moralea milne

Moralea Milne for Metchosin Council 2011

2011-11-05T13:07:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 years I have worked to serve the people of Metchosin to the best of my ability and I want to thank you for that honour and privilege. You have had a council that has been highly functional, we have been civil, respectful and, I believe, representative of our entire, diverse community. It’s been a pleasure to sit on this council.

Twenty-two years ago, when I first drove into Metchosin and my future home, I was immediately captivated by the rural ambiance, the winding roads and the scenic beauty of this municipality. Since then I have raised my children, laid my husband to rest and found a true home and sense of community here.

I arrived here without any knowledge or inclination towards the landscape and environment that would eventually shape my entire value system. As you can see from the articles I have written and placed on my blog, I have embraced our cultural, social and natural communities.

My vision of Metchosin into the future is one that closely mirrors our OCP, still a relevant and excellent document after almost 30 years. We are a municipality, that despite being surrounded by urban development remains determinedly green and rural. I see us as a community that is a model to others on how to control costs and live within our means, and that we demonstrate that there are other measures of success besides growth.

Finance:

For twelve years I owned a successful retail business employing twenty staff and producing about $1,000,000 in annual revenues. I believe in fiscal prudence; budgets have to be managed conservatively, especially in these uncertain times.

Previous councils have ensured that Metchosin has an enviable financial standing. As Chair of Finance I have built on the sound financial practices of past councils to ensure that our finances have remained in the black with very low tax increases.

I would like to address the issue of huge tax increases that I have heard circulating.

I want to assure everyone that Metchosin’s finances are in very good order, probably some of the best in the province. We have a healthy reserve, we are in the black, we have NO DEBT, our tax increases are within the cost of living increases. Despite having one of the higher residential assessments in the CRD, we have the lowest residential taxes.

As far as the police tax goes, we might be mandated into a new funding formula if our population goes over 5,000, however we won’t know that until sometime next year.

At that point, we, as a municipality, will be responsible for additional costs. But, as a taxpayer, you are already responsible for much of those costs. On your overall tax bill, you pay the province, on average, $120/yr for a police tax, that the province then pays to the RCMP. If our cost formula changes, you would still be paying that $120/yr, but it would be paid to the municipality, who then pass it on to the province, for the RCMP.

Think of it like this...You have two children who start university. One chooses UVic and the other chooses SFU, you pay $100 tuition to each school (we wish!), for a total of $200. The next year, both children decide to attend UVic. So now, you don't pay anything to SFU, but you have increased your spending at UVic (aka tax increase) by 100%. But you are still only spending $200. That's a very simplified version of what will happen. Of course, the RCMP contract is in negotiation with the province right now and we have no say in the final contract and we will still have to work out a formula with the Westshore, but we are diligently looking at ways to keep the police tax sustainable.

So, our municipal taxes will increase, maybe by as a much as 10 or 11%, just for police costs, but your tax bill will be offset by a decrease in the elimination of what you now pay directly to the province. We also have 1.1 million in a police tax reserve that will ease us into any other costs that might be associated with these changes.

Someone mentioned recently that we should have accumulated 4.5 million in the police reserve account. Well, it seems financially remiss to me to let 3.5 million more than you need sit in a bank account, collecting very little interest, when the money can be used to pay down our infrastructure deficit. In the last 4 years council has used that money to rebuild two new bridges (Bilston and Morrow), purchase 2 fire engines, an ATV, a new rescue vehicle, upgrade the community house, build a works yard, repave the majority of our roads to a high standard and we are upgrading street lights to a Night Sky friendly and more cost effective alternative.

We are looking after the District’s infrastructure so that won’t come back and haunt us, like it has for many communities.

Now for a rant....

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses (CFIB) has recently reported that Metchosin is in some sort of spending free fall, with a 111% increase in per capita spending from 2000-2009, even though they also report we have the lowest per capita spending on Vancouver Island and that we are better than all but two other municipalities in all of BC. We are rated 151 out of 153, with 1 being the worst ranking. I think they have a flawed report with wildly different amounts reported. Page 10 lists Metchosin's 2009 operating spending per capita at $626.00, while on page 26, it states the same 2009 operating spending per capita at $535.00. In any case, I would dispute those numbers, as they don't seem to take into account the construction of the Morrow Bridge, which is not an operating cost, nor the money we put into capital reserves.

The CFIB has an agenda to get commercial tax rates lowered and whatever you think about that concept, you should know that lowering commercial rates would significantly increase residential tax rates, to make up for the shortfall their reduction would cost. In Metchosin, the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILTs) that the federal government pays to us for the use of DND lands and William Head Institute are based on the commercial tax rate. The PILT's account for about 30% of our tax base, so any decrease in them will mean an increase in residential taxes or other equally serious implications on the nature of Metchosin and our rural status.

One of their flawed strategies for looking at increases in per capita spending is that they acknowledge but don't take into account the differential that you experience when you are a small municipality with a relatively small budget, compared to a larger municipality. An example of this kind of flawed reporting is to consider a company paying someone $1/day and they give a $1 increase to $2/day, another company is pays someone $100/day and they also give an increase of $1 to $101/day. In the first case there is a 100% increase in spending and in the second case there is a 1% increase. But both companies have only spent $1. When you are working with relatively small numbers, percentages can be wildly affected by even very small increases.

So despite our low taxes, substantial reserves, no debt, and lowest spending per capita, we are still ranked as a huge offender in looking after our residents' finances. With business sense like this, it's no wonder so many businesses fail.

Listening to the Village businesses, I was able to have two handcrafted (by the talented local blacksmith Jake James) "Welcome to Metchosin Village" signs erected, better defining our core commercial area, and further to their concerns about safety and speeding, we have recently posted the Village area as a 40 km/hr zone.

Environment:

In 1999 I decided to move my interests from business to the environment and in 2002 I graduated from the University of Victoria's "Restoration of Natural Systems" diploma program in environmental restoration and have since worked and volunteered in this field.

You elected me knowing my passion for preserving the environment and the processes that protect and foster our clean air and water and supply habitat for our native species. It will come as no surprise that I still hold those beliefs above all others. Any decision I make has been, and always will be, filtered for its effect on the environment. To that end I initiated the Sustainability Report, providing a structure which enables us to adapt to climate change and increasing fuel costs; the Parks Report, assigning an ecological value to potential parkland; the Veitch Creek Report, which shows a baseline picture of disturbances affecting the creek and landowners; and I am now working on a report of our marine shoreline. I also brought forward a policy to protect our night skies and as a council we have endorsed the solar hot water ready program.

Agriculture:

It is the root from which this community sprang; from early times First Nations people used Metchosin meadows for their important camas harvests. In this era of global climate change, uncertain financial markets, food safety scares and unstable oil prices, it is prudent to maintain our farming heritage. Cheap imported produce is not something we should take for granted and developing our local food sources should be encouraged.

Many of us have driven down Taylor Road in the spring just to watch the lambs racing around the field, kicking and twisting in the air in their exuberance. We also thoroughly enjoy the lamb and salmon bar-b-que after a long, pleasant Metchosin Day. However, there is a step between the lambs at Taylor Road and the dinner at Metchosin Day and that step involves the death and processing of those lambs. If we want to continue to enjoy the springtime sights and the delicious meals of local lamb, beef, pork and chicken, then we will need to come to terms with the need for a new abattoir in Metchosin. For many years I lived on Rocky Point Road, barely a block from the Winfall Road abattoir and I never once realised it was there. In that highly regulated industry, every precaution is taken to ensure environmental standards are met and exceeded. Having an abattoir in Metchosin also greatly reduces the stress on the animals being sent on their last journey, giving them a more humane end.

Another aspect to food security is the protection of Metchosin's shoreline. Many forage fish, who make up a critical portion of salmonids' diets rely on pristine sand and gravel beaches for their breeding grounds. If we want to be able to fish sustainably, then shoreline protection is vitally important.

Beecher Bay/Scia'New and Metchosin Council

Beecher Bay/Scia'New and Metchosin

As Council Liaison with our neighbours and friends of Beecher Bay, I initiated council to council forums and was successful in having our two communities sign a Memorandum of Understanding that acknowledges our sincere desire to work together in harmony, for mutual benefit. We continue to meet and share our plans and concerns.

Memorandum of Understanding

Velodrome

Working with Councillor Mitchell, we were able to effectively lobby to have the Velodrome reopened and I will continue to work for the long term viability of Westshore Parks and Recreation, one of our regions finest assets.

Detached Secondary Suites

We have a referendum question on our ballot to do with detached secondary suites and I commit to abiding by the outcome of the referendum.

Seniors and the Differently Abled

Many seniors struggle with isolation, depression and financial security. I believe we should find ways to allow residents, not just seniors, but any resident with special needs, etc., to stay in their homes and to that end we have an "Active Aging" subcommittee of the Healthy Communities committee looking into possible solutions. Remaining independent and active is a critical component of maintaining the health needed to remain in your home, in your community.

Protecting the well-being of at-home caregivers is also important; the stresses of looking after people we love but whose needs can tax our strength and abilities is equally critical in a caring and compassionate community.

But when living at home is no longer possible, Metchosin is probably not the best place to be. We are a long way from hospitals, we are even on the verge of losing our Drs, we have no pharmacy.
Plus and most importantly, we would have no control over who could stay in a home, it could be someone from Ladysmith or Oak Bay or Langford...
The District zoning allows group homes for up to 6 people, and that could be an option for some residents. I wait with anticipation to hear the innovative solutions the Active Aging committee will come up with.

Arts and Culture:

I support the arts and cultural activities in Metchosin. The Community House, the Community Hall, the new Metchosin Arts and Cultural Centre Association (MACCA) and the Metchosin Museum are important pillars in our community, bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and with many different talents and qualities that they can share with others.

We will need to ensure we have a strategy in place for MACCA when the temporary use permit expires. We don't want to lose this very important artistic venue.

I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I believe in the power of consultation and brainstorming. Getting a group of concerned citizens sitting around a table can produce new ideas and innovative solutions, it can also help develop a strong sense of shared community values.

There comes a point when tough decisions have to be made, when you've consulted and brainstormed and listened and it comes down to using your judgment to make a decision that is best for the whole community. That's what you will elect me to do.

Thank you for the past 3 years, they have been highly instructive, endlessly fascinating and, I hope you believe I have served you well and that I might have your vote once again.

My Council Service:

Chair of Finance and Environment 2 years

Chair of Parks and Trails 1 year

Council Liaison with MEASC (Environmental Advisory Committee)

Council Liaison with Beecher Bay/Scia'New

Library Board

Library Finance Committee
Arts Committee

Westshore Parks and Recreation (WSPRS) Board

WSPRS Strategic Planning Committee

WSPRS Capital Planning Committee

My Community Service:

Member of Metchosin Environmental Advisory Select Committee (MEASC) for12 years

Pod leader while living on William Head Road

Current warden and leader of broom removal group at Devonian RegionalPark for 10 years.

Author of dozens of articles for the Muse on Metchosin's natural historyand other community related issues. You can read many of them on this blog.

Planted and maintain the municipal and community house gardens.

Member of the Green and Blue Spaces Strategy Committee for 3 years.

Treasurer for the Association forthe Protection of a Rural Metchosin for 3 years.

Author and publisher of the Native Plant Study Group newsletter for 4years (www.npsg.ca).

CurrentDirector of the Native Plant Society of BC

CurrentMember of the Native Plant Propagation Steering Committee of GOERT

I have organised:

Talk and Walk events

Fireproof Metchosin Day

MEASC Metchosin Day booth where we give away hundreds of native plantseedlings

Firehall Auxiliary

Orphan Garden Rescue

Awards:

Metchosin Friend of the Earth Award-2002

Metchosin Volunteer of the Year Award-2006

Acorn Award-2008 (GOERT.ca)

Endangered Sharp-tailed Snake

I Walk the Talk

In 2004 my late husband, John Webb, and myself, inpartnership with Habitat Acquisition Trust and The Land Conservancy, startedworking towards placing a conservation covenant on our property, to ensure thelong term protection of the rare and threatened ecosystems and species thatcall Camas Hill home. In particular the federally recognised species atrisk, the sharp-tailed snakes, that reside here. This was successfully completedin August of 2007.

Forfurther discussion, please contact me at 478-3838 or moraleamilne@gmail.com

The (Western) Bluebird of Happiness

2011-10-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Bluebird of Happiness might be winging its way to your home next spring and what a sad experience it would be if they could not find a suitable nesting site in which to raise a nest full of happiness.

Last year, during the first annual Metchosin BioBlitz on April 30, a pair of western bluebirds were spotted in the highlands of North Metchosin, after a twenty-seven year absence. As the female had food in her beak, it is hoped that these were a breeding pair. Building on that sighting, GOERT (Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team) has initiated a Bluebird Recovery program in Metchosin.

Western bluebirds, which were once common on southern Vancouver Island and nearby areas of Washington and Oregon, are thought to have suffered catastrophic declines from a combination of factors: loss of Garry oak habitat (over 95% gone), removal of standing dead trees (which supply cavities for nesting), reduction of insect prey from pesticide use, and competition for nest holes from exotic and aggressive birds, particularly starlings and English house sparrows. Changes in agricultural practices are thought to be another factor, with mechanization - ploughing and harvesting can be done right to the fence line, thereby removing the hedgerows that are critically important for berries and as habitat for their insect food source.

In the last few years there has been a successful reintroduction program in the San Juan Islands and it is possible that the birds seen and photographed last year were a pair from that program.

Western bluebirds are members of the thrush family. They are insectivores, usually hunting for grubs, cutworms, grasshoppers and other insects from their perch in the branches, swooping down to capture their prey on the ground, where they will also search for earthworms and ants. They are not so proud that they wouldn’t accept any insect that comes within reach though. They will sometimes hold their prey in their beaks and beat them against the ground, a crude but effective tenderizing process? In the winter, as their insect prey hibernates, they turn to fruits and berries.

In our area they have historically been found in sparsely forested ridges as well as open plant communities; grassy and herbaceous fields; weedy, logged or burned forests; farms; Garry oak woodlands and log-strewn or stony beaches. The birds reported recently were on a sparsely treed, open ridge.

The western bluebird male has a deep blue hood and upper parts, a chestnut coloured breast and a grey belly. The female’s head and back are brownish grey, wings and tail are light blue, breast a pale reddish brown and belly and undertail a dull white. She also spots a whitish eye-ring.

Start looking for them to arrive from their winter holidays around mid-February through the first week of April, with nesting happening mid-April through May, with a possible second brood after that. They use natural cavities that are two to six metres above ground and line them chiefly with grass and bits of conifer needles, fur, string and cedar strips; gently protecting the (usually) 5 pale blue eggs. They are considered monogamous…but someone is sneaking in or out as approximately 45% of nests have juveniles of mixed parentage. Hmmmm, doing their part to keep the gene pool strong I guess. Both the male and female share the chore of feeding the young but it is up to mom to offer the comfort of her warm feathers when they are being brooded. Sometimes siblings from the first clutch will help raise second brood.…Amazingly, violet green swallows have been known to feed western bluebird chicks and help defend nests.

GOERT is offering some free nest boxes to residents who have the appropriate habitat for western bluebirds. If you feed birdseed and consequently have many house sparrows or if you have outdoor cats, then your property might not be the best location for a nest box. The nest box holes are sized so that they are right for the bluebirds and starlings can’t enter, but house sparrows can and will attack and kill the mother and babies and usurp the nest for themselves. Grey squirrels can be a problem too.

If you do find the bluebird of happiness tweeting from your trees or hunting in your hedgerows, please contact GOERT immediately.

Interested in learning more about the Western Bluebird Nest Box program? Contact moraleamilne@gmail.com or 250-478-3838 or GOERT at 250-383-3427 or bluebird@goert.ca or go to their website at www.goert.ca/bluebird

You can learn their song at: http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/150/_/Western_Bluebird.aspx

First Annual Metchosin BioBlitz 2011

2011-08-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

Comandra umbellata (Bastard Toadflax)

What is more fun than Christmas, Easter and Halloween combined? The First Annual Metchosin BioBlitz, held on Saturday, April 30^th, would easily compete for my favourite day of the year.

Is anything more exciting than waking to the first sunny day in a long, long time and sharing it with dozens of equally delighted scientists, naturalists and residents as you engage in a treasure hunt of immense proportions?

Metchosin District lies within one of the rarest forest ecosystems in Canada, the Coastal Douglas-fir forest, a component of which are our endangered Garry oak and associated ecosystems. For many years some of us have waged a stealthy campaign to painlessly impart knowledge of the biodiversity and importance of the natural ecosystems and native species of Metchosin to its residents. To that end there have been dozens of Talk and Walk (natural history) events, newspaper articles, a booth at our annual Metchosin Day fair, school walks and myriad other efforts aimed at developing an enthusiasm and appreciation for our wild areas and species, which we hope will in turn foster a culture of stewardship.

A BioBlitz is a 24 hour recording frenzy of all living species within a certain area. In 1996, at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC, Sam Droege and Dan Roddy conducted the first modern BioBlitz and the concept has been gaining popularity since then. Whistler had its first BioBlitz in 2007.

Without significant funding from any level of government in the foreseeable future, the responsibility falls upon landowners and residents to provide protection of habitat. Unfortunately, most people can’t name even twenty of the native species with which they share their community, let alone understand the complexities of the interrelationships that comprise ecological communities. BioBlitzes and similar events help landowners and residents to put names to species; knowing the names awakens in us a comprehension of the non-human species that live in our communities.

Andy MacKinnon, raconteur, author of many field guides, and fungophile (Andy puts in fun in fungus), Kem Luther, author, computer whiz (metchosinbiodiversity.com), and talented amateur botanist and teacher, and myself, self confessed keener and incessant prodder, organized the Metchosin BioBlitz. Both Andy and Kem have been involved in the Whistler BioBlitz in previous years and we were eager to craft a “made in Metchosin” version of this event.

