Catching up with communications in the Botany Group during July. This is from an email from Jocie to the group on July 2.
Here’s a message from John B. about some yellow flowers he found on Quadra Island:
“Three yellow beauties from a bog on Quadra yesterday….All common, but not to be ignored.”
One is nodding beggaritcks, Bidens cernua. There was a huge bank of it.
The second is (I think) Hieracium pilosella???
And the third is lesser spearwort (Ranunculus flammula).
From an email by Jocie to members of the Botany Group on June 27.
A winding boardwalk, edged with lush salal and huge, shiny skunk cabbage leaves, leads to a small bog, known as the “Puntledge Bog” on the east side of the upper Puntledge River. A bench offers a place to contemplate this special place. There are stunted pines, and shrubs such as cascara, black twinberry, and sweet gale, as well as many small plants tucked in mats of red and gold sphagnum moss.
Bogs form in wet places that have poor drainage, leading to deep accumulations of sphagnum moss or peat. Due to highly acidic and nutrient-poor conditions, many plants and trees are not able to survive in a bog. However, other plants thrive under these conditions, and bogs are home to many interesting and unusual plants.
Bogs act like a filter to purify water, and they also trap and store significant amounts of carbon. Conservation of bogs is extremely important, and integral to the health of the wetlands that connect to our watershed.
Here are a few botanical highlights from the bog in June:
1. Labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum) is a common bog shrub with attractive round clusters of white blooms. The leaves have wooly, rusty hairs beneath and were traditionally used to make medicinal tea.
2. Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) is an insectivorous plant with round leaves that are fringed with dew-tipped hairs.
3. Arctic starflower (Trientalis europaea) has beautiful star-shaped, pure white flowers.
4. Bog cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus) has runners that criss-cross over the sphagnum moss. In the spring they have a lovely, inverted pink flower which later develops into plumb cranberry.
5. Slender rein orchid (Platanthera stricta) grows right along the boardwalk but is easily missed due to the green colour of the flowers. Miniature orchid flowers bloom along the tall, slender stems.
6. Chamisso’s cotton-grass (Eriophorum chamissonis) is a sedge with rusty-blond, fluffy seed heads that were called “eagle down” by some First Nations groups.
The Puntledge Bog isn’t on a map, but it can be easily accessed from Comox Lake Main Rd. The trailhead, on the east side of the river, is just before the bridge that leads to the dam parking and picnic area. It is an easy, flat trail downstream along the river and about a kilometre to the bog.
The upper Puntledge River has an extensive trail system with hiking, biking and multi-use trails. For more information, check out our online nature viewing guide. Information is also available on the BC Hydro website.
The 2020 winner of our $1000 Bursary Award is Anja Leikermoser, who is enrolled at Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School in the French Immersion program and will be graduating this spring. She has been accepted into the Science Program at UBC to study environmental sciences, but has also applied to the Applied Science-Engineering faculty at University of Victoria. She hopes to pursue a career developing green technology to help promote a more environmentally sustainable future, marine biology or aquaculture.
Anja’s environmental volunteer work includes participating in: habitat restoration and salmon re-location projects on the Puntledge and Tsolum Rivers, broombusting in several locations around the Comox Valley, local beach cleanups, and planning for an extensive beach cleanup of debris deposited by storms in Cape Scott (which had been scheduled for this spring).
In addition, Anja is a straight “A” student and was the top student in many of her courses throughout high school, including Sciences Naturelles. She has been a volunteer with her school’s Rotary Interact club since Grade 9, helping to raise funds for local Rotary projects supporting teens at risk; and improving school facilities and other services in Honduras. Outside of school she participates at an elite level in sailing, and coaches sailing and skiing. Her references speak very highly of her and describe her great work ethic, professionalism, dedication and perseverance, team spirit and natural leadership abilities.
Congratulations Anja, and we wish you much success in your studies and future endeavours!
This old news from last year is being added to complete our coverage of the TOTY contest.
In the second year of Comox Valley Nature’s Tree of the Year contest, the award went to a very large Garry oak (Quercus garryana) in the parking lot of the Comox Valley Sport Centre on Vanier Road. This majestic specimen is one of the few left after the Centre was constructed, and is surrounded by a small fence. This area possibly has the largest number of Garry oaks on public land in the Valley.
This tree was nominated by Annette Boulter, who remembers it from years as a student at nearby Georges P. Vanier Secondary School. CVN presented Annette with a gift basket at the general meeting in February of 2019.
From an email by Jocie to members of the Botany Group on June 10.
Here is a bit about honeysuckles, in the genus Lonicera, that are found in our area. Keep a lookout for Utah honeysuckle! Alison found it a few years ago in the McKenzie Lake area of Strathcona Park.
In June, growth and daylight come to a peak, and wild honeysuckle vines spill over the tops of shrubs and fir trees. This high-rigger of plants is quite an acrobat, twining up tree trunks, coiling around limbs, and sending out exploratory green shoots that dangle in the air.
