and a well-known participant in environmental activities in Campbell River. She previously led us on an outing to this location in 2019, and we were keen to revisit the area. This was the first in-person activity of our group in over two years.

We saw no nudibranchs this time, and fewer numbers of sea urchins, sea stars and anemones compared to our previous outing there, but several species of algae, bivalves, and gastropods were abundant. Here are photos of a few of the species seen [click a photo to enlarge it]:

Giant red sea urchin
Gumboot chiton
Leather star

Here is a species list (as a PDF file to download) compiled from observations provided to me by several of the participants.

Many thanks to Sandra, and our knowledgeable facilitators Ian G., Robin H. and John N. for their help with identifications, and to Kelly K. and Judy C. for help with the COVID protocol.

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More fabulous plants!

Posted on June 1, 2022 by web_admin

From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on May 25.

Here are a few examples of our amazing local flora, courtesy of John B., with some habitat notes [click a photo to enlarge it]:

  1. Small-flowered woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum): meadows, bluffs
  1. Pink twink (Microsteris gracilis): gravelly/sandy
  1. Yellow sand verbena (Abronia latifolia): dunes, sandy upper beach
  1. Pale spring-beauty (Claytonia exigua): dunes, sandy upper beach
  1. Changing forget-me-not (Myosotis discolor): introduced, but has pretty 2-toned flowers
  1. Deltoid balsamroot (Balsamorhiza deltoidea): sparse at Oyster Bay and Campbell River estuary; red-listed (imperiled) in BC
  1. Paintbrush (Castilleja sp., maybe C. miniata or one of them-there paintbrushes): lots of different habitats, often on bluffs
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Identifying insect pollinators: a visual guide

Posted on May 17, 2022 by web_admin
Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii). Photo by Kevin Cole from Pacific Coast, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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.

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Kin Beach botany walk

Posted on May 15, 2022 by web_admin

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):

  1. Menzies’ larkspur (Delphinium menziesii)
  1. Western buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis)
  1. Small-flowered woodland star (Lithophragma parviflorum)
  1. Barestem desert parsley, also known as barestem biscuitroot, and formerly as Indian consumption plant (Lomatium nudicaule)
  1. Small camas (Camassia quamash)
  1. Streambank springbeauty (Claytonia parviflora): the most uncommon of 5 species of miners’ lettuce that are found in Kin Beach park!
  1. Coastal mugwort (Artemisia suksdorfii)
  1. Botany Group in action!
  1. American Kestrel pair (Falco sparverius). Photos courtesy Kim D.
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Spring beauties

Posted on May 14, 2022 by web_admin

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.

  1. A closeup of red elderberry flowers (Sambucus racemosa)
  1. Hooker’s fairybells (Prosartes hookeri) — formerly Disporum hookeri
  1. Western wild ginger (Asarum caudatum)
  1. Male flowers of western meadow-rue (Thalictrum occidentale)
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Ripple Rock Trail: Botany highlights

Posted on April 27, 2022 by web_admin

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]:

  1. Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis): a nice patch just coming into bloom along the bluff edge.
  1. Wingstem monkeyflower (Erythranthe alsinoides): a common flower in bluff nooks. 
  1. Maidenhair spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes): a lovely little fern, also common on the bluffs.
  1. White fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum): in pockets along the bluff edge.
  1. Siberian miner’s lettuce (Claytonia siberica): leaves looking more reddish than usual here…maybe something to do with the drier bluff habitat, or light conditions?
  1. Chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis): so well camouflaged.
  1. Spring orange-peel fungus (Caloscypha fulgens): This orange cup fungus has a blue-green outer surface that contrasts nicely with the hot-orange interior colour.
  1. Fertile shoots of the giant horsetail (Equisetum telmateia): rising out of the ditches.
  1. Pink fawn lily (Erythronium revolutum): Great displays along the floodplain. I notice that the fawn lilies in the Campbell River area seem to have a deeper pink colour than the Courtenay ones. The Canyon trail can be spectacular for these also.
  1. Seymour Narrows and Quadra Island view from the lookout.
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Plants from Ships Point & Fanny Bay Conservation Area

Posted on April 18, 2022 by web_admin

From notes and photos by Alison M. distributed to the Botany Group on April 18.

[Click a photo to enlarge it.]

Ships Point Park

  1. Last Saturday (April 9th) in the warm sun at Ships Point Park, where there are a few Garry oaks amongst the conifers, the Garry oak ecosystem plants were just beginning to bloom, though the oaks themselves are still in bud. This tiny park is well worth a visit in spring.

The Garry oaks are the same genetic strain as the ones in Helliwell Provincial Park, and are related to the populations in Redding, California.

  1. Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
  1. White fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum)
  1. Checker lily (Fritillaria affinis)
  1. Purple lamium, a non-native plant (Lamium purpureum)

Fanny Bay Conservation Area

Over on the Fanny Bay side, along the dyke in the Conservation Area, there is still a lot of water lying.

  1. The swamp lantern (Lysichiton americanus) was in its element: …
  1. …the mosses, lichens, and the lichenizing shroom lichen agaric (Lichenomphalia umbellifera)…
  1. …which were thriving on a fallen cedar.
  1. Because of the wind the blooms from the huge broadleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum) were scattered along the path.
  1. Also noteworthy were enormous flowers on the salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), which defied proper focus in the wind.
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Vote for Tree of the Year 2022

Posted on April 18, 2022 by web_admin

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!

Vote here

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]:

A Garry oak
A Douglas fir
A grand fir
A Sitka spruce
A cascara
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Tour the nominees for Tree of the Year 2022

Posted on April 18, 2022 by web_admin
Last year’s winner – a western yew in Cumberland Forest

The nomination period for CVN’s 2022 Tree of the Year contest ended on April 1. The voting period is now open and runs until June 1.

We encourage everybody to go out and experience these beautiful and important trees first-hand. See the post with descriptions and photos of all the 2022 nominees.

Be sure to come back to vote for your favourite tree. Watch for a subsequent blog post for access to the voting form. Or if you’re ready to vote now, you can go directly to the voting page.

Maps of tree locations

We have a lot of nominees (36), so we have organized them into 10 suggested tours to facilitate visiting them efficiently.

Use these online maps at the Plot a Route website to find all the nominees.

We are very grateful this year to Roger Chayer for all his work in preparing these maps.

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