Partnering with CRD Parks, The Metchosin Foundation and the District of Metchosin, our first BioBlitz was a huge success as we recorded 850 species, including 325 species of vascular plants, 60 mosses, 14 liverworts, 60 lichens, 71 fungi, 28 algae, 4 amphibians, 5 reptiles, 110 birds, 2 fishes, 5 mammals and 166 invertebrates. Of these 13 were blue-listed and 6 red-listed species. There are many more species to be recorded in future fun-filled BioBlitzes, but even this beginning list demonstrates the diversity and abundance of our wild neighbours to local residents.

It was interesting to note the breadth of knowledge of many of our 60+ experts. It was a birder who found a rare plant, a botanist who found the exciting rare bird sighting and two mycologists who found the rare slugs…

For those participants who had the desire and stamina, Hans Roemer led a dedicated multidisciplinary team on an all day foray into the Metchosin hinterlands and Sugarloaf Mountain. They came back with an impressive list of more than 225 species.

Botanically speaking, the highlight of the day had to be the sighting of Viola praemorsa ssp praemorsa (yellow montane violet), a red-listed species. Found within a local regional park, it was the first record ever of this delightful little violet in Metchosin. Sitting demurely by the edge of a path, with only a few yellow flowers to mark its location, a violet-eyed birder was the first to spy this gem.

Red-listed Grindelia hirsutula var hirsutula (hairy gumweed) was found on some rocky outcrops at higher elevations. It can sometimes be found in association with Orobanche californica ssp. californica (California broomrape), although this broomrape species doesn’t make an appearance until July and August.

Limnanthes macounii (Macoun’s meadowfoam), a diminutive annual linked forever in my mind with Adolf and Oluna Ceska, was another red-listed species spied during the day.

Allium amplectens (slimleaf onion) was recorded at one site, but only because the recorders knew where to look. Examples of this blue-listed species would be quite a challenge to find so early in the season, long before the emergence of their distinctive flowers.

Allium amplectans (Slimleaf onion)

Blue-listed Pseudocyphellaria crocata (yellow specklebelly lichen) made the day for Daryl Thompson, the lichen expert, who was overjoyed at his good fortune at being able to add this species to his life list.

The second Metchosin record for the semiparasitic Comandra umbellata var californica (bastard toadflax) was also identified during a walk along the shoreline of Parry Bay. It is widespread but not common throughout the province, except on Vancouver Island where it has a very limited occurrence.

Youngest ever found blue-grey taildropper

Very young, tiny, blue-grey taildroppers (Prophysaon coeruleum) were found nestled within a hollow mushroom, perhaps giving researchers a new glimpse into the habits and habitats of these elusive slugs. Rare mollusks were also represented by a threaded vertigo (Nearctula sp.), a minute snail (less than 3 mm), that resides in rich, mature second growth and old growth mixed conifer and deciduous forests.

The spider brigade claimed they found the most exciting species of the day with two unique spiders. The finding of Nesticus sylvestrii was only the second record of this species on Vancouver Island and the first since 1930. Coreorgonal petulcus, which has a very peculiar head, even for a spider, has only been recorded three or four times before.

The birders were also crowing about their find, a pair of western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), whose Georgia Depression population is red-listed. The female had some food in her beak, so the hope is that they are a nesting pair. Western bluebirds are occasionally seen migrating through in February but their appearance in late April gives further credence to the possibility they are raising a family. The last nesting western bluebirds on Vancouver Island were seen over thirty years ago. Our American neighbours have reintroduced them to the San Juan Islands and it is possible these birds ventured onto our island from those successful releases.

Western Bluebird

From the ordinary to the extraordinary, discovering the treasures of your natural communities can increase the awareness and appreciation of their value and encourage stewardship of our wild lands. Plans are already afoot for Metchosin’s second BioBlitz on May 5, 2012, when stalking will be an accepted activity.

www.metchosinbiodiversity.com

Winged Wonders of Metchosin

2011-05-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Two-banded Checkered Skipper

Flamboyantly garbed or mutely camoflauged, butterflies evoke a sense of delight…..Butterflies have become an pleasurable interest of mine over the past few years, although learning their identification has been a challenge. Understanding their complex life cycles, their needs and preferences, has broadened my understanding of the interrelationships between plants and animals and our place in their ability to survive.

James Miskelly, biologist and entomologist (bug guy), was the guest speaker at the April Talk and Walk, presenting beautiful photographs of our local Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), while informing us of their multiple stages of life and the difficulties they must overcome in order to successfully produce succeeding generations of these lovely creatures..

There are sixty-eight species of butterflies on Vancouver Island, fifty-five of which are resident, three non-native and seven migratory. Thirty species have been recorded at my home on Camas Hill, although I have only seen twenty-six myself. Three other species are termed accidental, meaning they have arrived here by accident and soon left. Monarchs are one of these, they don’t naturally occur here, as their host plants, members of the milkweed family, are absent from Vancouver Island. Monarchs do occasionally show up, the result of a faulty guidance system, a severe storm or perhaps just an individual butterfly with a sense of adventure….

In 1884, George W. Taylor remarked on the extreme abundance of butterflies in the Victoria area, writing that “nearly forty species may be recorded as abundant”. Dr. James Fletcher noted in 1901 “the dead butterflies may be seen in vast numbers, floating on the sea around Vancouver Island (probably Pine Whites) or thrown up along the beach in windrows sometimes an inch or two deep”.

What has changed to bring us to the severely reduced numbers and species we have today? One of the reasons is likely the change in the landscape, the conversion of grasslands and forests to urban, industrial and agricultural uses and the loss of micro and macro habitats; climate change might be having an impact as well.

Most adult butterflies have short lives. Once they emerge from their cocoons they generally have only a week or two to find a partner and reproduce. The temperature at which they can fly must be at least 10-12ºc and they don’t do rain-they are fair weather fliers. The female has to find just the right host plant on which to deposit her eggs. Host plants are the (often very specific) plant on which the young caterpillars feed and there must be enough of these plants, growing in the right conditions, in the sun, to ensure sufficient food for the caterpillars, until they are ready to pupate. Often with a late spring or early heat wave, the host plants are not in sync with the butterflies’ needs., they emerge late, dry up early, have poor bloom or sparse numbers. Nectar plants, the ones the adult butterflies use as a food source face the same requirements, they must be available at the right season with enough nectar to supply a butterfly’s nutritional needs. It’s a wonder any butterflies make it at all.. Rare butterflies, already struggling with low population numbers, can succumb to extinction rather quickly if there are a few bad years in succession. On top of all these factors, many, many other species think butterflies are a lovely meal. Birds eat them as both caterpillars and as adults; many butterflies have bits of their wings missing, showing near misses with a hungry bird. There are wasps who lay their eggs on living caterpillars, who will serve as meals to new generations of wasps. It’s a tough world out there for these gossamer winged beauties.

If you’re thinking that our cold, wet, grey springs lately might be hard on the early butterflies, you would be correct.

Moss' Elfin

One of our earliest flying butterflies is the Moss’ Elfin. With a wingspan of only 2 cm and cryptic brown colouration, it can be easy to miss. I have recorded them as early as late February, though more often in mid-March through to early May. This year they appeared in mid-April. This elfin is considered one of our less common species. It lays its eggs on the developing flower bud of our native broad-leaved stonecrop. The caterpillar must emerge, feed and pupate before the flowers are finished. In a year like this, when the elfins have been hiding under leaves, under rocks and in cracks in trees, waiting for weather in which they can fly, there is little time to complete their lifecycle. Stonecrop itself has been impacted by development, it grows on rocky outcrops and on cliff faces, areas which have seen a good deal of development in the last few decades. Deer, too, appreciate a tasty stonecrop morsel and the increase in deer and shortages in their food sources has put more pressure on stonecrop patches. When elfin populations have been decimated and their numbers are not abundant, there is a real possibility that these charming little butterflies might disappear forever.

Propertius Duskeywing

Propertius Duskeywing is another cryptically hued brown and grey butterfly that is in flight in April and May. It is a Garry oak obligate, meaning that is the only food source for its caterpillars. These butterflies are considered threatened, with rapidly declining populations. As you look around the Victoria area you might wonder why as there are still many oak trees in yards and parks. Unfortunately for the little Propertius Duskeywing, its caterpillars like to attach their cocoons to a leaf and overwinter in the leaf fall at the base of the trees. With our propensity for tidy lawns and yards, the caterpillars are raked into piles and sent to the compost or burn pile. The adult butterflies that have been fortunate enough to survive in a natural area, untouched by rake and lawnmower, don’t realize the danger of leaving the parks and venture out to any likely Garry oak, most of which suffer the indignities of our too tidy complex. If you are so fortunate to share your home with Garry oaks, please resist the urge to rake and burn….it’s easier on you and better for the butterflies. Go read a book instead.

Anise Swallowtail

One of the more common species in Metchosin are the swallowtails. Large and strikingly coloured, they are sometimes misidentified as Monarchs, although the species are much different. We have three species of swallowtails in Metchosin and the Anise can be distinguished from the others by the wide, dark band of scales across their upper wings. Flying in early April, it can be found in open, rocky areas, searching for springold, Indian consumption plants and cow parsnip, three native members of the carrot family. The Anise can have another generation during the summer, and as the rocky outcrops dry and the plants wither, they will seek out fennel and a variety of cultivated carrot family species on which to lay their eggs. Most gardeners remove them as pests, not realizing the beautiful Anise butterfly waits inside it’s less lovely young.

2nd Instar Anise Swallowtail

The very juvenile, small caterpillars look like bird droppings, as they mature, they exhibit yellow spots, in their final stage they are a large green caterpillar with black bands in which there are yellow markings. Perhaps you can find it in your heart to reserve some of your carrots or fennel for these stunning butterflies (they only eat the leaves–not the roots).

Western Tiger Swallowtail

Pale Swallowtail

The large (7.6 cm) Western Tiger Swallowtails and their very similar Pale Swallowtail (9 cm) cousins can be seen in relative abundance from May through the summer and Westerns can be seen as late as September. The Tigers use native willows, bitter cherry and poplar while the Pales lay their eggs on red alders, Saskatoon, oceanspray and bitter cherry and both species use cultivated apple trees.

Spring Azure

Spring Azures are a small (2 cm), gloriously hued blue butterfly although it can be a rare experience to actually see the blue while the butterfly is at rest. Often their wings are held folded together above their body, with only the grey dotted undersides on display. They are common from April through early June and you can sometimes find a congregation of them sipping their mineral supplements at a mud puddle, hence the term mudpuddling. They lay their eggs on the buds of oceanspray, blueberry, spirea and red osier dogwood. According to Peterson’s First Guide to Caterpillars, the young are termed slug-like and are tended by ants for their honeydew. Having ants concerned about your welfare is a good strategy to keep predators at bay.

Lorquin's Admiral

Lorquin Admirals are usually found in edge habitats, often along hedgerows where they strongly defend their territory, males can be seen perched five metres apart, heroically ready to battle any and all intruders. These large (5.6-6.5 cm), striking, dark butterflies are brightly banded in white across their upper wings, with orange tips. From June through September, the females use willows, poplars and bitter cherry as well as orchard trees on which to lay their eggs. In the fall, the caterpillars (who appear a lot like bird droppings-another defensive measure) will roll a leaf around themselves, use their silk to attach the leaf to a branch (a better strategy than Propertius Duskeywings?) and prepare to spend the winter comfortably swinging in the breeze. If the days warm up sufficiently they will take the opportunity to graze. Adults will feed on nectar plants, fresh animal droppings and rotting fruit. I have observed them feeding on the few rotting plums the bears didn’t manage to eat…

Pine White

Pine Whites are a medium sized (4.5-5 cm) summer butterfly, superficially resembling the introduced Cabbage White. The Pine Whites have a dark border to the wings and are usually seen high in the canopy of Douglas-firs, their preferred host plant. One summer I spent quite a lot of time looking out a hospital window where I enjoyed the slow, graceful ballet performed by the Pine Whites high amongst the trees.

Purplish Copper-female

Purplish Copper-male

Purplish Coppers on the other hand are small (2.5-3.5 cm), quick and known to be fearless, attacking larger butterflies that encroach on their territory. They are a widespread butterfly of the west. Males and females have different colourations and sizes, the males are smaller and sport the purplish sheen that has given it their common name. The larger females are quite orange on their topwings and both sexes have a thin orange zigzag band across the bottom of their hindwings. Their host plants are sorrel, dock, smartweed and knotweed, many of which are weedy species. Purplish coppers can be found in a variety of habitats, preferring moist areas but also found on disturbed sites (the usual habitat of introduced and weedy species). They have two generations per year, and you can find them flying most of the summer with peaks in June and August.

Common Branded Skipper (ssp oregonia)

The Common Branded Skipper subspecies oregonia is a very rare, small, brown butterfly with white markings, known only from two remaining locations. One in Metchosin and another on the Peninsula. It’s host plant is believed to be some type of native grass, many of which have disappeared from the area, overwhelmed by invasive species such as broom, hairy cat’s ears and a multitude of introduced grasses. It generally flies in late July through early September , when nectar plants are in short supply-most having succumbed to drought. It will feed on pearly everlasting and our native asters as well as garden nectar plants.

I find butterflies a reason to get up in the morning, I wait in anticipation all winter for their return. The cold, wet springs that seem to be extending their season and the loss of habitat are reasons for concern for the survivability of even our more common butterflies, however stewardship options abound. Habitat protection is critical, preserving our remaining natural areas will allow butterflies and the plant species they use to continue to co-exist, especially important are open sunny areas, Garry oak woodlands and rocky hilltops. Restoration of habitat by removing broom and other invasive species supports biodiversity and allows the native plants that sustain butterflies to regain their hold on the landscape.

If you are a keen gardener, you could consider planting butterfly host and nectar plants. Butterflies seem to have a preference for nectar plants that are yellow or blue, save the reds for the hummingbirds. Plant in full sun, the butterflies will rarely venture into shade, and plant a succession of nectar bearing flowers, so there are always some plants for a stray butterfly to sip. Nectar plants should also supply nectar that is accessible, ones in which butterflies can reach the nectar with their proboscis (tongue), rhodos are useless to butterflies. The flowers also need to support the weight of the butterfly, very small flowers such as blue-eyed Mary are too minute even for a small butterfly. Some good nectar plants include asters, lilies and members of the pea family. If you have a lot of space and are unconcerned about being overrun by certain plants, both our native Douglas aster and pearly everlasting supply valuable summer and fall nectar for butterflies and many other species of insects. You will never be bored watching the flurry of winged activity around these flowers.

Host plants also need to be planted in full sun and be large and dense enough to allow the development of the caterpillars, they can’t wither or be totally consumed before the larval development is complete.

Mylitta Crescent-female

Some butterflies appreciate patches of wet soil, for mudpuddling while others will welcome alternative food sources such as rotting fruit, sap, carrion and dung. A few species will overwinter as adults under shingles and loose pieces of bark.

These winged denizens of our open fields and wild lands have suffered severe reductions in their populations, for reasons beyond their control. Metchosin is fortunate to be home to some of the rarest species and with good stewardship we can hope to bring them back from the edge of extirpation (extinction on a local scale). Enjoy your summer and your butterflies!

The Lives and Good Times of Northern River Otters

2011-03-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

One of the most wonderful and memorable sights I have experienced was during a typical wet and chilly west coast day. With rain soaking through my clothes and water dripping off my nose - while remaining absolutely still - I watched entranced as a small group of three coastal river otters frolicked over and under logs at a creek along the shoreline of Parry Bay, Metchosin. For half an hour they chased each other, sliding into the creek, swimming under the logs and pouncing on each other for the sheer joy of the game. Only uncontrollable shivering and incipient pneumonia released me from viewing their playful antics.

Like watching youtube videos of cute kittens or listening to babies laugh, river otters make me smile, and I am delighted to find out that they are just what they seem, a group of otters out for a good time. Otters love to toboggan and slide on the stomachs - across ice or snow and down muddy banks. They dive for pebbles they throw in the water and they play with sticks and bits of floating flotsam. All this play is apparently the result of efficient foraging techniques that free up lots of disposable time.

Coastal river otters (Lontra canadensis) have not been well studied and new evidence is emerging about their habits, which are markedly different from their interior relatives. The dynamic environment in which they live and their ability to forage in both marine and fresh water, provides them with many food options. Most of their food is comprised of slow moving intertidal species such as sculpins, gunnels, rockfish and crabs, although they will eat almost anything, even blackberries have been observed as part of their diet.

The latest theory on why some otters congregate into groups is that they can then hunt fast moving prey more efficiently. Three otters have been observed dragging a large halibut onto the shore, a meal that a solitary otter, hunting alone, would be unlikely to acquire.

Although coastal otters spend much of their time in the marine environment, they need access to fresh water every day. Natal dens, where the young are born, are often located far from shore. One to six young (but usually only two to three) are born in late spring after a three month gestation, they are born blind and helpless and remain in the den for a month or more. They stay with the mother for half a year and sometimes until the next litter is born, as she teaches them hunting skills. The natal dens are separate from the regular den sites, which might hold a group of unrelated otters.

Outside the den, which can be found by following your nose, is a latrine. It is estimated there are latrine sites every 200-300 metres from Pedder Bay to Cadboro Bay. Otters use many communal latrine sites, which seem to function as an information exchange, where many aspects of an otter’s life is on olfactory display: from profiles on sex, age, kinship and status to territorial signals and foraging success as well as warnings to stay away or welcoming invitations. With continual status updates, the latrines serve as an otter’s version of Facebook.

Coastal river otters are the top predator in their environment and as such they maintain the ecological stability of that system. When a top predator is removed from a system, a drastic imbalance can occur. When cougars and wolves are gone, deer populations can increase to unsustainable levels and excessive amounts of vegetation can be destroyed, which can lead to further system instability (erosion for example). When sea otters were exterminated, sea urchin populations increased dramatically and they decimated kelp forests, which had been critical nurseries for juvenal fishes.

