Comox Valley Nature

From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on March 30.

I’m sure you are all as glad as I am to see the first wildflowers of spring! Here are some highlights from a walk along Campbell River’s scenic Canyon Trail. [Click a photo to enlarge it.]

1. Skunk cabbage or swamp lantern (Lysichiton americanum). You all know this one, but isn’t it impressive? Be sure to stop and admire it, and take in the scent of spring!

2. Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). Crinkly pink-petalled flowers appear at the tips of shoots, before the leaves.

3. Western sweet coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus). A lovely, though often overlooked plant that grows in wet places and roadside ditches.

4. Pink fawn lily (Erythronium revolutum). The dappled leaves of the fawn lily are just as attractive as the nodding flowers. Pink fawn lilies flourish along the river floodplain.

5. Red elderberry (Sambucus racemosa). Though not in bloom yet, red elderberry puts out twinned green shoots that are quite advanced compared to other shrubs. 

From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on March 1.

While going through some books I came across a copy of Randy Stoltman’s classic Hiking Guide to the Big Trees of Southwestern British Columbia from the early 1990s. Stoltman was an advocate for BC’s forests and the protection of old growth, and he started BC’s big tree registry, which is now managed by UBC. Tragically, Stoltman lost his life while on a ski trip in 1994.

The current registry includes a list of “champion trees,” which are the largest trees of each species determined by a score based on height, diameter and crown. The registry also has listings of many additional big trees, and anyone can nominate a tree. Unfortunately, the registry does not mean that any of these trees are protected. You can check out the registry here.

I had big trees on my mind while taking a walk in Miracle Beach Provincial Park on the weekend. I got the kids involved, and we identified the 5 largest Douglas-firs in the park. Some of these rare old growth firs escaped logging, and also the devastating fire of 1938 which swept through much of the Black Creek and Merville area. [See photos at right and below.]

Just for fun, we measured the DBH (diameter breast height) of each of these top 5 and the winner was the large fir that stands right at the campground entrance, at 2.06 metres. Interestingly, there is a fir in Kitty Coleman Provincial Park in the big tree registry that is 2.75 metres. The largest Douglas fir in BC is the Red Creek fir in the Port Renfrew area, with a whopping DBH of 4.23 metres.

 Looking at things from an arboreal perspective, it hits home just how much old growth forest we have lost and continue to lose on Vancouver Island. Photographer TJ Watt captured some before and after images of logging in the Caycuse watershed in 2020 which have received international attention. Here is an article about it in the Narwahl, This is just one example of what is happening to the last remnants of old growth forest. Around 9000-10,000 hectares of old growth forest continue to be logged each year on Vancouver Island, and many of the big trees chronicled in Stoltman’s book are long gone.

The Ancient Forest Alliance  and Western Wilderness Committee  are good sources of information on what’s really going on in the woods, and how one can take action. The AFA also has some inspiring short videos here.

Here are a few more photos of the big trees of Miracle Beach Park. Though they aren’t going to be contenders as “champions” they are certainly impressive in their own right! [Click a photo to enlarge it.]

From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on March 6.

Well, it is only early March, but a few tiny (and mostly weedy) species are already in bloom, shivering in the cold wind.

Here are a few things from Kin Beach Park in Comox [click a photo to enlarge it]. There should be some more early bloomers (blue-eyed Mary and such) coming along soon.

Helen reports that there are no gold stars (Crocidium multicaule) in bloom at Point Holmes yet, where they usually appear. The earliest blooming gold stars that Helen has on record are from February 22.

1. The diminutive common whitlow-grass (Draba verna) is one of the first spring blooms. Note the seed capsules (silicles) at the top of the photo.

2. Chickweed (Stellaria media), a commonplace garden weed, but good in salads if you have enough of it.

3. Red deadnettle (Lamium purpureum). This small member of the mint family is edible, and tastes like spinach though the leaves are a bit hairy.

4. Bittercress sp. in the genus Cardamine. I didn’t look too closely at it, but likely it is C. oliogosperma or C. hirsuta. C. oligosperma is a rhizomatous perennial, whereas C. hirsuta is a taprooted annual with hairier leaves. According to iNaturalist, C. hirsuta is more common in our area. It’s good tossed in a salad, and the taste has a nice peppery kick, as expected from a member of the mustard family.

5. The English daisy (Bellis perennis). Not native to these parts, but a charming addition to the lawn where, thankfully, it usually stays.

6. Miner’s lettuce (Claytonia perfoliata), though not in bloom yet, the new green leaves huddling under the firs are a welcome sight. A nice lettuce-like edible, but don’t tell anyone, since the remaining habitat for this plant is scarce. Keep your sampling minimal!