Tucked in a bed of blue-green leaves, clusters of bright orange flowers appear, drawing the eye upward. Trumpet-shaped with a pool of nectar at the base, they attract hummingbirds and swallowtail butterflies.
The honeysuckle family, or Caprifoliaceae has around 890 species and 42 genera worldwide. The genus Lonicera is named after the German botanist Adam Lonitzer (1528-1586) and includes about 180 shrubs and vines found mainly in temperate zones of both hemispheres. Honeysuckles typically have opposite leaves, and a pair of leaves that are fused at the base to form a cup beneath the blooms (the botanical term for this is connate, if you care to know!). Flowers are tubular, and the plants produce inedible berries.
Look for these 4 species of honeysuckle (the most common ones) in the genus Lonicera that are found on Vancouver Island:
1. Orange honeysuckle, or western trumpet (Lonicera ciliosa) is found across southern BC, but is more common west of the Cascades. The species name ciliosa refers to hairs found along the leaf margins. Unlike the creamy white, scented blooms of the English honeysuckle or woodbine (Lonicera peridymenum) which are pollinated by moths at night, orange honeysuckle is unscented, due to the fact that it is primarily pollinated by hummingbirds which are attracted to bright colours rather than scent. Children of the Saanich first nation used to enjoy sucking the sweet nectar from the base of the flowers. I remember doing this too, while waiting for the school bus!
2. Purple honeysuckle, or hairy honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula) frequents drier habitats such as those found on Denman and Hornby Islands. The species name hispidula refers to the stiff bristles that are sometimes found on the stems. This is more of a crawling vine, and not as eye-catching as orange honeysuckle, though the purple flowers tinged with yellow are attractive in a subtler way.
3. Utah honeysuckle (Lonicera utahensis) is a more unusual species on Vancouver Island. It has been recorded from the Buttle Lake corridor and some of the mountains in Strathcona Park, and other scattered places on Vancouver Island. This one is easy to identify when in bloom, with twinned cream-coloured flowers that are followed by twin red berries (photo from Manning Park.)
4. Black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata) is a common shrub that likes to grow in moist habitats, often near streams and wetlands. It is the least honeysuckle-looking of this group of plants, as it is not a vine. It has distinctive twinned yellow flowers and shiny black berries that are quite bitter. Northwest coast peoples considered them inedible, and the Kwakwaka’wakw believed that eating the berries could cause loss of speech.
Domestic honeysuckles, introduced from Europe, are ubiquitous in local gardens. Some of these, such as Lonicera etrusca are quite aggressive, and have spread to wild areas on parts of Vancouver Island. Care must be taken to keep these species under control! (Photo from my patio: requires frequent heavy-handed pruning!)
From an email by Jocie to the Botany Group on June 9.
John B. took this spectacular photo of a “peloric foxglove.” This is a mutation where a bilaterally symmetrical flower (zygomorphic) mutates into a radially symmetrical flower (actinomorphic). It happens quite often with foxgloves apparently! Charles Darwin was the first to use the term “pelorism” for this phenomenon.
Karen Cummins contributed this article to encourage you to visit the trees nominated for Tree of the Year 2020.
Our family loves to cycle and it is our usual mode of transport whenever possible. For viewing special trees in our community, cycling just seems to be the natural way not only to see the nominated trees but to have an adventure in our rich urban and rural forests. If we notice some areas with not so many trees, that is also part of our awareness.
A Google map (see below, and download it here) is a great tool for laying out a cycle route. However, we would have made the following adjustments to the Google route using our local cycle and urban forest knowledge. We live in Comox so this route starts there. This would be a nice cycle outing for us. We would visit two more of the nominated trees, the Garry oak on Denman Island and the Douglas fir off of Aldergrove Drive, as separate trips. These are great days for slow travel, delaying gratification and being on the path, and not just aiming for a destination!
The first location for us is just down the hill from Comox on Comox Road at the Regional District Pump Station just next door to the Kus-kus-sum site. The Saskatoon tree that was nominated there beside the pumping station driveway has blue flagging tape to help locate it beside a large Sitka spruce. This is a much taller Saskatoon than we would normally see.
Continuing north along Comox Road and the Old Island Highway we head next to Headquarters Road, following it to the Piercy Road connector. Just over the new bridge at the Tsolum River and after crossing Dove Creek Road, look north in a field for the large Douglas fir nominated there. The Onnes Farm is across the road to the south.
Continue on Piercy to Condensory Road and turn left to return to downtown Courtenay and 580 Duncan Avenue. Look for the pomegranate tree on the 6th Street side of the Comox Valley Art Gallery just across from the library.
Continue up 6th Street to McPhee and turn left to find 780 McPhee (Little Sparks Daycare) and the northern catalpa nominated there.
Heading down McPhee to the Train Station on Cumberland Road, you can get onto the Rotary Trail. Take the trail and enjoy this wild forest in the city as far as Bill Moore Park and the crossing to 21st Street. Going west on 21st you will reach Willemar Avenue and turn right to find 1805 Willemar and the Pacific dogwood nominated there.