River otters along the Pacific Northwest coast are the only stable and healthy populations left on earth. Habitat degradation has been the major cause of decline, especially from pollution. Cait Nelson a masters student at UBC, has been studying the coastal river otters in this area, determining the impacts of the PCB polluted waters of the Victoria Harbour on their health. Her work focuses on the effects of PCB contamination on the otters, through study of the level of toxins in their systems, their genetics and stress levels. The research is done in a non-invasive manner by studying their feces, from which they can extract DNA. Already she has found that their home range is much smaller than was previously thought. Some otters stay within the harbour all the time and other otters along the coast might have territories of three to six km. This is markedly different from inland otters who must travel much farther, as food resources are less abundant.

Although otters can be a joy to watch, they are a smelly nuisance if they discover the perfect denning site under your house. The best way to protect yourself from sharing your home with otters is to wildlife proof your house before they arrive. At Albert Head, where there is an abundance of natural habitat, they still seem to prefer the comfort of urban living and den under some of the buildings.

Coastal river otters have been successful because they are a generalist species. As well as having the awww factor, they are adaptive, resourceful and flexible. Sometimes this leads them into conflict with people as they discover free fish at marinas, as they harvest crabs from traps and as they set up latrines on decks, and dens under buildings.

These charismatic and playful predators just want to have a good time and we can help to protect these important sentinels of ecosystem health by respecting the fact they are wild animals and by protecting the environments which sustain them.

Eastern Pacific Gray Whales

2010-05-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Out of death comes life, a concept as old as the first ruminations on life and death itself. This was graphically demonstrated in March when hundreds of people gathered daily to view a nine metre long dead male eastern Pacific gray whale that had washed ashore in an easily accessible area at East Sooke Park.

What a strange mixture of sadness over the death of this rarely seen creature and excitement in being able to view and examine it in such close proximity. Parents brought children to this once in a lifetime opportunity to inspect our marine dwelling relative, from the oldest grandparent to young toddlers, everyone was curious and fascinated by the whale’s appearance. Questions and rumours were flying as to the possible cause of death, kids were seeking answers, “why does….what is…..?”

Everyone wanted to touch it, to run their fingers over the fringed baleen, to wonder at the barnacles and sea lice that festooned it’s massive body, to examine and marvel at a lifeform so different from our own.

Gray whales are very occasional visitors to our local shores. From 15-20,000 pass by Vancouver Island twice a year on their 16,000 km (10,000 mile) annual migrations between their Baja, Mexico calving bays and their Alaskan feeding grounds but they rarely venture into the Straits and inlets (although one small population stays the summer just off the west coast of the island). They are known as baleen whales, as they filter their food through fringed structures on their enormous jaws. Baleen is formed from keratin, the same material that makes fingernails and hair. Grays are the only bottom feeding whale, they roll on their right side and suck in mud from the sea-bottom of the Pacific floor in areas which are rich in amphipods, isopods and tubeworms. The mud soup is filtered through the baleen, leaving small crustaceans, invertebrates and others as their meal. Although they are huge (to 45+ ft or 14m) and have large mouths, they have small throats and would choke on larger prey. Most of their feeding occurs while in the north. You can imagine the enormous amounts of food they need to sustain themselves during the migrations and the months they spend in the south, the females nursing their young, they are known to fast for 3 to 5 months.

East Pacific grays (our coast) were hunted almost to extinction in the 1890’s and again in 1920’s, perhaps only a few hundred remained, till finally in the 1940’s they were given international protection. The Atlantic grays unfortunately were not protected in time and lost their battle for survival and the west Pacific grays (Asian coast) have never really recovered and are still hovering on the verge of extinction. Grays were harvested to provide ingredients for margarine, cosmetics, gelatin, glue, paint, soap, lubricants and lighting oil among other products.

Whales are mammals, like us they breath air and birth live offspring which suckle milk from the mother (50 gal a day for a gray baby). The gestation period is approximately one year and the newborn calves can be 500-680 kg and 4.5 m in length. The mother’s milk has 53% fat content compared with 2% in humans, giving them the energy they need to grow and to prepare for their long journey north. Imagine the mother: spend the summer pregnant and feeding in Alaskan waters, stop feeding in any appreciable amount, then travel 8000 km (5,000 miles) to Baja, birth your calf, nurse it, swim another 8000 km while only having the occasional snack. The mothers have earned the name “devilfish” for their determined protection of their young but I think it is just as likely that they are cranky from hunger! Strange isn’t it, how a human mother is glorified for defending her children while a whale mother is viewed as a devil….

Outside of humans, the main predator of grey whales is the orca and many show signs of battle with teeth marks as lasting evidence of these encounters. Like a floating ecosystem, another embellishment of the gray whale skin are the many barnacles that festoon their massive girth. Colonies can weigh up to several hundred pounds as they hitchhike their way up and down the Pacific coast. They have evolved to time their spawning to the birthing cycles in the southern lagoons; the free swimming barnacle larvae then attach themselves to the whales, like lifelong tourists on an ocean liner. There is one specie of barnacle (Cryptolepas rhachianecti) which is only found on the grays. They do not feed on or harm the whales and scientists use the distinctive barnacle patches to identify individual whales. Another inhabitant of the whale body ecosystem are whale lice, parasites which feed on skin and damaged tissue. These in turn are preyed upon by small silvery fish known as topsmelt, living in symbiosis with the whales much as you’ve probably seen in photographs of small birds cleaning large mammals on the African plains.

Gray whales can live to seventy years and can ingest a massive amounts of polluted material in that time. Many contaminants can float to the ocean floor, where they can accumulate in the bottom dwelling species and are then eaten by the whales, which in turn feed their contaminated milk to their young.

No-one knows why that young male gray whale died, marine animals die all the time and only rarely do we see the evidence so close at hand. We can be grateful for the glimpse it provided into the foreign and fascinating world of marine creatures. Metchosin (Stinking Fish) was named for one such leviathan that washed onto our shores many years ago.

Lichen It!

2010-03-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Worm Lichen (Thamnolia vermicularis)

False Pixie Cup (Cladonia sp.)

Walking through the mist shrouded hills in the wet, winter season provides a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the rich, vibrant tapestry of mosses and lichens that cloak the landscape. The number of variations of green, brown and white are astounding, and the diversity of textures, from a velvet smoothness to intricately branching sculptures, to rock hugging crusts is exceptional; surely an artist has been at work.
Lichens are a remarkable adaptation of nature, a combination of a fungus and an algae or in some cases a cyanobacteria (formerly known as blue-green algae), who co-inhabit and create a new form of being. They have a mutually beneficial relationship (symbiotic) whereby algae supply nutrients otherwise unavailable to the fungus and the fungus provides a home and protection from a harsh environment to the algae. Renowned BC lichenologist Trevor Goward considers that "Lichens are fungi that have discovered agriculture”.
Are lichenologists born with a creative streak or does their intimate relationship with these strange and wonderful plants stimulate newfound abilities? Consider the names they have given to lichen species: Questionable rock-frog, lipstick cladonia, coastal reindeer, waxpaper, tickertape bone, antlered perfume, fishnet, devil’s matchstick, waterworm, blood-spattered beard, witch’s hair, lettuce lung, false pixie cups…… playful and suggestive, you’d almost think they sat around the bar one long night, inventing names, each more amusing than the one before.
Lichens can grow in the most extreme areas of our planet, albeit very slowly. From the High Arctic to Antarctica, from deserts to ocean shores, some species have been shown to be able to survive temperature extremes, ranging from +100C to -196ºC. The only place you won’t find them is in subterranean caves where there is no light, the algae component need sunlight to photosynthsise and produce food. They are the first species to colonise bare rock, beginning the long process of building ecosystems. They don’t have roots, they take their nourishment from the air, living on trees and shrubs, often high in the canopy, never harming their hosts. They can be found on glass and metal left out too long in the unforgiving elements.
Lichens have served the environment and people well over the millennia. They are an important component of desert and semi-arid ecosystems, partnering with mosses, algae, fungi and other hardy and miniscule plants to form a microbiotic crust that protects the dry landscape from erosion.
They contribute to invertebrate diversity in forests, they supply nesting and camouflage material to birds and insects - lichens are woven into a hummingbird nest, making it almost impossible to find. Lichens are nitrogen fixers, supplying a much needed source of nutrients to enrich forest health and productivity.
Fifty percent of lichens have been shown to have some antibiotic properties. Across many cultures, Usnea species, the “beard” lichens, have traditionally been used to treat wounds. Old Man’s Beard is one species of Usnea that can be found in our woods, it can be distinguished from similar looking but different lichen species by a central white cord that runs through all Usnea species. In “Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast”, it is recommended to “slowly pull the lichen lengthwise like a party cracker”, if it is an Usnea species, there will be a tough, somewhat elastic central cord. Being able to recognize these lichens can save your life. If you cut yourself while hiking far from medical services, grab some Usnea and apply to the wound, it is supposed to have antibiotic, antioxidant, antifungal and absorbent properties that can help combat infection until you can get medical assistance. Usnea is purported to be helpful in treating a range of medicals problems: respiratory and urinary conditions; yeast infections, herpes and in treating HIV and it supposedly supplies long term immune system benefits.
Lichens are the subject of research, especially in Japan, for their medicinal qualities. Some lichen species have been used as food, especially during famine times, they are made into soups and flours; generally they have low protein and high carbohydrate levels.
Punctured rock-tripe produces the scarlet colour used in some Scottish tartans while speckled horsehair and waxpaper lichens produce yellow and brown dyes. Wolf lichen, so named because of its alleged ability to poison wolves, was a valuable trading commodity between Interior and Chilkat First Nations-who used it as a yellow dye in their blanket making. Antlered or oakmoss perfume is a slow-growing (2mm/yr) lichen, commonly found on trees and shrubs throughout our Coastal Douglas-fir region. It has long been used as a fixative in the production of perfume.
Lichens are very susceptible to pollution and are being used as environmental indicators by scientists monitoring air quality; alder trunks are usually festooned with lichens but downwind of a pollution source the bark can be bare, indicating problems that can affect the rest of us; they act as our canary in the coal mines. They perform like organic sponges, absorbing radioactive pollutants at high rates, analysis can then show which pollutants are in the air. This doesn’t bode well for the many species of animals that use them for food, who can ingest high levels of contaminants. Studies have shown that some wild meat can have ten to one hundred times the levels of contaminants as farmed beef.
Lichens are strange and fascinating organisms which exhibit remarkable properties. Beyond their own intrinsic values, they hold the promise of exciting medical and monitoring advances. Next time you are outdoors, here in Metchosin or elsewhere, check the bark on alders and see what it can tell you about the air quality in your neighbourhood.

Usnea tincture from: (http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/usnea.html)

Fill a jar of your choice with Usnea (the more freshly harvested the better, although this plant contains so little water that it's hard to distinguish fresh from dry).

~ Pack the jar full, but not crammed. Then fill the jar again with 100 proof vodka.

~ Make sure the alcohol totally covers the plant material.

~ Label your jar with the date and contents and cover it with a lid.

~ Let it sit in a cabinet for six weeks (feel free to open it up occasionally and taste it). It's not necessary to shake it.

~ After six weeks strain off the liquid, compost the Usnea, and pour your extract back into the jar. It will have turned brownish-orange.

~ You can pour some into amber dropper bottles for easier use.

Seeds: Collection, Cleaning, Storage and Germination

2010-01-15T10:09:00.000-08:00

Seeds: Collection, Cleaning, Storage and Germination

One of the most enjoyable aspects of restoration is the collection of propagules for your project. After you have surveyed your site and reference sites and determined which species are most likely to have been present and which species you will spend your efforts on replanting, you have the opportunity to search for these species.
Instead of report writing and viewing scenes of ecological devastation, you have the pleasure of hiking through forests, wetlands and grasslands where you can take some time to appreciate the beauty of the world around you and perhaps enjoy new botanical/natural history opportunities.

Plant Identification

Underlying this pleasant activity though is the quest to restore a functioning ecosystem into some semblance of its previous make-up. Therefore, if you are in any doubt as to plant identification, it is best to locate promising populations with the help of an expert, preferably during the flowering season, as many vascular plants are easier to identify when they are in bloom. (GOERT flowering dates link here). You will need to receive permission to hike and collect from these areas. Identify the healthiest and most vigourous plants, these will likely produce the highest quality seeds. It is helpful to mark their locations in such a way that you can return with a great deal of assurance to the exact location and be able to identify the plants in their new, less obvious stage as seed containers. GPS units can be a huge help in locating your mother populations, but a little brightly coloured tape can be beneficial narrowing down those last few metres. It is also useful to collect or photograph representative seedheads and mount them as a learning/identification tool.
It is most important to collect propagules from within your restoration site or from the closest populations; researchers are discovering new information on species every day, some species that have been identified as a single species are in fact separate species, with different ecological preferences. Collect from the closest similar habitats at the least.

Seed Collection

Consult with local knowledgeable sources as to the appropriate time to collect seeds (seed collection dates link), it is better to go earlier than is recommended and have to return for mature seeds than to go late and miss the seeds for the season. Many factors can influence when seeds are ripe and the quantity of seeds you might find: early and late seasonal changes, moisture and drought, browsing by predators, elevation and geographic variations, disturbance regimes, the plants’ own individual requirements and other vagaries of which we have no or incomplete knowledge. Garry oaks (Quercus garryana) are known as mast-fruiters, plants that produce acorns in abundance only irregularly, some years they are as hard to find as hen’s teeth. Combine their possible paucity with predation by band-tailed pigeons, Stellar’s jays and grey squirrels and infestation by various weevils and you can be lucky to find any suitable acorns in some years. This is not only a problem with Garry oaks, many plants are sensitive to climatic variations and have life cycles and predation rates that can make finding a good seed supply a real challenge some years. Consider when you are harvesting in lean years that you are also decreasing the quantity of seeds available for natural reproduction and for food to native species that utilize them. Also, that any one population might have been decimated for whatever reason, therefore find and mark more sites than you might think you will need.

Carry many paper and plastic (ziplock) bags and indelible writing implements when you set out on a seed collecting trip; dry days are preferable, so that you don’t have to worry about wet seedheads and additional mold problems.
Refer to ethical guidelines (GOERT ethical guidelines link here) on the amount of propagules that you should collect from species, populations and locations.
Be absolutely sure of your identifications.
Put the plant name, date, location and any other relevant information (such as recent weather conditions -dry year, wet year-, a note to try collecting two weeks earlier, later, colour, plant vigour, flavour, etc.) onto each seed packet.
When collecting, it is fine to allow some seeds to drift through your fingers onto the ground where they might eventually contribute to the gene pool.
Step lightly through these ecosystems; disturbances, especially in sensitive rocky bluffs, can facilitate the spread of invasive species.

Use paper bags when collecting dry seeds, to reduce the possibility of mold. Check to ensure that no seed eating creatures are accidentally collected with your seeds, it is very disappointing to open your containers and find only dead insects.

Soft-bodied seeds, such as berries, are better collected in plastic bags or storage containers, paper bags are too likely to become soggy and develop holes.
If you are collecting for food production, taste the berries, some have much better flavour than others of the same species and can be collected preferentially (although you will get truer (flavour/flowering/etc.) results from vegetative propagation).

Usually the largest, fattest, firmest seeds are best to use, soft-berried seeds will have lost their firmness and become soft, but not decayed. If you open the seedcoat, seed embryos should fill the embryo cavity.

Depending upon your resources, patience, abilities and amount of seed, you may clean seeds yourself or send them to a seed cleaning business (e.g. Yellow Point Propagation).
When collecting seeds from some plants species, it can be easy to clean them to a large degree as you harvest. Camas (Camassia sp), Fawn Lily (Erythronium sp) and Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis) seeds are easily released from their dry shells into a paper bag. Grass seeds on the other hand, require more effort to release them from their packaging.

Directions For Cleaning Dry Seeds by Heather Koni-Pass
From Jan 2007 NPSG News: www.npsg.ca

FLUFFY SEED HEADS: (e.g.) Holodiscus discolour, Spirea douglasii.
You will need: sturdy gardening gloves, sieve of a size to allow seeds to pass through, ice cream bucket, newspaper, small plastic bags, labels.
With gloves on, take small handfuls of seedheads and rub between your hands over a newspaper to separate seeds and chaf. Then put this into sieve and sift. Save and label seeds, discard chaf.

CAPSULES & PODS: (e.g.) Penstemon, Rhododendron & Lathyrus
You will need: sturdy gardening gloves, rolling pin, large screen with mesh of size to let seeds pass through, newspaper, small plastic bags, labels.
With gloves on, put a handful of capsules or pods on screen on newspaper. GENTLY crush capsules/pods with rolling pin. Shake seeds thru screen. Save and label seeds. Discard chaf.
*With many pods which curl open when dry, it is just as easy to flick the seeds out with your fingers.

CONES: (e.g.) Alnus, Abies, Picea
You will need: face mask, paper grocery bag, sieve of size large enough to allow seeds to pass through.
When cleaning Alnus cones, wear a face mask as they can be allergenic.
Put cones in paper bag and shake vigorously. Pour bag contents into sieve and sift seeds thru. Save and label seeds. Dry on blank newsprint.

WINGED SEEDS: (e.g.) Acer
You will need: sturdy gloves, newspaper.
Wearing gloves, take small handfuls of maple keys and rub vigorously between your hands over newspaper. Winnow to separate seeds and chaf.

WINNOWING: (e.g.) Poa family
Sometimes, when separating chunkier seeds from chaf, better results are obtained by winnowing the seeds and chaf. It is easiest to work at a large table.
You will need: broom, dust pan, large plastic sheet to cover table, newspaper to cover plastic, fan, 2 deep buckets of same height, ice cream bucket.
Cover table with plastic. Cover plastic with newspaper. Place one deep bucket at end of table, upside down. Stand fan on this bucket with head in fixed position, facing down the length of the table. Turn fan on to low speed. Hold your hand in front of the fan so you can judge where the airflow is not too strong. Position the other deep bucket, right-side up, at this point in front of the fan.
Put the seeds and chaf in the ice-cream bucket. This will be trial and error. Holding the ice-cream bucket above the deep bucket, slowly pour a little of the contents into the deep bucket. If positioning is correct, the heavier seeds will fall into the deep bucket and the chaf will blow onto the table. If the air current is too strong and everything blows onto the table, simple scoop up the mixture, move the deep bucket a little further away from the fan and try again. With some experience, it becomes easy to judge the distance from the fan.

NUTS: (e.g.) Quercus & Corylus
You will need: seeds, bucketful of water, two screens of same size with two pieces of black landscape cloth to match screens, weights or clamps to hold screens together…and later, 1 gal. pots full of leafy compost.
Put all seeds in bucket of water and soak for a while (overnight is good). Seeds that sink are viable. Throw the floaters away where critters can eat them. This will also drown any worms in the seeds. Put a layer of landscape cloth on a screen. Spread seeds on this. Lay second layer of cloth over seeds. Put second screen on top. Weigh or clamp all together so seeds don't become critter snacks. Put this package on table in greenhouse or in shady spot outdoors. Water 3-4 times daily. As seeds sprout, transfer to pots of soil, ensuring that soil is gently tamped down while not damaging the sprout. Put one seed per pot. Water pot to ensure good contact between soil and seed. Continue to water regularly. Seedlings will remain in this pot until sold or ready to plant out carefully, taking care to not damage the root.
If you have only a handful of seeds, sprouting can be done in a canning jar with screen on top, as if sprouting seeds. The cupboard under the kitchen sink is a good, dark, warm spot.

Directions For Cleaning Soft-Berried Seeds by Heather Koni-Pass
From May 2006 NPSG News: ww.npsg.ca

EQUIPMENT:
Waterproof apron, water source at work table, several buckets, food processor, duct tape, large sieve, clean stir stick, several clean-up rags, fine-meshed screens, clean newspaper, fan, small plastic flower pots

• Put one or two layers of duct tape on blades of food processor; one for small seeds (Rubus-raspberries) and two for larger seeds (Oemlaria-Indian plum).
• Put a small amount of berries in the food processor, fill with cool water.
• Holding hand over spout, pulse several times until a slurry forms.
• Fill a bucket ½ full of cool water. Pour slurry into bucket of water and swirl around. Unviable seeds and berry mush will float to the surface. Viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the bucket. Set sieve over another bucket.
• Slowly pour swirling water through sieve, stopping before the clean seeds are poured out of the first bucket. If cleaning fine seeds, line a screen with clean newspaper. Omit newspaper for large seeds. Retrieve clean seeds from first bucket and spear on screen.
• Examine stuff in sieve. If you feel there are enough seeds remaining in slurry dregs, repeat processing.
• Repeat this process until all fruits are seeded.

When you have completed the screening process put the screens of cleaned seeds in a well-ventilated space to dry. Stand a flower pot under each corner to ensure good ventilation. Cover with a second screen so they don’t become mouse treats! Stir gently several times a day while drying. Running a fan in this area will help the drying process.
If seeds stick together while drying, simply rub through your hands occasionally to separate. Plant out or store in fridge/freezer.

Some native plant with soft-berried seeds/husks:
Amelanchier alnifolia-saskatoon; Arctostaphylos uva-ursi-kinnikinnick; Cornus canadensis-bunchberry; Cornus stolonifera, red-osier dogwood; Crataegus douglasii-black hawthorn; Elaeagnus cummutata-wolf willow; Gaultheria shallon-salal; Juniperus communis-common juniper; Lonicera spp-honeysuckles; Mahonia spp- Oregon grapes; Oemleria cerasiformis-Indian plum; Rhamnus purshiana-cascara; Ribes spp- currants; Rosa spp-roses; Rubus spp-raspberries; Sambucus spp-elderberries; Sorbus spp-mountain ash family; Symphoricarpos spp-snowberries; Vaccinium spp-huckleberries

Seed Storage
from: www.jvk.net/pdf/drk_seed_storage_and_handling.pdf

Check the GOERT (and other) propagation guidelines (propagation guidelines link) for information on storage times. Some species will keep for decades and others for only months or a few years, with decreasing germination success as time goes by.
Generally speaking, seeds should be dried to 5-8% relative humidity (RH) and then stored at 5ºC to retain optimum seed quality. Seed quality will be affected when moisture content falls below 5% RH (vigour declines) or above 8% RH (seed deterioration); above 12% RH and fungi can grow. Refrigerators are the right temperature for seed storage but have approximately 40% RH. To ensure proper drying, seal the seeds in a jar (wide mouth canning jars work well) with a desiccant such as silica gel (can be purchased at scientific supply stores), the amount of silica gel should equal the weight of the seeds. Some silica gel comes as a coloured product, a pink or red colour means the product is still working, when it turns blue, it has ceased to be useful; it can be reinvigorated by heating to 110-180ºC. It’s helpful to be able to see if your seeds are still being stored at the right RH.
When you cannot find silica gel, powdered milk, tied in a small breathable fabric such as cheesecloth, is a satisfactory substitute. Small seeds will dry sufficiently overnight while larger seeds might take several days. Now the seeds can be stored, in their sealed jars, in the fridge.
If you open dried seed packets to sow and leave them unsealed for several hours, they will increase their moisture content rapidly, you will need to dry them again to ensure continued vigour and viability.

Some seeds have short life spans and can only be stored a short while. Garry oak acorns should be planted almost immediately and kept cool and moist until planting, they won’t tolerate being dried out. They also benefit by being soaked for a number of hours, discarding any that float, or which have insect damage, these have either not developed fully or are infested with pests and will not germinate. Weevils, like rats fleeing a sinking ship, will vacate soaking acorns and drown, these acorns should also be eliminated.

Seed Germination

In order to propagate plants at our convenience, it can be necessary to artificially induce the germination process.

Some seeds germinate with great ease, Roemer’s fescue (Festuca roemeri) is only too willing to germinate. Carefully measure one to two seeds into each planting cavity (styro block size 144), lightly sift potting soil mix on top, water, place in a warm, bright location and germination will occur rapidly.

Scarification
Some seeds, including many tree and shrub species, have hard seedcoats that have evolved for protection and they are naturally disinclined to germinate unless they have been subjected to extensive modification. In their natural environment, they might sit for one, two, or more seasons until their seedcoats have deteriorated and thinned enough to allow moisture and air to begin the germination process. Manzanita (Arctostaphylos columbiana) and Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) are two such species that can be forced into an earlier germination by various means. Mechanically, the seeds can be gently rubbed with sandpaper or a nailfile, nicked with a sharp implement or cracked with a hammer; chemically, they can be immersed in a sulfuric acid bath for various lengths of time (check propagation techniques), vinegar can be used more safely but with less successful results; or they can be covered with boiling water and let sit until the water has cooled. Whichever method is used, it is important to open the seedcoat without harming the embryonic plant. Scarified seeds do not store as well.

Stratification
Many seeds need stratification, which involves manipulating the seeds’ environment; providing moisture, cold and heat as if it has undergone seasonal changes. Saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia) will germinate after a cool moist stratification period: place in a plastic bag with slightly moistened peat moss, refrigerate for 3 months, plant. Alternately, plant the seeds directly into their container and leave outdoors for the winter. Snowberry seeds (Symphiocarpos albus) are more particular, they first require a warm, moist 60 day period of stratification, followed by 180 days of cool, moist storage before planting. Check the seeds regularly as they stratify to monitor for signs of mold or dryness.

Some seeds need both scarification and stratification to germinate, check propagation guidelines for individual species’ requirements.

Whether for large scale production or your own satisfaction, proper seed collection, storage and germination technique is an important consideration in any project. Enjoy the process!
January 2010

TICKS!

2009-05-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Pacific Black-legged Tick (Ixodes pacificus)

DON’T BRING A TICK HOME FOR DINNER!
May 20, 2009

Which creature do you consider to have the highest revulsion factor rating?
When I wrote the recent article on Rats!, I’m sure some of you were squirming in your seats, shivering with memories of battles lost and won to rid your homes of rats. But rats do have their place in this world, as food for other predators, as recyclers of garbage, as scientific tools in the search for cures to human ailments.
I have been trying to think of a reason that ticks exist, how they might fit into our limited understanding of ecological interconnections. I suppose if you remove our human perspective of good and bad (for us), they have a place as a reservoir for bacteria, and maybe this plays a role in keeping populations in balance. There is a small parasitic wasp which lays its eggs in ticks and apparently guinea fowl consume them. Personally I find them really tough to appreciate, particularly when I find them latched onto some part of my anatomy.
Vancouver Island is home to about eight tick species but in Metchosin, the most common tick that you will find is the Western Black-legged tick (Ixodes pacificus). It is also the only one that will attach to humans. A walk through almost any natural landscape on a pleasant day from November through June will end with a few ticks trying to find a meal on my small dog, Maggie. Sometimes I’ll see them crawling over her white fur, looking for the safest location to settle and start feeding. Other times I will find them by accident as I give her a rub and feel a grey lump protruding, sometimes behind her ears or often on her forehead.
For two years I collected all the ticks I pulled off her, dropped them into a container of alcohol and eventually brought them to the Royal BC Museum, entomology (insect) section. They displayed a variety of colours, ranging from black to brown, grey, red and white and I thought I had at least several types of ticks in my little jar. Expert analysis pronounced all the ticks as Western Black-legged ticks in various stages of development.
These ticks have a four stage life cycle. Adults lay eggs that are deposited on leaves or in the leaf litter. The eggs hatch and the immature, minuscule ticks (larvae) immediately look for an appropriate host, usually small mammals. They attach to their host, feed on blood and detach. In their next stage, as nymphs, they again attach to a host - they prefer alligator lizards with deer mice a close second - feed, detach and molt. The top photo shows a northern alligator lizard on Camas Hill, Metchosin, with a tick attached, midway between the eye and front leg. As an adult tick, they prefer large mammals such as deer, cattle or humans, probably because they offer a large blood source to ensure their eggs a good start. They find their new hosts by climbing onto some low growing plants or grass. From here they exhibit behaviour known as questing, where they wave their legs in the air, sensing a prospective “mobile home” through organs which detect carbon dioxide and heat. In one survey adult ticks were found more often on south-facing hillsides, questing from salal, Scouler’s willow and wild rose; the same habitat where you’ll find alligator lizards. Adult ticks consume 200 to 600 times their unfed weight in blood.
The female tick can produce 1000 to 8000 eggs, after which she dies; the male dies after reproduction. Ticks in the larval stage are minute, the size of a poppy seed, while an engorged adult can expand to the size of a bean or grape. Studies have shown them to be more prevalent just after rain, with female adults reaching their peak populations in May.
Western Black-legged ticks can be carriers of Lyme disease, a potentially serious disease that can affect joints, the heart and the nervous system. There is some controversy as to the incidence of Lyme disease in ticks in this area with some studies showing a low (less than 1%) incidence while others claim up to 30% rate of infection.
In some US states, including California, they have (rarely) been known to pass on granulocytic ehrlichiosis rickettsia to horses, which can cause fever, loss of appetite, loss of coordination and various other symptoms.
Ticks inject an anesthetic that can prevent you from feeling them while they are feeding. If you are unlucky (like me!) and find a ramble in the hills has resulted in an unwanted hitchhiker, carefully remove the tick with tweezers placed firmly at the head, pulling gently and slowly but not twisting, allowing the tick to disengage its mouthparts. Try not to squish the ticks abdomen as this can expel contents from the tick’s stomach into the wound and thereby transfer disease bacteria. You can save a live tick in a jar with a dampened cotton ball, if you intend to send it for testing, but I just flush any I find down the toilet. Wash the bite area with soap and water and then swab with hydrogen peroxide or alcohol. I seem to break out in a swollen ulcer-like, tender wound which can be slow to heal but this doesn’t occur with everyone and does not mean that you have contracted Lyme disease, it is probably a reaction to the saliva. If you develop a fever or flu-like symptoms within two weeks to a month of the bite or a red bulls-eye rash, you might have contracted Lyme disease and you should see your doctor. There is a vaccine for dogs but we humans don’t have that safeguard yet. Two weeks on antibiotics is the recommended course of action. The Centre for Disease Control has an excellent brochure on Lyme Disease and ticks that can be downloaded, see the reference at the end of the article for the website.
There are other less common diseases that ticks can carry, so it is best to protect yourself from a bite in the first place. Don’t let the fear of ticks prevent you from exploring the countryside, hiking up hillsides and into the woods. Wear long pants tucked into socks, a long-sleeved shirt and a spray of an insect repellant such as Deet to reduce your chance of harbouring these creatures. And enjoy your hike!

References:
BC Centre for disease Control: http://www.bccdc.org/topic.php?item=83
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/id-mi/tickinfo-eng.php
http://www.afraidtoask.com/lyme/lymelifecycle.html
Arnason, Carl, S. 1988. Biology of the Western Black-legged Tick, Ixodes Pacificus

Swamp Lantern Sex

2009-05-06T20:47:00.000-07:00

SWAMP LANTERN SEX
April 7, 2009
Moralea Milne

Through the damp mist, glowing like a brilliant yellow beacon, the swamp lanterns rise from the wetlands and swamps to announce the rebirth of the landscape; what a wonderful sight for eyes tired by unrelenting grey skies. More prosaically know as skunk cabbage, this tropical looking member of the Arum family is one of the first plants to appear in March, or April if you have a cold winter such as this year. The eastern species can generate heat more than 30ºf warmer than its surroundings, melting ice and snow to emerge. Our western species (Lysichiton americanum) does not have (nor need) this ability but it has a few tricks of its own up its spadix.
The first scent, often overlooked, that is emitted from these harbingers of spring is a sweet, coumarin-like fragrance (coumarin produces a scent similar to new mown hay). Enticed by its flag of brilliant yellow and the “come hither” alluring scent, the winged rove beetle (Pelecomalius testaceum) arrives to feed on the pollen and in doing so, transfers the pollen so that the plant is fertilized. After gorging themselves at the pollen banquet, the beetles satisfy further primal urges and mate, retreating to the protective and hidden base of the spathe (yellow encircling leaf) and spadix (clublike stalk with hundreds of miniscule flowers). The skunky smell for which it is renowned comes later, when the flowers have wilted and the leaves are more fully developed.
The thick, fleshy roots are eaten by bears, and elk and deer browse the young leaves. This is an example of when you should not consider something safe to eat because animals eat it, seemingly with impunity. The plant contains crystals of calcium oxalate (also found in rhubarb leaves), which will cause intense burning, irritation and swelling if ingested. It was eaten in times of famine but only after thorough cooking.
The immense, almost tropical looking, verdant green leaves can grow to 1.5 metres and were used by many First Nation people to wrap food for steaming, apparently no odours were imparted to the foods. They were also handy for lining baskets for the berry harvests and in the cooking pits. Some First Nation communities used the leaves as a poultice for burns and injuries.
As their name suggests, swamp lanterns grow in swamps, where the soil is rich in nitrogen and usually has slow moving groundwater near the surface. They are usually found in association with red alder, western redcedar and lady fern.
Europeans have been renowned for centuries for their plant expeditions and for bringing new plants into their horticultural trade. Swamp lantern is one such plant that has been celebrated for its beauty and peculiarity and planted into European gardens and into natural areas “to enhance native flora”. To be fair, most of this was before the concept of invasive plants disrupting ecosystems was even a gleam in a scientist’s eye. Swamps are rare in Central Europe and now they are under attack from the invasive onslaught of our swamp lanterns which have successfully bullied their way into these habitats, shouldering aside the native flora. An ironic reversal of the usual direction of invasive species; many of our most common alien invaders have come from Europe and Asia.
Whether you call them skunk cabbage or swamp lantern they signal the rebirth of spring and the promise of sunny days ahead.

Reference:
R.T. Ogilvie, Pollination of skunk-cabbage March 1997 NPSG newsletter
Pellmyr and Patt, Madrono, 1986, 33 (1):47-54
Alien invasive species profile www.nobanis.org/files/factsheets/Lysichiton%20americanus.pdf
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon, Plants of Coastal BC
Hebda, Richard. http://www.npsbc.org/Newsletter/article01.htm

Rats!