Return the way you came to Bill Moore Park and take the path to the left that will wind through to Dogwood Drive. Go left at Dogwood which will lead to 19th Street. Continue east on 19th for an easy crossing of Cliffe Avenue. and take the Courtenay Riverway trail from there south to the Courtenay Airpark. Look for the Rotary Skypark Playground where it meets the Courtenay Riverway Heritage Walk path. There are three Garry oaks planted there and the nominated Garry oak has its own sign. This tree was planted by CVN and Frank Hovenden in 1995.
The Courtenay Riverway path continues south as far as Millard Road where you will have to head to the Island Highway to keep going south. Taking a left off the highway onto Chinook, you will be able to catch the Royston Seaside Trail all the way to Marine Drive. This will take you to Greig Avenue on your right. It is a yellow cedar at 3964 Greig that is the last nominated tree for our cycle day.
If you are feeling strong though, continue on to the ferry to Denman Island, have a leisurely cruise and pay very little for it because you are cycling. After leaving the ferry on Denman, stay on Denman Road to Lacon Road and turn right, following Lacon to Hinton where you turn right again. Hinton will take you to a beach where you hike north to the first cabin and next to it is the nominated Garry oak.
Perhaps you live at the north end of Courtenay and it is easy for you to incorporate the tree near Aldergrove Drive. Follow your favourite cycle route to get you to Coleman Road off of the Island Highway. At the east end of Coleman Road turn left onto Aldergrove Drive and go to the end and park. Take the first walking path to the left (not towards the beach), past the yellow gate and signs noting that you are entering Kitty Coleman Beach Park and this trail will lead to the large nominated Douglas fir. You can’t miss it as it makes all the other large trees look like toothpicks!
Have fun and cycle safe! Let us know about your adventure.
Although there will be only one winner of the Tree of the Year contest, all the nominated trees have interest and value. The CVN Board suggests that members (in household groups only) get out and enjoy these trees as part of their nature activities this season.
Judy W. nominated this yellow cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis, formerly Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) in Royston. The seedling was collected by Ted Grieg and planted outside their house when their son Jim went away to WW II.
Murray L. nominated a Saskatoon berry (Amelanchier alnifolia) that lives near the estuary pump station on Kus-Kus-Sum. It is one of the largest Saskatoon berry trees he has seen.
Steph N. nominated this Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides) on McPhee Road.
Luise H. and David I. nominated a very large Garry oak (Quercus garryana)on Denman Island. The girth of this tree is about 3.2 metres.
Suzanne G. nominated this highly visible dogwood tree (Cornus sp. ) on Willemar Avenue.
Pat F. nominated a large Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) that is just over the Tsolum River on the connector heading north, after Onnes Farm.
Joy D. nominated a yellow cedar tree as well, this one up in Paradise Meadows. Joy reports that the tree served as a growth gauge for David.
Karen F. nominated a very large Douglas fir at the east end of Kitty Coleman Beach Park that is listed on the BC Parks website as being a special feature.
Loys M. nominated a pomegranate tree (Punica granatum) spotted by Randal M. in downtown Courtenay on 6th St. outside the Comox Valley Art Gallery.
Karen C. nominated the Garry oak that was planted by Comox Valley Nature and Frank H. at the Airpark in Courtenay in 1995.
Jocie passed along these additional photos and notes from John B. to the Botany Group on June 2.
The beautiful coastal woodfern (Dryopteris arguta) is blue-listed and grows on my friend’s cliffs on Denman Island.
Hairy honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula) is showing at several beach sites.
Menzies’ larkspur (Delphinium menziesii) is from Williams Beach.
And these other three delights were just asking to be photographed:
Deltoid balsamroot (Balsamorhiza deltoidea) from Oyster Bay.
[And from a previous communication, John noted wryly:] One of the “easily seen” deltoid balsamroot plants at Oyster Bay is in full beautiful bloom, though for how much longer with the re-emergence of clodhoppers and RVs I hate to guess. The other 3 “easily seen” plants have all had their flowers CUT OFF. Perhaps for dashboard or mantelpiece decoration.
[Note that this is a red-listed species in BC.]
I was intrigued to find the wonderfully camouflaged insect in the fringecup (Tellima grandiflora). Did not see it when I took the pic.
Lastly, is false bugbane (Trautvetteria caroliniensis).
From an email by Jocie B. to members of the Botany Group on May 30.
John B. sent in these great photos of more outstanding estuary blooms. I’m not sure if these are blooming yet so if you want to go looking you might want to wait for a while. Note that the traveler’s joy (Clematis vitalba), though pretty, is an introduced species. Here are John’s notes on where you can find them:
There is a lot of Henderson’s checker-mallow in front of the Rotary lookout. Easiest access is down through the vegetation at the right corner of the lookout, but left corner has some good plants too.
The traveler’s joy is right by the roadside path at the corner where Lewis park sort of becomes Headquarters R0ad.
The beggarticks (including the rare Vancouver Island version) is down in the still-tidal, very muddy, very grown over, estuary, behind Lewis Park. It also grows at Woodhus Slough.