2009-02-27T09:12:00.000-08:00

Rats! Feb 9, 2009 Published in March 2009 issue of Metchosin Muse

Walking into my laundry room late one night in November, flipping on the light switch and seeing a rat streak up the wall and along the rafters at light speed elicited an immediate and visceral response. The scream I produced would have garnered an Oscar at any horror film awards presentation.
I unwillingly shared my home with this impudent house guest for a number of weeks as it continually foiled my attempts to have it removed, dead or alive.
Most rats in our region are Rattus rattus, also known as black, ship or roof rats. Historically they arrived via ships and because they need a warmer climate than Norway (brown) rats (Rattus norvegicus), they are usually confined to coastal areas, although, if they can find suitable winter habitat (inside your home or business) they can be found in Interior urban areas. They are thought to have originated in India or tropical Asia and are the disseminators of the bubonic plague that killed 30-60% of Europe’s population and many more people from Asia, Africa and India in the fourteenth through eighteenth centuries. Actually the true culprit was the oriental rat flea, which killed the rats as well as the human populations. They have also been implicated in a catastrophic decline in songbird populations when they have been introduced on small islands.
In most of North America, the Norway rat is the one you are most likely to encounter. Where the two rat species co-exist the Norway rats will chose to inhabit basements and the roof rat, the upper levels of buildings. The Norway rat is not from Norway, that is the place they were first scientifically described, it is believed that they originated in northern China.
Mike Kennish of PSI, the pest control specialist that I eventually brought in to deal with “Ratty” has been in the business for eighteen years and the stories he told could curdle your blood or at least cause an involuntary shudder or two. He said that in all those years he has only seen one Norway rat.
Around here, Rattus rattus are commonly known as roof rats because of their preference for aerial habitats. They can run up wallpaper, along wires and rafters and often nest in attics or between floors and ceilings; even in trees and they will burrow under homes in the absence of Norway rats. They are noted for their speed and agility. The stronger, larger Norway rats are infamous for their use of basements, sewers and aquatic areas and for creeping along close to walls, leaving an smeared, oily track. These are the legendary and infamous creatures of New York fame.
Roof rats are territorial and have a rather small home range of no more than 100 m, remaining close to their food source. They are omnivorous but prefer fruits, nuts and grains. Apparently they enjoy snails but it is not recommended to encourage them as a “natural” garden pest solution alternative! Their bodies are fifteen to twenty cm in length, with an equally long, hairless tail and on average, they weigh about 200 grams (1/2 lb). Their fur can show a variety of colours, though northern populations are more likely to be black or steel coloured. Rats are nocturnal animals, if you see them during the day it is because they are so overcrowded the rats lowest in status have been forced to seek food and shelter during the day. Not a good sign!
There is speculation that they have evolved for speed selection. I can attest that these creatures are fast! Ratty sped across my basement rafters in the blink of an eye. Females (does) in heat are chased by groups of males (bucks), with the female selecting the fastest male. The resulting litter of two to eight kittens or pups are born in about twenty-one days and are sexually mature in three months. A healthy female can conceivably reproduce five times a year. Most wild rats live only a year, they have a 91-97% mortality rate, whereas rats in captivity can live three to four years. A group of rats is called a mischief, although the things I have called them are not nearly so whimsical!
Despite the fact that most of us feel a deep sense of revulsion when we even think of rats, they are fascinating animals that are highly evolved survivors.
They haven’t developed particularly acute sight but their long whiskers are used to similarly sense their environment. Their whiskers are extremely sensitive to touch, more so than our fingertips, and research is showing that they are also used in hearing, they can pick up the frequencies produced by brushing against objects. Their whiskers read the world like the blind read Braille, if Braille could be in surroundsound. A rat’s world is a smorgasbord of scent, one percent of their DNA is involved in their sense of smell. This helps them find food and discern its edibility with incredible accuracy. They have a secondary olfactory organ, located in their nose, that is responsible for receiving and relaying chemical signals that often relate to reproduction and social standing. Rats have acute hearing, both for soft sounds and high into the ultrasonic range. We might not be able to hear the sound produced if we rub our finger and thumb together, but rats can.
No matter how much I can respect and admire a rat’s ability to survive and flourish, I still don’t want it in my home. Rats, despite being clean animals themselves (they spend 1/3 of their time grooming), spread disease through their droppings. They use their urine as scent markers and much like the bar codes on our grocery items, each rat’s urine scent is identifiable to other rats. It records their health, sex, reproductive readiness, social standing and a host of other details important to rat life, kind of a rat’s version of Facebook. If conditions are good, all this advertising results in a proliferation of rats and the need to seek out new territory. Rats seek heat, warm and cozy hiding places to raise their young. According to Mike, the best defense against rat intrusions into your home, is to maintain your home in the best condition possible-build to exclude them and keep your garbage at a minimum and securely contained.
Rats do not have the collapsible skeletons that have been attributed to them but an average sized roof rat can squeeze through a hole the size of a quarter. Vines and pipes climbing up the exterior woodwork allow the agile roof rat easy access to any unnoticed openings, into broken vents in soffits or decaying roofs. Inspect the foundation and see if cracks have developed, my rat gained entry through an open door under the steps and then chewed through a 2 x 4 to enlarge a small hole in the concrete foundation, they can chew through concrete too. Check to make sure that all your vents to the outdoors are strong and in place. Second, make sure you are not attracting rats with the delicious aroma of garbage: slightly rotting fruits, well aged meats, seeds and grains. In the spring, rat colonies can be on the move, hungry from the winter’s depredations, looking for more convivial quarters. Don’t hang out an olfactory sign that says Rat Restaurant!
Pet cats and dogs are not always rat deterrents, although I had a standard poodle once that caught a few rats. Terriers and Jack Russells have been bred to be ratters but they need to be trained from an early age. Don’t leave your cat locked in the basement with a rat, sadly, many times the cat will be the loser.
Mike told me in his matter of fact way of storytelling how he had recently been called to a home of a, shall we say, eccentric client. This person had been feeding the neighbourhood squirrels and wildlife to the point they were coming onto the window ledge. By the time he was called in, the neighbourhood was besieged by rats, they were even seen in the trees during the day. In six weeks he captured 335 rats! They had constructed so many burrows under the house that the foundations were no longer structurally sound and the house had to be torn down.
When the inevitable happens and you find a rat in your home, remember you are not alone. Everyone has a rat story. Mike says that most people first hear a rat in the bedroom wall behind their headboard. I remember a saying from my childhood, “If you can hear it, it’s a rat; if you can’t, it’s a mouse!” I tried to catch mine for a week or two but setting the traps was just too heart stopping and I ran out of friends to call to set them for me! Hence my frantic call to Mike. It took a couple of more weeks but eventually Ratty succumbed to the temptation to take the peanut butter bait. I admit I felt a sense of relief when I finally found his body.
The typical extra-large version of a mousetrap is considered the most humane method of dispatching rats and has the least chance of harming your pets. Poisoned baits or the bodies of poisoned rats can be ingested by other non-target animals or the rats can slowly die in the walls of your home. If that has ever happened to you, you know it is not a sensory delight. Rats are phobic about anything new in their environment and they will initially avoid a new trap or food. There are recommendations on baiting but not setting a trap for several days, until the rat has become conditioned to the trap.
Rats and deer mice are known to transmit the Hanta virus through their droppings or the dust from their droppings. Although it has not been recorded from Vancouver Island, to be safe and to prevent breathing in this toxic dust, wear a mask and spray any droppings you find with a ten percent bleach solution, let dry and then vacuum.
Some people keep roof rats as pets; they are said to be clean, intelligent, friendly and playful. Norway rats have a long history as pets and have been bred for the pet and research market. They have been used in studies on heart disease and cancer, in understanding neurological responses and drug reactions. It is somewhat ironic that one of the most reviled animals is also one that has significantly contributed to our understanding of human health.
Along with humans and some primates, new research has shown that rats possess metacognition, the ability to be “aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, the nature of the task at hand, and available "tools" or skills”. No wonder they have conquered the world and survive almost any threats.
Whatever you think of them, rats live among us, following our trails of garbage and discarded foods, seeking our warm shelters. Their intelligence, fecundity and adaptability makes them survivors that require us to use our ingenuity to keep them out of our homes.
2008 was the year of the Rat in Chinese astrology (1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2008). People born under this sign are considered honest, generous, creative, curious, hard-working, charismatic, survivors, ambitious, quick tempered, manipulative and selfish. Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and one of my ex-husbands were notable Rats.

References:

http://members.madasafish.com/~cj_whitehound/Rats_Nest/Ship_Rats/Appearance.htm

Gillespie, H. and P. Myers. 2004. "Rattus rattus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 09, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Rattus_rattus.html.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rat

Pest Scene Investigations: 250-727-1948

Knees by Gala

2009-02-09T21:09:00.000-08:00

This is a poem my daughter recently wrote:

Blank sheet – the urge to write – completely overtaken – no paper – want the scripture of my penmanship – to know it was me – to feel where I stopped – where I stalled – to remember what I was thinking – in that - moment – when I wrote what I wrote – when I wrote it – raining. Rain raining rain. Mother so strong very quiet has integrity never falters. Mother mother mom. Her knees are weak. But not the weak feeling that your knees get some times when your mind tells them to be. The weak that comes with years, decades, of hard work. Bending creaking cracking. Your knees. Your important knees. Running you through slippery streets and Manila rain. Deflecting the weight of your back and your head as you twist and twist dancing to that reggae beat and the bongo drum and flute. Covered in dirt from the garden soil, trembling below your catcher's mitt waiting for the pitch to come fast, spinning in circles with the rotation of bicycle pedals, exposed by the hole in the knee of your jean from where you tumbled when your feet digressed from your body's regular pattern. And now your knees are old. And now your knees are old. They rest, tucked into a nightie while you watch situation comedy. Earl grey tea.

Bird Brain 101 Continued

2009-01-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

Bird Brain 101 Continued
Moralea Milne
January 5, 2009

At the beginning of December’s snowfall, while the arbutus still held its crop of bright orange and red berries, a hermit thrush stationed itself in the tree by my kitchen window and rarely left until every last berry was consumed.
Over the past several weeks, as the snow continued to fall and our normal, mild winter temperatures never quite materialized, I hung out suet feeders on this same arbutus and enjoyed the never ending activity as juncos, Stellar’s jays, chickadees and other small songbirds flocked to this energy source. Next time I am going to make Isobel Tipton’s excellent recipe for suet cakes (see previous Muse).
On this early January morning, as the rain falls continuously on the wet snow and fog blankets the landscape, it seems a good time to contemplate changes that can be made to make a yard more bird friendly.
One of the biggest limiting factors to attracting birds is the scarcity of available nesting sites. Loss of habitat can occur for a variety of reasons. Some birds use abandoned woodpecker nests, but woodpeckers can’t drill a nest hole unless there is a suitable tree in the vicinity. Trees that are young often don’t have sufficient diameter or they are too healthy. Yes, a tree can be too healthy! Wood drilling birds prefer trees with some rot or broken branches, where the wood has been somewhat softened and is easier to drill. They might look unsightly to you but they look like prime real estate to a woodpecker. Some birds, like great-horned owls will nest in the top cavity of a broken-topped tree.
Invasive species, like starlings, English sparrows and gray squirrels have also reduced available lodgings by commandeering them for their own use.
Building a nest box will sometimes attract the species that are looking for a tree cavity. Chickadees, nuthatches, tree and violet-green swallows, house wrens, flickers, downy and hairy woodpeckers might come to carefully constructed and placed nest boxes. I’ve had good success attracting violet green swallows, using an odd shaped entrance hole, sort of a horizontal or vertical oval (22 cm x 8.9 cm), that is just a little too small for English sparrows to invade. It can be quite comical to see those fat little intruders trying to squeeze into the swallow nest. They’ll finally give up and the swallows can take up residence.
At a previous property we had built many nest boxes but they were all taken over by starlings and grey squirrels. The squirrels would enlarge the holes, chewing around the entrance until no self respecting flicker would consider it again. To solve this problem, you can fashion a metal plate and secure it around the hole. Placement is important too; a minimum of five feet above ground, out of the range of predators, away from direct sun (and overheated conditions) and protected from heavy rains. Most birds are secretive when nesting and don’t want their nests in full view.
Nesting materials can be hard to find. Hang short lengths of string and yarn (to 6 cm maximum), fleece, dried grass, bulrushes and cattails and small feathers and down in baskets or mesh bags in easy to find areas. Do NOT use dryer lint, which can swell and force young birds from their nests.
Constructing nest boxes can a fun family project. You don’t need a professional workshop or expensive materials for this project.
Use old bits of untreated wood or rough cedar, if you can leave the bark on, it will give a more natural look. Use screws and overlap sides to prevent water from infiltrating. Make one of the sections removable, it’ll facilitate fall cleaning. Drill a few holes just below the ceiling area, for ventilation and a few in the floor, to remove moisture. Do NOT add a perch, it gives easier access to those myriad creatures that consider eggs and young birds as tasty snacks. You can add a predator block easily during construction. This is a scrap piece of wood, fashioned to the inside of the nest box, over the entrance hole (with the hole cut out). It makes the entrance hole thicker and deters some predators from being able to reach the eggs or young.
Locate the box in a quiet area that is not too busy and consider if using baffles will deter marauders. Face the entrance hole away from the wind and tilt the box slightly forward to keep the rain from entering. Most birds prefer to nest in secluded locations but swallows like a clear sightline and a perching spot not too far from their nest. If building a robin or barn swallow nesting shelf, add a lip at the front so that the nest will not fall out during storms.
In the fall, clean out the box and pour boiling water into the interior, to destroy parasites. Leave the box up over the winter, some birds might use them for nighttime shelter.
Watching the antics of our native birds can brighten an otherwise dull and dreary winter day and being part of the process that enables them to breed and raise their young near you can offer a fun, activity filled afternoon to yourself and your family. For other bird enhancing stewardship ideas, you can read the Lawnchair Birding article from the June 2008 Muse issue (look under October 2008 archives).
References:
The Bird Garden by S.W. Kress
Naturescape BC, Caring for Wildlife Habitat at Home, Provincial Guide by S. Campbell and S. Pincott

Forage Fish of Metchosin

2008-12-29T13:24:00.000-08:00

FORAGE FISH OF METCHOSIN
Dec 13, 2008

If you take a walk along Taylor Beach you will often see river otters chasing each other through the waves and curious seals stare at you with their velvet painting eyes. Sea birds whirl and alight in the choppy grey sea. These animals provide some visual reference to the surrounding waters but the marine world is not one that is easily accessible to terrestrial creatures such as ourselves.
Just off the beach are large eelgrass beds and seaweed communities that provide crucial nursery habitat for juvenile fish, crabs and octopus. Under our feet as we walk on the beach, Pacific sand lance and (possibly) surf smelts lay their eggs in the high intertidal zone, forgoing their usual aquatic environment during their incubation.
They are known as forage fish, the cornerstone of the nearshore food web that supplies a critical food resource to commercial species such as salmon and cutthroat trout. Seals, sea lions, whales and seabirds, comprise part of the 100 species that are dependant on forage fish for their survival. A 2007 report states that “thirty five percent of the diet of juvenile salmon and sixty percent of the diet of Chinook salmon are comprised of Pacific sand lance”. Because they forage close to the shoreline, coastal cutthroat trout are heavily dependant on sand lance and surf smelts; fifty percent of our endangered humpback whales’ diets are sand lance. Marine birds are also dependant on these fish, there are estimations that seventy five percent of rhinocerous auklet’s food intake and fifty percent of the endangered marbeled murrelet’s diet are comprised of forage fish. Forage fish include Pacific herring, sardines, capelin, eulachon and northern anchovy as well as Pacific sand lance (aka needlefish) and surf smelts.
At night, Pacific sand lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) burrow in the sand as a means of escaping predators, sometimes surprising people walking at low tide along a beach, as they wriggle up from their nighttime “safe houses”. Some people will recognize them from the large, dense schools they form near the surface that are called “bait balls”. They spawn between November and February, more frequently in the late fall. Sand lance use their bodies to form small, shallow pits in sandy beaches, much like salmon redds, in which to deposit their spawn, which will hatch in four to five weeks. Both sand lance and surf smelts spawn during high tides, the upper beach must be covered in shallow water to facilitate egg deposition.
Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) can spawn at any time of the year, depending on weather, vegetation and probably many factors of which we are not aware. Surf smelt lay their sticky eggs in the high intertidal zone of a sand and gravel beach, just below the log line, usually between the two lines of deposited seaweed that are readily visible. Pea gravel sized stones, intermixed with coarse sand are preferred spawning material. Surf smelts who spawn in the summer make use of beaches with overhanging vegetation or areas with a continual underground movement of water (such as from a blocked stream slowly seeping through sand and gravel beds). These components ensure the smelt eggs will remain moist and viable under the hot summer conditions. Summer incubation and hatching happen within two weeks while cold winter conditions will increase the incubation time to one to two months. Surf smelt eggs can be found in small patches or they might cover miles of beach, depending on beach conditions and surf smelt abundance.
In order to ensure continued habitat for these important fish, it is important to understand how beaches are formed and maintained.
Bluffs and beaches form a type of unwitting partnership. The bluffs are subject to erosion because of their steepness, the type of material from which they are formed (clay, sand, gravel) and the force of wave action and storm events. Waves are powerful forces that continually act on shoreline materials. They pound against a bluff until it is undercut, when it will fall onto the shore, giving short term protection to the bluff. Slowly, wave action will distribute the fallen material, according to tides, currents and topography. The accumulation of these sediments on beaches and in shallow tidal ecosystems, provides habitat for many different species. Stormwater runoff and removal of bluff vegetation (especially to accommodate the desire for views), can dramatically increase the rate of erosion along bluffs.
Other creatures benefit from this eternal process. Under the cobbles of the low intertidal zone, in the area that is exposed only at low tides (visit the western end of Taylor Beach), you will find small squirming black eel-like creatures known as blennies. There are many species of blennies, some of which will lay their eggs under these cobbles. One or both of the parents will often remain to guard their developing young. At low tides, garter snakes and raccoons will descend from their land based territories and forage for blennies and other marine creatures. If you go searching for blennies, please respect their needs; lift the cobbles carefully and return them to their same positions.
It is not only the changes to rivers through logging activities, overharvesting and pollution from industrial and sewage contamination that has affected our declining marine stocks. Developments along shorelines, where we have not realized the cumulative effects of shoreline changes, have impacted heavily on the ability of marine species to survive. The bluffs to the west of Witty’s Lagoon are continually eroding and supplying sand to Witty’s beach. If you were to “harden” this area by erecting a wall to try to protect those slopes, you would eventually lose the beach.
A consequence of hardening shorelines, by building seawalls and other fortifications, is that the waves will now pound the adjacent shorelines with more force, causing a chain reaction of property owners hardening shorelines; the beaches that remain are scoured by the extra forces working on them and lose the soft sand and gravel that provide surf smelt and sand lance spawning habitat. Less spawning habitat = less forage fish = less food for the 100 species that feed on them.
If you have ever strolled the seawall around Stanley Park, or taken a boat cruise around Victoria’s shoreline, you will soon see that the beaches have been heavily impacted. Many of them have disappeared entirely or the high intertidal zones are gone or have been heavily scoured so that no spawning habitat remains. We are fortunate in that Metchosin has retained much of its forty-five kms of shoreline in relatively natural condition.
There are new “soft” techniques that have been developed to protect shoreline properties. Building natural formations such as sand and gravel berms, planting them with native shoreline grasses and trees, the placement of drift logs, all these mimic the natural barriers to erosion and contribute to maintaining our fish and marine bird and mammal populations.
Most of us might never see a forage fish nor would we recognize one if we did, but they are vitally important to maintaining the food web which feeds the more recognizable inhabitants of our marine waters. If you enjoy a meal of wild caught salmon or the sight of basking seals; consider using “soft” armouring techniques to reduce shoreline erosion and bear in mind, on your next walk along a beach, that under your feet could be the developing embryos of these valuable residents of our marine waters.
A group of Metchosin residents, under the guidance of Ramona de Graaf, biologist and BC’s most passionate expert on forage fish, has recently begun sampling along Taylor Beach, to search for evidence of Pacific sand lance eggs (sand lance are known to occur there) and surf smelt spawning. Eventually they hope to expand this initiative along other Metchosin beaches.

References and Resources:
• www.greenshores.ca
• www.coastalgeo.com
• Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest, 1986. by Lamb and Edgell
• Protecting Nearshore Habitat and Functions in Puget Sound: An Interim Guide http://wdfw.wa.gov/hab/nearshore_guidelines/
• http://racerocks.ca/metchosinmarine/foragefish/foragefish.htm

The Road to Camas Hill

2008-12-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

The Road to Camas Hill
September 2008

View from Camas Hill

I wrote this as part of a university pre-course assignment, meant to examine how we came to be interested in a course on environmental restoration.

I am an environmentalist, most specifically, a volunteer speaking and acting for the environment. I consider myself a generalist, working in the fields of education, preservation, restoration and politics to achieve these aims.
Events that seem so unconnected can have profound consequences that may not be realized for many years, somewhat like the famous “Butterfly Effect”. The question of when the initial conditions began that set my restoration and preservation mindset into play is difficult to determine. Was it when I was a child, observing my mother pulling off the road to move dead animals to the side, showing her respect for them? Or maybe watching her tend to the iris’ and geraniums she planted? Perhaps her unwavering sense of fairness was instilled in me without ever hearing the subject addressed.
My experiences with nature as a child were about being in nature. I was fortunate enough to live in a time and place that allowed me great freedom to explore the woods behind our home. I was endlessly fascinated by all the creatures that I found, I wanted to make them a part of my life, in ignorance I ripped them out of their own homes and brought them to mine. Nature offered opportunities for exploration, for detection, very occasionally I allowed it to afford a moment of peaceful solitude.
I know that I was entranced by wildlife in my youth, bringing home snakes and salamanders, baby birds and rabbits, once even rescuing a muskrat from my neighbours garage and keeping it sequestered in my room while it recuperated (I still have a small scar from that episode!). For a brief time I fantasized about becoming a vet or a wild animal collector. As I grew into an adult, I loved gardening and reveled in seeing the transition from seed to mature plant. For a few years I worked professionally in the horticulture trade.
My sister initiated me into the joys of birdwatching and the sight, at my feeder, of a flock of evening grosbeaks, those gregarious parrot wannabees, cemented what had been a slow progression of tiny steps into a mature and enthusiastic appreciation of wildlife.

Graduation Day!

In 1997 I had been the operator of a successful retail business for a decade, with no plans to change that trajectory. However, a serious illness spanning several years gave me the time to open my mind to other life choices. An invitation in a local paper lead me to a broom removal event at Tower Point, in Metchosin. There I heard talk of university students who were involved in an intriguing new discipline at the University of Victoria-the Restoration of Natural Systems Program-from which I finally graduated in 2004.
Somewhere within those years and evolving still, grew a desire to “do good” and to “give back”. To work in a field that encompassed a commitment to helping make the world whole; to providing links and bridges between disciplines so that landscapes and communities could function with renewed integrity. To that end I have found my niche in environmental volunteerism, although focused narrowly on my own community, particularly the preservation and restoration of ecosystems within those restricted confines.
For the last eight years I have written articles, sat on committees and removed invasive species from local parks, trying all the while to educate the residents of Metchosin on the values inherent in our local ecosystems, on the many interesting and amazing lives of our local flora and fauna, and in the critical importance of retaining the original biodiversity of our environment, in a manner which, hopefully, engages Metchosinites and encourages them to explore and delight in our natural world.
I find nature profoundly, personally restorative and edifying. Environmental restoration is a means, along with preservation, of keeping that continuum of experience and connectedness with the natural world alive for my children and grandchildren. I think it also appeals to a nurturing element that has been transposed from my grown children to the natural world. The intrinsic right of our native species to flourish has become of paramount importance to me. Restoration of on ecosystem to its original integrity and self sustainability has a lot of parallels to raising our children to be productive, caring and self-sustaining adults.


Devonian Broomers

Working in this field has introduced me to my community and my community to me. For many years I lived in Metchosin as a businesswoman, mother and wife but with no ties to my community and no investment in it other than my financial one of home ownership. I could count the number of people I knew on my fingers, without even having to use my toes. Moving into the restoration field has brought me into contact with hundreds of people who have made me feel connected and valued. Friends have been made as we have removed broom for the past eight years from Devonian Regional Park, home to rare and threatened species and ecosystems.
Allies have been identified and relationships formed during campaigns to promote community awareness of our imperiled environment. My appreciation of the interconnected nature between our environment and the clean air it provides, the drinking water it purifies, the pollution it remediates has been developed and augmented by the understanding of the importance of diversity, in the fabric of our cultural community but as importantly, in the composition and integrity of the ecosystems which support this planet.
I believe in the power of the volunteer to achieve remarkable goals and objectives. Volunteer commitment will make people feel good about themselves and will strengthen their relationship with their community. I make the case that volunteers can have a powerful voice in producing change as their motives are not driven by financial need and they can operate outside of conflict of (financial) interest scenarios. The last nine years that I have devoted to volunteering, mostly in the environmental field, have been rewarding beyond words.
My work in restoration has really opened my eyes to the micro and macro aspects of the world we inhabit, how our actions and interactions affect and have consequences that move seamlessly and often unseen between the natural world and our anthropocentric world, how the two must be viewed as one encompassing whole in order to maintain this planet and the species which call it home.
It is also a humbling experience to realize how little we know about the way in which an ecosystems functions, why one plant is successful and another not, why some plants or animals reintroduce easier than others, how a very few introduced species can slowly wreck havoc on ecosystems so that they might never fully recover.
There’s a lot of work ahead of us!

Garry Oak

2008-11-26T08:56:00.000-08:00

Garry Oak
(Quercus garryana)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson

RANGE

In British Columbia the Garry oak grows primarily in southeastern Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands. Some outliers are known in the lower Fraser Valley. Nowhere else in Canada is the Garry oak found, and it is the Garry oak, together with the Arbutus, which help make coastal British Columbia so distinguishable from the rest of the country.

Garry oak in British Columbia represent the northernmost distribution of this tree which is found as far south as southern California. The Garry oak is the only native oak in British Columbia

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

On the deeper soil sites Garry oak forms open parkland and meadow with Douglas-fir and a healthy growth of camas, lilies, western buttercups, and shootingstars. In shallow soil environments, Garry oak may often be associated with Arbutus.

A diverse bird community makes its home in Garry oak meadows, as well as numerous mammals and insects. Garter snakes and alligator lizards can be seen basking on sun-warmed rocks.

Garry oak and associated ecosystems are home to more plant species than any other land-based ecosystem in coastal British Columbia. Many of these species occur nowhere else in Canada. Several species have already been eliminated in British Columbia,

Garry oak ecosystems are threatened by urban development. Over 100 species of plants, mammals, reptiles, birds, butterflies, dragonflies and bugs are at risk of extinction in Garry oak and associated ecosystems. The Garry oak Ecosystems Recovery Team (GOERT) and its partners are working to save the remaining endangered species and the habitats they need for survival. To discover more about GOERT, see http://www.goert.ca/.

DESCRIPTION

The Garry oak is a broadleaved deciduous hardwood with thick, grooved, greyish-black bark and a round spreading crown. The tree will grow to 20 metres in height.

According to British Columbia’s Big Tree Registry, the largest Garry oak in British Columbia is near Quamichan Lake on Vancouver Island. This specimen has a circumference at breast height of 5.09m, a height of 30.2m and a crown spread of 21.2m.

The largest Garry oak in Metchosin has been located at Rocky Point on DND lands. This specimen has a breast height circumference of 5.03m, height of 24.8m and a crown spread of 21.5m.

Leaves: The best way to describe the leaves of the Garry oak is to illustrate them. Dark green leaves in the summer turn to yellow and brown in the autumn before falling off.

Flowers: Inflorescence of tiny inconspicuous male and female flowers, these separate but on the same tree; female flowers clustered or single surrounded by a scaly cuplike involucre; male flowers numerous in catkins. (This technical description comes from the electronic atlas)

Fruits: The Garry oak fruit are small acorns illustrated in the photo below.

REPRODUCTION AND PROPAGATION

The Garry oak reproduces itself from acorns that fall to the ground in the autumn. It is from seed that yields the greatest success in propagation.

Nurseries increasingly offer native plants, including Garry oak, for sale. Garry oak, however, very quickly send down a tap root. Success declines markedly in transplanting a Garry oak after the first year of growth.

If you want to try your hand at growing Garry oak from seed, here’s what to do;
• Select an appropriate location for the tree recognizing the eventual size of the tree and that after it starts to grow, it will not likely be successfully transplanted.
• Collect a few acorns in late September and October. You need to beat the squirrels.
• Put the acorns in water for about 24 hours.
• Throw away the acorns that float They will not sprout.
• Place the acorn(s) you wish to try growing directly into the soil in the location you wish to have the tree.

More information on the propagation of Garry oak is available at the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team web site: http://www.goert.ca/

THREATS

Deep soil parkland sites typically contain a variety of shrubs, trees, flowers and grasses. Very few deep soil parkland sites remain in the Victoria region. While some large Garry oak trees remain on these sites, most are isolated from native plant communities and instead surrounded by landscaped urban developments or by agricultural and recreational expanses.

Most Garry oak on Vancouver Island is found on the scrub oak shallow soil sites. Many of these are rocky sites that can not be easily developed. Where these sites remain somewhat isolated from urbanization, native flowers, grasses and mosses dominate the ground cover of these rocky environments. In other cases, some of these shallow soil communities have been invaded by species such as Scotch broom, daphne, and some grasses. On Vancouver Island, less than half of the original scrub oak shallow soil sites remain.

Since settlement began on Vancouver Island in the mid 19th century, the transformation of the land to accommodate residential, agricultural, industrial, transportation, recreational and other land uses has led to a decimation of Garry oak ecosystems. Only from 1 - 5% of Vancouver Island’s Garry oak ecosystems remain today in a more-or-less natural state.

Threats to Garry oak ecosystems include habitat loss, fragmentation of larger areas of habitat into smaller, more vulnerable patches, encroachment of woody species as a consequence of fire suppression, and invasion of exotic species that out-compete native species.

Garry oak and associated ecosystems are among the most endangered in Canada. Many of the remaining Garry oak environments are found as fragmented communities isolated from other Garry oak communities. Isolation and fragmentation reduce opportunities for the genetic mixing thereby reducing the long-term viability of the species.

CULTURAL USES

David Douglas named the Garry oak to honor Nicholas Garry, secretary and later deputy governor of the Hudson Bay Company.

Coastal Aboriginal populations used Garry oak wood for fuel and for utensils such as combs and digging sticks. They also roasted or steamed the acorns for eating. They managed the Garry oak ecosystem using fire to generate a supply of camas bulbs, an important food source.

The Garry oak has not been used for timber. The wood, however, is hard and beautifully grained and has a rich look to it that makes Garry oak wood very suitable for woodworking and carving.
Craftspeople and artists display and sell Garry oak items at various galleries and studios on Vancouver Island including the Metchosin – East Sooke “Stinking Fish Studio Tour” and in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. For further information, see http://www.stinkingfishstudiotour.com/

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

We acknowledge and credit the following sources which were used to compile this brief description of the Garry oak. We encourage the reader to go to the references below for further Information on Garry oak.

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/garryoak.htm
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_2/quercus/garryana.htm
http://www.geog.ubc.ca/~brian/garryoak.htm
http://www.goert.ca/

Pacific Dogwood

2008-11-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

PACIFIC DOGWOOD (Western Flowering Dogwood)
(Cornus nuttallii)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson
RANGE

The Pacific dogwood is found in temperate coastal British Columbia and south to California with a disjunct population in Idaho

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

Pacific dogwoods are found at low elevations in association with Douglas-fir, grand fir and western hemlock in southwestern BC, preferring sites with deep, coarse, well-drained, moderately dry to moist, nitrogen rich, acidic soils with high water holding capacities. Although they are moisture loving trees, they are also drought tolerant. They are adapted to shade but can grow well in full sun although the bark is susceptible to sun scalding. They are considered to have low frost tolerance and high flood tolerance.

Many birds feast on the fruit, bears and beavers eat the fruit and foliage and deer browse the twigs. Trees with many new sprouts (after a disturbance) are grazed heavily by mule deer and elk but black-tailed deer do not appear to favour it. Some shrews and voles eat the seeds and it is pollinated by many insects.

DESCRIPTION

The Pacific dogwood is a small to medium sized deciduous tree (to 20 m) with a deep taproot.

Trunk: Trunk diameter is rarely more than 60 cm. The bark is thin, smooth and grey to blackish-brown, developing fine ridges with age.

BC’s Big Tree Registry records a specimen near Burgoyne Bay, Saltspring Island with a circumference of 3.05 m, a height of 26.75 m and spread of 16.45 m.

Leaves: Leaves are opposite, oval, pointed at the tip, and 4-10 cm long. The have prominent, curving, parallel leaf veins to the leaf edge. They are dark green above and grayish brown on the underside, turning a lovely red in the fall.

Flowers: What we think of as the spectacular flowers are actually 4-6 white, 2-7 cm modified leaf bracts surrounding a cluster of inconspicuous green flowers, flowering in April and May.

Some trees will occasionally repeat bloom in the autumn, producing trees with red leaves and fruit and large white “flowers”, this might be an adaptation to late summer water deficit.

Fruit: The fruit ripens into colourful red berries that adorn the trees in the fall.

REPRODUCTION

Pacific dogwoods reproduce both vegetatively and by seed. Seed production varies from year to year and it is thought that seeds are dispersed by birds and animals. They readily re-sprout from the crown after a disturbance and layering has been observed in newly sprouting plants.

PROPAGATION

Seeds are cleaned by maceration and pulp and debris floated off (the fruit flesh is considered to contain a germination inhibitor). Seeds are dried on mesh trays. Can be stored at 1-2º. Seed should be cold stratified for 3-4 months and sown early in the spring or sown outdoors in the fall soon after harvest. Nicking the seed and allowing a 3 day period of warm (15º C) stratification before cold stratification may help germination. Some seeds may take up to 18 months to germinate although some sources say seeds will germinate in a few weeks.

Some websites claim that Pacific dogwood does not root well from cuttings or layering, others that it can be successful.

Take cuttings of new growth from the root crown in June/July or of half-ripe side shoots in July/August, cuttings of mature wood of current year’s growth, taken with a heel, if possible, in autumn in a cold frame and layering of new growth can be tried in June/July, takes 9 months.

THREATS

Since the mid-1970’s, the Pacific dogwood has suffered from dieback and mortality. Dogwood anthracnose (dogwood leaf blotch) from the introduced fungus Discula destructiva, has been established as the culprit. It is thought that the fungus might have arrived with imported Japanese dogwoods (Cornus kousa).

There is a second Discula species found on Pacific dogwoods that is probably a native, less virulent pathogen. The disease readily attacks young seedlings and trees in the forest understory but all trees are susceptible. Most infection occurs during cool, wet weather. Stressors like drought and winter injury seem to increase the likelihood of infections. Some trees do appear to have a natural immunity. Infections begin with brown leaf spots which can coalesce into large splotches and shot holes. The infection can travel to the twigs, causing cankers and girdling, and eventually progress to the main truck, killing the tree.

Some sources recommend the following treatments: clean up fallen leaves, prune and destroy all infected parts, prune to open the canopy, spray with lime sulfur, copper and/or fungicides in spring at budbreak (usually 3 treatments at 2 week intervals).

Other sources warn against any unnecessary pruning. Do not over-fertilize, which will encourage succulent growth. Mulch trees to conserve moisture. Don’t use overhead watering devices. Consult with a professional before treatment.

CULTURAL USES

Pacific dogwood has been British Columbia’s floral emblem since 1956 and was at one time protected by provincial law. That law was repealed in 2002.

First Nations used the fine-grained, heavy wood in the production of bows, arrows, implement handles and clothing hooks and the Cowichan people have used it for making knitting needles. The young shoots can be used to make baskets and the boiled bark was used to make a brown dye. Medicinally it was prepared to alleviate stomach troubles, as a blood purifier and a lung strengthener.

The Pacific dogwood makes a beautiful specimen tree but dogwood leaf blotch has restricted its use.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

Clark, L.J., 1976. Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest. Evergreen Press, Vancouver, BC.
Douglas, G. et al, 1999. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Volume 4 (Dicotyledons). Crown Publications, Victoria, BC.
Klinka, K., et al, 1989. Indicator Plants of Coastal BC. UBC Press, Vancouver, BC.
Parish, R and Thomson, F. The Tree Book, Learning to Recognize Trees of B. C. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/index.htm
Pojar, J. and A. Mackinnon, 1994. Plants of Coastal BC. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC.
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/cornut/all.html
http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Cornus+nuttallii
http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/network/
http://www.nwplants.com/plants/trees/cor_nut_index.html

Cascara

2008-11-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

CASCARA (Buckthorn)
(Rhamnus purshiana)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson
RANGE

Cascara is native to western North America, occurring in British Columbia on the southern part of the coast, Vancouver Island and in the Columbia Valley. It ranges south to northern California and east to Montana.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

Cascara is a shade tolerant inhabitant of mixed woods and a coniferous forest understory tree. It prefers nutrient rich soils with moderately high summer moisture conditions. It tolerates fluctuating groundwater levels and can be found in riparian areas and wet sites as well as in drier locations, at low to middle elevations. It is often associated with lady fern, sword fern, red alder and vine maple.

Cascara is found in widespread and scattered occurrences but is never very abundant. It is a winter browse food for deer, elk and bears but is not a preferred food item. The fruits are consumed by birds, including band-tailed pigeons and ruffed grouse.

DESCRIPTION

Cascara is a deciduous, deep rooting, small tree or shrub that can reach 15 m but is more commonly 5-10 m in height.

Trunk: The trunk is usually 20-30 cm in diameter and the bark a silvery-grey colour, smooth when young and becoming scaly with age. Inner bark is a bright yellow and the sapwood is orange. The bark is aromatic and has an extremely bitter taste.

Leaves: The leaves are alternate, egg-shaped to oblong, finely toothed with 10-12 pairs of prominent veins. The leaf surface appears rippled. The leaves turn a lovely yellow in fall.

Flowers: The flowers are inconspicuous, 3-4 mm long, in clusters in the leaf axils.

Fruit: The fruits are dark blue-purple berries, 5-8 mm across, apparently edible but perhaps with laxative qualities.

REPRODUCTION

Most reproduction is through seeds that are dispersed by birds and squirrels, having traversed through their digestive tract.

Trees are able to re-sprout from crowns after low-intensity fires and can vegetatively reproduce from layering.

PROPAGATION

Seed can be collected from July/September. Separate the fruit from the seeds, dry, store seeds in a sealed container in the refrigerator or at 5ºC. Needs a cold, wet stratification, at 1-5ºC for 90-115 days or sow outdoors in the fall.

Hardwood cuttings can be taken in September and October

Cascara can be layered in situ (branches nicked and pegged into soil, where they will produce roots), layer in early spring. Keep soil moist.

THREATS

Cascara bark has been used since the late 19th century in natural laxative preparations, This has resulted in overharvesting in many areas. Threats to cascara have diminished with the development of synthetic drugs, although there are few mature trees remaining.

CULTURAL USES

First Nations used cascara for its laxative properties; stripping the bark and allowing it to cure for a year before being pulverized and boiled. Fresh bark can cause severe nausea. Other medicinal uses includes as a wash for sores and swellings, treating heart and internal strains and lately, as a wash for cold sores. It was also used to flavour some products and in the production of yellow and green dyes.

The fine-grained wood is excellent for wood turning.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

Douglas, G. et al, 1999. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Volume 4 (Dicotyledons). Crown Publications, Victoria, BC.
Klinka, K., et al, 1989. Indicator Plants of Coastal BC. UBC Press, Vancouver, BC.
Parish, R and Thomson, F. The Tree Book, Learning to Recognize Trees of B. C.
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/index.htm
Pojar, J. and A. Mackinnon, 1994. Plants of Coastal BC. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC.
Tilford, G.L., 1997. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana.
Turner, N.J., 1995. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press, Vancouver, BC.
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/rhapur/all.html
http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Plants/cascara.htm
www.greentimbers.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=35
Lea http://teaktalks.blogspot.com/2005/07/on-cascara.html

Arbutus

2008-11-26T08:46:00.000-08:00

Arbutus
(Arbutus menziesii)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson

RANGE

The Arbutus (known as madrone in the U.S.) is one of the most unique trees of Canada’s west coast. It is found from Mexico to southern Vancouver Island. In British Columbia it is found within about 8 kilometres of the shorelines of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and Georgia. It is usually found on exposed rocky bluffs overlooking the ocean, but the tree will grow well on deeper soils as well.
Arbutus have been found as far north as Quadra Island and Discovery Passage and on the west coast of Vancouver Island at the head of Nootka Sound.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

The Arbutus needs little in the way of tender loving care. The tree is found on very dry, excessively drained sites, such as exposed rock and rocky soils. It loves the sun and has adapted to survive the prolonged summer dry spells of southern Vancouver Island. The arbutus is a very useful for erosion control on disturbed sites.
Rufous Hummingbirds and bees are both attracted to the flowers. The berries are food for waxwings, robins, thrushes, band-tailed pigeons, and woodpeckers. Secondary cavity nesters such as tree swallows use the natural cavities created by broken branches for nest sites.
Arbutus may be associated with other species such as Garry Oak, Douglas-fir, oceanspray, salal or Oregon-grape.
The rare mushroom, Tubaria punicea (Christmas naucoria) only grow from the hollowed and rotting centres of ancient arbutus trees. These dark red mushrooms of late fall and early winter have been found on arbutus trees in Metchosin.

DESCRIPTION

Arbutus is the only native broadleaf evergreen tree in Canada – it does not lose its leaves in winter. The largest member of the heath family (Ericaceae), the arbutus is also related to rhododendrons, blueberries, kinnikinnick, manzanita, heather and salal.

The Arbutus will grow up to 30 metres tall. It often has a crooked or leaning trunk that divides into a number of crooked branches. It can survive the harshest west coast storms in the winter withstanding high winds and pounding ocean waves. The main stems of arbutus are rigid and seldom break under the strain of vicious winter storms. But a thick accumulation of heavy wet snow may weigh so heavily on branches that one or more branches might snap off

According to British Columbia’s Big Tree Registry, the largest Arbutus in British Columbia is located on Thetis Island. The circumference at breast height of this specimen is 6.64m. The tree is 35.54m tall and has a crown spread of 25m.

Metchosin's largest arbutus is located at Witty's Beach. This specimen has a circumference of 4.24m, is 28.04m tall and has a crown spread of 21.03m.

Leaves: New growth leaves are coarse, shiny green and almost waxy to the feel. The leaves are oval to egg-shaped. Since the arbutus is an evergreen, the tree sheds older leaves all the time. Older leaves turn yellow to brown before falling off. Arbutus leaves do not decompose easily. When used as a mulch, arbutus leaves should be ground up to speed up decomposition.

Flowers: Whitish-yellow Arbutus flowers are presented in large drooping clusters. Flowers are fragrant.

Fruits: Berries, globe-shaped, orange to red, about 1 cm across; surface finely granular.

Bark: One of the most striking features of this tree, the bark is what makes the Arbutus impossible to confuse with anything else. The tree has a very smooth reddish bark which curls up and eventually falls off, revealing a fresh new greenish layer beneath.

REPRODUCTION

Arbutus are best raised from seed. They are very hard to transplant from the wild because their root systems are very sensitive. Root rot can quickly set in when arbutus roots are disturbed. Arbutus are adapted to fires and their crown will resprout after a fire, giving them a competitive edge over conifers.

PROPAGATION

If you want to try your hand at growing an arbutus from seed, here’s what to do;
• Collect seeds from October to December.
• Macerate and float off the pulp. Dried seeds or berries can be stored at room temperature for one to two years and at 1-4ºC for longer periods. Air dry at 16-20ºC and rehydrate to separate seeds.
• Moist stratify at .5-4ºC for 30-90 days or stratify naturally outdoors over winter.
• Use a sand/peat medium and transplant to individual containers when large enough to handle.
• Arbutus grow quickly and should be transplanted to their final locations as quickly as possible.
• Water deeply and occasionally the first year. After that the trees are quite drought tolerant. Protect from deer with a wire cage until well established.

THREATS

In BC, the arbutus is fighting a losing battle with development and urbanization. Arbutus grow in just those areas that so many people find desirable and want to build their homes and businesses.

Disease is another ongoing concern with arbutus trees. Arbutus decline is probably the result of a cumulative host of factors, including stress from environmental conditions (drought, soil disturbance and pollution) and pathogens. The possibly introduced canker fungus, Nattrassia mangiferae, is thought to be the major pathogenic agent, with other opportunistic pathogens such as Fusicoccum aesculi and Armillaria attacking stressed trees. It has been postulated that the elimination of fire as a disturbance factor has allowed these pathogens to proliferate.

CULTURAL USES

Since the arbutus tree tends to be twisted and crooked, the tree has not been cut for timber. The wood, however, is hard and beautifully grained and has a rich look to it that makes arbutus wood very suitable for woodworking and carving.
Craftspeople and artists display and sell arbutus items at various galleries and studios on Vancouver Island including the Metchosin – East Sooke “Stinking Fish Studio Tour” and in Vancouver and the Lower Mainland. For further information, see http://www.stinkingfishstudiotour.com/
In Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon tell us that the arbutus is very important to Aboriginal people. The Saanich used arbutus bark and leaves for medicinal purposes. Straits Salish legend has it that the arbutus provided an anchor against the great flood. Another legend informs us that if the arbutus were to disappear, the Earth would fly apart.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

We acknowledge and credit the following sources which were used to compile this brief description of the Arbutus. We encourage the reader to go to the references below for further information on Arbutus.

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/arbutus.htm
http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Arbutus%20menziesii
http://www.britishcolumbia.com/wildlife/?id=28
http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/tree/arbmen/all.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ngawangchodron/193752251/in/set-72157594209753222/
http://www.bceh.com/arbutus_trees.htm
http://coastbotanicalgarden.org/articles/arbutus.htm
http://www.goert.ca/propagation_guidelines/

And the following publications:

Elliott, M. et al, 2002. Role of Fungal Disease in Pacific Madrone. NWest Science Vol 76, No 4
Fenger et al, 2006. Wildlife and Trees in British Columbia. Lone Pine Publishing.
Klinka, K. et al, 1995. Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia. UBC Press.
Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994. Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Lone Pine
Publishing.

Manzanita (Hairy)

2008-11-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

(Hairy) Manzanita
(Arcotostaphylos columbiana)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson

RANGE

Hairy manzanita is found along the coast from California north to Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast.

Typically Manzanita is found in the open and in clearings, on shallow, strongly drained soils on rock outcrops and upper slopes. It will tolerate a variety of soil textures and parent materials. Occasionally it is found in open, young Douglas-¬fir forest.

Manzanita does not tolerate deep shade.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

Hairy manzanita is an early colonizer of disturbed plant communities, developing after removal of the forest cover; Manzanita will continue to grow in the understory of an open forest.

Black bear, coyote, deer, and various small mammals and birds eat Manzanita fruit. The leaves and stems are unpalatable to browsing wildlife such as deer.

Manzanta can flower sporadically throughout several months allowing many invertebrates and hummingbirds to feed on the nectar. Brown elfin butterflies use Manzanita as a host plant, meaning they lay their eggs on Manzanita and the caterpillars use the plant as their food source.

DESCRIPTION

Hairy Manzanita is an erect or spreading evergreen shrub. It will grow from 1 to 3 metres in height.

The bark on mature shrubs is reddish, flaking and peeling, much like arbutus bark. Young twigs and branches are grayish and hairy.

Leaves are evergreen and egg or oblong shaped. Leaves are grayish and the undersides of leaves are hairy.

Flowers: Manzanita flowers are white or pink and occur in terminal clusters.

Fruits: Manzanita berries are blackish-red, 6-8 mm across.

REPRODUCTION

Hairy Manzanitas reproduce by seed. It is thought that they are adapted to disturbance by fire and seed dormancy can be broken by fire.

PROPAGATION

Manzanita is notoriously difficult to propagate, try using a very porous soil mixture, such as 4 parts perlite to one part vermiculite to ensure good drainage for cuttings. Keep the soil evenly moist but not waterlogged and use mist sparingly, the leaves are subject to fungal diseases.

From the Garry Oak Ecosystems Recovery Team research:

a) SEED PROPAGATION

Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction

Fruits may be hand stripped or picked off the ground. Soak fruits in water and then macerate by hand or blender. Pulp can be removed by floatation, or the whole mixture may be dried and the seeds extracted by screening or a fanning mill.

Seed Storage

Seeds retain viability for long periods in nature; thus stored seeds should retain viability for ten years or more. Seeds should be dried and stored at 2-4º C.

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment

Embryo dormancy is not common. All seeds exhibit seed coat dormancy, which is broken in nature by passing through the digestive system of an animal or by the effects of ground fires. Seeds should be scarified mechanically or by acid treatment. The possible use of fire in dormancy treatment needs investigation, since it has been postulated that, while heat may erode the seed coat allowing water absorption, leachates from the burned vegetation may enhance germination.

b) VEGETATIVE PROPAGATION

Vegetative propagation from stem cuttings is the most effective means of propagating this species. Dormant winter cuttings are best taken between January and March. Cuttings should be terminal shoots with about 2-4 cm of woody stem from the previous season's growth. Cuttings should be dipped in rooting hormone, planted in a moist peat/perlite (2:1) mixture and misted until roots develop. Since Hairy manzanita does not transplant well, rooted cuttings should be planted directly into one gallon pots and grown to planting size.

METHOD SUCCESS RATE TIME OF COLLECTION
Softwood cuttings Good March to early summer
Semi-hardwood cuttings Good Mid summer to October
Hardwood cuttings Good Nov-Jan (when the plant is dormant
Suckers Good Cuttings of side shoots of the
current season's growth, 5 – 8 cm with a heel, Aug to Dec in a frame- takes one year

c) OUTPLANTING CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIREMENTS

Plant into organic-rich soils or use acidified fertilizers in urban plantings. Do not plant in areas subject to water-logging to prevent crown rot. Water every four to six weeks during establishment but avoid overhead watering which may cause foliage diseases. Rock mulches may be used to control weeds and stabilize the soil.

THREATS

The primary threat to Manzanita is urbanization and the conversion of natural environments suitable for Manzanita to man-made environments. Manzanita often grows on rocky bluffs that afford excellent viewpoints and prime house building sites. It is thought that Manzanita seed germination is closely associated with fire disturbance and fire suppression has probably curtailed the germination of young plants.

CULTURAL USES

Manzanita leaves were used medicinally, as a tea, for the treatment of diarrhea. The bonsai like nature of the twisted stems and red bark make it an attractive landscaping plant for use in full sun to light shade in well drained sites. The wood is used for small woodworking projects and it has potential for restoration purposes on sunny, dry, sites in a mild climate.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/arccol/all.html
http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Arctostaphylos%20columbiana
www.goert.ca
www.gardenguides.com/plants/plantguides/trees/plantguide.asp?symbol=ARCO3
Thanks to the Native Plant Propagation Steering Committee of GOERT for the use of the propagation information.

Pacific Yew

2008-11-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

PACIFIC (WESTERN) YEW
(Taxus brevifolia)
Written by Moralea Milne and Jim McPherson

RANGE

Pacific yew is found from southern tip of Alaska to California and as far east as Alberta primarily at low to mid elevations. On the northern coast of BC and Alaska it is generally restricted to within a few kms of the coast.

HABITAT AND LIFE HISTORY

Pacific yews have the ability to efficiently capture and use light, water and nutrients in a wide variety of conditions. In coastal BC, yews are usually found in moist to wet coniferous forests, often in areas of higher soil nutrients, most commonly on water receiving sites but also on water collecting and (less commonly) on water shedding sites. At one time it was thought that they needed high levels of soil moisture but it has lately been discovered that they are tolerant of seasonal drought. They are able to grow in both the full sun of clearcuts and the deep shade of old growth forests. A shade grown yew that finds itself growing in full sun (from logging or other disturbance) will compensate by the needles changing colour to a bronze hue.

Pacific yews often grow in association with Douglas-fir, western redcedar, western hemlock, salal, Oregon-grape and skunk cabbage.

Yews are a small component of coniferous forests, usually found as single occurrences, a yew inventory from Quatsino Sound found 1.5-2.1 yew trees/ha.
They are considered a slow growing understory species and can live up to 400 years, although 200-300 years is more common.

Yew seeds are eaten by birds and rodents and deer, elk, moose and caribou browse the needles. However all parts of yews except the arils (soft fleshy part of the fruit) are highly toxic to humans and possibly to livestock.

DESCRIPTION

Pacific yews on the coast are small to medium sized trees, 2 to 15 m tall, with widely spreading, drooping branches. They rarely exceed 60 cm dbh (diameter at breast height) or 15 m in height although larger specimens have been recorded (one of the largest on record is 142 cm dbh and 18 m). The roots are deep and wide spreading. The bark is thin, purplish-reddish to brown, papery or scaly, flaking to expose a reddish underbark.

Trunk: The trunk of the Pacific yew is often twisted with a wide base.

Needles: Needles are flat, 2 cm long, 1-2 mm wide, the tip is abruptly pointed, yellow-green above, paler on underside, twisted but arranged to appear as if growing in two rows.

Cone: Male pollen cones are yellow, globe shaped, 3 mm long, usually appearing from February through June.

Fruit: Female seeds are comprised of a red aril surrounding a hard 6 mm long seed, fruits ripen over a span of months, from August to October.

REPRODUCTION

Pacific yew is dioecious, meaning that there are separate male and female trees. Some Pacific yew trees have been reported as co-sexual, meaning the fruits and seeds have been found on male trees. It produces abundant seed crops that are dispersed mainly by birds and rodents. The trees are able to re-sprout from cut and burned stumps and can vegetatively reproduce through layering.

Pollen is dispersed by wind.

PROPAGATION

To propagate, seeds should be extracted from the fruit as soon as possible as the fruit will promote mold. They can then be dried (1-2 weeks at room temperature) and then either sown, cold stored or stratified. Seed need to be stored at 1-2ºc in sealed containers.

Pacific yew seeds need warm plus cold stratification, 150-210 days at 16-18ºc, followed by 60-120 days at 2-5ºc. They are slow to germinate. In a forest seed sprout best in heavy organic forest litter in the second spring. Cover seeds with 1-2 cm of soil and mulch the seedbed. Shade beds during the summer, there is usually high germination after the second winter, so don’t throw out the seeding beds until after the second year. Shade seedlings (55% shade) after they emerge for one to three years.

Semi-hardwood cuttings can be collected in mid-May, just after leafbud break, cuttings have second year wood at base. Cuttings are 12 cm in length and 8 mm in diameter and treated with 8000 ppm liquid IBA Cuttings are placed in outdoor mist beds (6 second intervals every 6 minutes) with bottom heat of 21ºc (36% rooting success). Rooting media is 50% perlite and 50% sand. Mist bed is shaded.

Pacific yew can root from winter struck cuttings in 3 weeks to 4 months. Obtain cuttings from the youngest trees possible and use tip cuttings from 1-2 year old branches. Dip the end in rooting compound and stick into a well drained soil mixture that maintains a high moisture content.. Use a bottom heat as above.

Yews can be layered in situ (branches nicked and pegged into soil, where they will produce roots).

THREATS

Overharvesting has been considered a threat as research into the benefits of yew-derived taxol was ongoing. Taxol is used in the treatment of cancer and research is ongoing into its benefits in treating arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease. Since taxol has been chemically synthesized and cultured yews are used to produce semi-synthetically derived compounds, wild yew populations (never abundant to begin with) can recover.

Almost all Pacific yews in the coastal regions are infested with the yew big bug mite. This mite is thought to have been introduced from Europe, probably during the 19th century when immigrants brought over many species of their favourite plants. Damage occurs in the leaf bud, where symptoms ranging from swelling to death of the bud can occur. Infected plants display an erratic and asymmetrical shape. Interior yews have not yet been infected and the Pacific Forestry Centre website cautions against transporting coastal yew material into the interior.

CULTURAL USES

Pacific yew wood is hard, heavy (comparable to oaks) and resistant to decay, these attributes made it ideal for use by First Nations in the production of bows, paddles, digging sticks, snowshoes and other implements. It is also prized as carving material and as a trade item. Apparently the Haida believed that eating too many berries (the aril portion) would result in sterility. Ground yew wood was a component of a red paint.

It is also used in the making of furniture, musical instruments, fenceposts, boat decking and for Japanese ceremonial poles.

FURTHER INFORMATION AND REFERENCES

Douglas, D., et al, 1998. Illustrated Flora of BC. Volume 1, Gymnosperms and Dicotyledons. Crown Publications, Victoria, BC.
Klinka, K., et al, 1989. Indicator Plants of Coastal BC. UBC Press, Vancouver, BC.
Parish, R and Thomson, F. The Tree Book, Learning to Recognize Trees of B. C. http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/index.htm
Pojar, J. and A. Mackinnon, 1994. Plants of Coastal BC. Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC.
http://genetics.forestry.ubc.ca/cfcg/proj_cataloguing/s_taxubre.html
http://cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/subsite/yew/pacific-yew
http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/volume_1/taxus/brevifolia.htm
http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Plants/Taxus%20brevifolia.htm
http://nativeplants.for.uidaho.edu/network/view.asp?protocol_id=229
www.nsl.fs.fed.us/wpsm/Taxus.pdf

John Robert Webb 1946-2007

2008-11-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

John and Moralea on last date to Sooke Harbour House

John and Kirsten

John with Gala and grandson Max

John and Gala in Mexico, Christmas 2005

Portrait of John by his friend Frank Mitchell

JOHN ROBERT WEBB
1946-2007

At daybreak on Saint Patrick’s Day, surrounded by his wife and family, John Robert Webb, a devoted husband, father, brother and friend, left this world far too early.

Born in Victoria in 1946, John was raised on the West Coast. He loved the landscape, the sea, the culture and the people of British Columbia. Growing up in the fishing industry, his family spent many years in northern coastal communities and this time had a life-long impact on John. He learned early the importance of hard work and developed an enormous respect for First Nations’ peoples and a love of their culture and art.

The roots of John’s ardent relationship with technology grew from his love of music. Beginning with the local concert scene of the late 1960s, through to working for Kelly-Deyong Sound; in concert promotions (ask about the story of John being confronted by an enraged Mohamed Ali at a BB King gig); as part of the Addled Chromish Light Show and travelling the country as a sound engineer and road manager for numerous prominent musicians, including Dan Hill, John developed and honed his organizational, personal and technical skills. He was one of the organizers of the original Easter Be-Ins in Stanley Park and served as music critic in the early days of the Georgia Straight – a period with many interesting tales. After his stint at the Straight, his position was filled by Bob Geldoff and John, with a wink and a nudge, claimed that he smoothed the way for Bob. One of his early, rather short-lived ventures was as co-owner of the infamous Harry Krishna’s Last Chance Saloon on 4th Avenue in Vancouver.

John was an accomplished cabinetmaker and for years, working from Toronto, built many of the La Cache and April Cornell stores. There are kitchens sprinkled throughout Toronto and Metchosin which bear the hallmark of his woodworking skills. He knew that the way to a woman’s heart was through his ability to craft beautiful and well made furniture and piqued his future wife Moralea’s interest when he proceeded, throughout a weekend visit, to build her a much needed deck, supplied with only a hammer and saw (which was of rather dubious quality).

He loved sports and in the year he lived with lung cancer, he was able to indulge in watching them to his heart’s content. While he lived in Toronto he was an avid Blue Jays fan and season ticket holder and in Victoria he enjoyed watching baseball and soccer at the Centennial arena. While his daughter Gala was young, he enrolled her in fastball with Langford Lightning and never missed one of her games. From the seat of his chair he had just started teaching his grandson Max how to throw a football, a sport he played with relish in his high school years.

John was a bonafide news junkie, he craved information; finding it, understanding it and sharing it – from political news to recipes, John was not shy to impart some new discovery. He was surrounded by books his entire life and through his constant reading and as a subscriber to many news sources (and the food and sports channels) John had an encyclopedic knowledge of just about everything - he was our own personal Google engine.

After arriving back in Victoria, John found his ideal job in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, where he seized the opportunity to help the rural and First Nations communities of BC connect to the information highway. His interactive, questioning and open style of leadership allowed him to forge bonds between individuals, communities, private businesses, industry and governments that has given British Columbia a unique, envious and respected global position in bridging the digital divide. With his quick wit and focused determination, he could provoke some deputy ministers to sigh, as he headed in their direction: “Oh, oh, here comes trouble!”. Until his last days he remained almost umbillically connected to his work through his laptop and blackberry.

For his 50th birthday, John was determined to tackle the West Coast Trail. For weeks he would arise before dawn, load his pack with forty pounds of rocks and hike from our home on Rocky Point down to Taylor Beach. For someone with severe asthma this was no mean undertaking. However, the day dawned when two equally crazy but indomitable friends from Toronto (Terry Sullivan and Sid Tabak) and a local acquaintance (Jim Dakin) joined him and they all drove off for their adventure. Five days later the scruffiest looking group of grey-breaded guys you could imagine sat at the old Port Renfrew Hotel. As they quaffed a few cold ones and started trading tales, the most memorable (and truthful) declaration emerged “The best thing about this trip is that I never have to do it again!” Apparently there are some stairs along the trail that can make a strong man weep.

Inspired by his grandfather in Saskatchewan, who shared the podium with Tommy Douglas, John was always interested in politics. He ran as a federal NDP candidate in Toronto in the 1980’s (losing to Barbara McDougall) and remained supportive of the party. John threw his hat into the municipal arena in Metchosin in 2005 after he was told by a friend that he should either stop complaining or run for office. Declaring at an all-candidates meeting that he was an environmentalist, he surprised no-one but himself by winning a seat on council. He was, for too short a time, a vocal municipal councillor for all the qualities of rural and green life choices that make Metchosin such a remarkable place to call home. He truly loved this wild, wet, west coast and to his last days he continued to participate in his community. His sense of duty and unfaltering belief in public service motivated him to the end.

He found his soulmate in his wife Moralea Milne. They met in Montreal and married in Victoria in 1990 – having 18 wonderful years together. He proposed by promising to cook for her forever, an offer she readily accepted! Like his mother, he expressed love by feeding those he cared about - and it was an enviable pleasure to sit at his table or receive the gifts of his kitchen.

Recently both John and Moralea have been navigating the paper strewn trails of conservation covenants as they have been preparing to place one on their property. John felt blessed that he was able to take part in preserving in perpetuity the rocky knolls and moss balds of Camas Hill, home of endangered ecosystems and the red-listed sharp-tailed snake.

He was a devoted and supportive partner and a loving and mentoring father to: Gala, Rian and Madeline Milne (Joel Hansen), and Kirsten Paterson Downes (Justin Downes) and Cameron Paterson and a doting grandfather to Maxwell Hansen-Milne and Hayley Downes. He was a much loved son-in-law to Florence and Jan Janbroers, and the two families spent countless happy days together enjoying great meals (prepared by John) and good times. No matter his location he remained a dedicated son and brother, always supportive and available – ready to share a common sense of humour, love of books, and many hours of laughter, debate and mutual affection with his parents and sisters. He leaves four sisters in the Vancouver area: Suzanne Newman, Peggy Whittall, Janet Webb (Ted Howell) and Sheila Brown; and numerous nieces and nephews. John was predeceased by his parents Bob and Kaye Webb of North Vancouver in 2004. As the only son in a family of 5 children, he learned early to how get along with women. John felt fortunate to have the talented sisters-in-law April Cornell and Brenda Bowle-Evans and brother-in-law Dr. Rod Milne in his large, extended family.

John’s last, heartfelt piece of advise, which he was never adverse to sharing, could be summed up in two words: “Don’t Smoke!”

John Webb Honoured with Premier’s Award

On March 27th, at the 3rd Premier’s Innovation and Excellence Awards, John Robert Webb was posthumously awarded the Special Achievement Premier’s Award for Service Excellence for his work on the Network BC Project. The entire audience rose as one with a standing ovation.
Attending the dinner and award ceremony and accepting the award from Premier Campbell on John’s behalf were his wife Moralea Milne and daughters Gala Milne and Kirsten Downes. Familiar to most people in Metchosin for his all too short term as a councillor, John had another aspect to his working life that was unknown to most of his constituents. John was nominated for the award for his “pivotal role for over eleven years in expanding Internet connectivity to schools, libraries and, ultimately, homes throughout the province by facilitating community-level participation and ensuring the success of the Network BC Project, which made BC the best-connected province in the best-connected country in the world”.
Earlier in February, John had been honoured at the 2007 Summit on Information and Communication Technologies for Communities by the people he worked with in rural and First Nation communities, in business and in governments for these same accomplishments. The first John Webb Community Networking Award was announced at the Summit as well as two access sites in BC that have been named after him, one in the Peace River area and one at St Eugene Mission Resort, near Cranbrook. John felt particularly grateful and touched by the honour bestowed on him from the people he worked so tirelessly to aid through improving their internet capability and capacity.
He is missed.

Death Preparedness Continued

2008-11-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

DEATH PREPAREDNESS CONTINUED

October 2008

Death is a democratic master, coming eventually to all of us; almost always before we are ready to accept its immutable claim. In the lottery of death’s scenarios we usually play out our parts unaided by script, often unaware of its imminent embrace. In many families, death is treated like the black sheep, long forgotten relative; that person no-one will talk about, whose name will shut down a conversation with censorious looks. But death is only the certain last act in our lives; the claimant who returns inevitably for the final bows as the curtain falls..
Discussions with your loved ones on your death and theirs, before you perceive the need, will lighten the load your survivors must carry. For thousands of years people have known the roles they must assume in the presence of death, according to their own cultures and religions. Indeed, entire communities understood their roles and yours and deviation from the traditions was not often countenanced. However, in 2008, in our egalitarian society, we have a number of personal choices that we can make when it comes to funeral arrangements and the disposal of human remains.
Below are some options, please think about them, embroider them or pare them down, decide how much is appropriate to spend or how ecologically or humanitarian minded you are prepared to be and discuss your wishes with your loved ones. Conceive a plan that will be make the transition period of your demise easier on your loved ones and commit it to your will, if you feel strongly about your exit strategy.

Burial
The traditional western European method involves the injection of embalming fluids to slow the rate of decomposition, internment in a casket and burial in an approved location.
Embalming fluids are a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol, ethanol and other solvents, they are considered extremely carcinogenic. Obviously not a problem to the deceased but something to be aware of when making your choices, studies report that funeral home workers can be at increased risk of leukemia and asthma. The casket can range from simple, unadorned pine to ornate, exotic woods with satin linings and expensive metal hardware. They can be constructed of steel and lined with copper and zinc. The casket is then encased in a cement liner, to facilitate cemetery maintenance and safety. All wooden caskets are available to conform to some traditional religious requirements.

Green Burial
Reducing our human footprint has become the new mantra as people struggle with their conscience and their relationship to our environment. Royal Oak Burial Park in Saanich has determined there is a public desire for green burial sites. They are establishing what might be the first green burial park in Canada; a small area within the Park where the body will be allowed to decompose naturally and give life back to the earth. Grave markers will be native wildflowers, trees and shrubs. Burial remains in this area will not be embalmed, they may be placed directly in the ground or wrapped in a biodegradable material or container. There will be no individual markers but there will be an opportunity to have the deceased’s name placed on boulders placed throughout the area. Visitation to individual graves will not be encouraged as the gravesites will eventually become part of a forest mosaic. This innovative departure from traditional North American internment is on schedule to open the last week of October and they have received tremendous public response to the concept.

Cremation
This option has been embraced by over 50% of Canadians, with BC leading the way. In 2005, 79% of BC deaths were followed by cremation. There are statistics for everything and it appears that 39% of us keep the ashes (or cremains) at home, 37% have them buried in a cemetery and 22% are scattered. I don’t know what happens with the remaining 2% but maybe they are like my mom, who wants her ashes to be shot into space on a rocket!
A 2007 report by a UBC medical resident suggests that smoke from crematoria can be high in particulate matter that can aggravate respiratory conditions and has been linked to heart attacks. It recommended that crematoria not be located in residential neighbourhoods.

Donation
Many people live on the brink of death, desperately waiting for new life saving organs. Consider donating your body to help others if it is appropriate for your situation and you are comfortable with the concept. It is not an easy decision but it can be life affirming at a difficult time. In BC, over 684,000 people have registered to become organ donors and there are 301 people waiting for organs, 229 of whom are waiting for a kidney. In 2007 the average wait time for a kidney was five years, way up from 1998 when it was (only!) 28 months. 450 people are waiting for cornea transplants, imagine being able to give the gift of sight. After the organ donation process is completed the body is released to the family for their funeral arrangements.
You can find organ donor registration forms at motor vehicle offices, all London Drugs locations, ICBC Autoplan brokers, ICBC claim centres, doctor’s offices, Overwaitea and Save on Food pharmacies and online (see links at end of article).
Another way you can make a valuable contribution to your community after death is through the UBC body donation program. Medical teaching universities also need bodies so they may teach their students the fine arts of surgery, medicine and dentistry. 80-90% of the bodies are used for teaching purposes and the remainder are used in research. On the mainland the university pays for transportation of the body, embalming and eventual cremation. On Vancouver Island there is a $450.00 transport fee that you must absorb. If wanted, the cremains will be returned to the family after two to three years. Not only can you give back to your community after death, but you can save a lot of money on funeral expenses. There are restrictions on when a body can be accepted, including having infectious diseases and other problems. If you are interested in contributing in this way, please contact the Anatomy Department at the University of British Columbia at 604-822-2578.

Memorial Society of BC
Since 1956, the Memorial Society has helped BC residents obtain “access to simple, dignified, reasonably priced funeral options” as well as “performing a significant role as consumer advocate”. There is a one time membership fee of $40.00 to join. The society runs on volunteers and memberships, they do not accept payment of any kind from funeral providers and their clients receive a 15% discount from providers. In Victoria the only Memorial Society approved funeral provider is Sequoia Gardens Memorial, located next to Royal Oak Burial Park. For more information on the society please call 604-733-7705.

Funeral Services
Funerals can be anything you wish at any time that suits you. You can have a service at a funeral home or church, with a graveside viewing, if you prefer. You can have it at home or rent the local community hall or if the crowds are huge, you can use a lacrosse field and bleachers, you can restrict the attendees to family and a few friends or you can invite everyone who would care to come. There are no rights and wrongs, call it a celebration of life, a memorial service or a funeral, serve food and alcohol or not, request flowers or donations or ask people to bring nothing at all. Have it days after the death or months or years, whenever the time is right for you. Don’t feel hurried or obligated, take the time to do what is important to you and your loved ones.

Cost
Beware that prices can vary widely and when you are deeply grieving you are vulnerable and susceptible to expensive options you might not otherwise have chosen. The cost of my husband’s cremation was about $1350.00, when my sister’s husband died suddenly last January, I took over the disposal details for her. The operator at her local (and only) funeral home quoted me a price of about $1300 but quickly started adding on a couple of hundred for this, a couple of hundred for that, so it soon escalated to over $2000.00. When I pointed out that I had the same service preformed here for only $1350, he did an about face and said that is all he would charge. If you are unprepared, there is a chance you will be overcharged.
The green burial option at Royal Oak Burial Park is approximately $2600-$2900 for the lot, which includes the provincially mandated perpetual care cost that is 25% of the lot costs. There is an additional fee for opening and closing the grave ranging from $735-$795.
Traditional burials can be quite expensive with additional costs for a casket and liner, rental begins around $1300, with prices ranging from $1000 to multi thousands to buy the casket. The mandatory cement grave liner is approximately $675.00.

Please try to make these decisions now or in the days to come, well before you can even dream there will ever come a time to need them. Commit your plans to paper or in a computer document, send a copy to your executor, your kids or a dear friend, then put them away and forget about them. Take comfort in knowing your eventual death will be a little easier for your loved ones to experience because of this thoughtful gift.

BC Organ Donation www.transplant.bc.ca/index.asp
UBC Body Donation www.cellphys.ubc.ca/bodyprogram.html
Memorial Society of BC www.memorialsocietybc.org/
The Centre for Natural Burial: www.naturalburial.coop/
Royal Oak Burial Park: www.robp.ca/

Forty Easy Native Garden Plants

2008-10-13T00:46:00.000-07:00

FORTY EASY NATIVE GARDEN PLANTS
Easy to grow, Easy to maintain, Easy on the Environment

Garry oak Quercus garryana
Deciduous, full sun, needs good drainage, drought tolerant once established, young acorns have sweet scent, late to leaf out, late to drop leaves, only host plant of Propertius duskywing, a blue-listed butterfly.

Shore pine Pinus contorta var. contora
Full sun, tolerant of most growing conditions from droughty soils to bogs but check gene source for adapted plants. Not a first food choice for deer. Host plant of white pine and western pine elfin butterflies.

Seaside juniper Juniperus maritima
Full sun, drought tolerant when established, lovely bluish green foliage, not a first food choice for deer (very similar to Rocky Mt juniper but discovered as new species-grows at Albert Head).

Mountain-ash Sorbus sitchensis
Deciduous, to 4 m tall, full sun to part-shade, white flowers in clusters, red berries in fall, favoured by birds, needs adequate moisture.

Scouler’s willow Salix scouleriana
Deciduous, small tree, quite drought tolerant, fast growing. Host plant for Western tiger swallowtail, mourning cloak and Lorquin’s admiral butterflies.

Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor
Sprays of creamy white flowers adorn this hardy, drought resistant shrub in early July. Plant in full sun to part shade.

Indian plum Oemleria cerasiformis
One of our earliest shrubs to flower, with drooping racemes of white flowers in February and March, quickly followed by chartreuse green leaves. Full sun to part shade, great for early pollinators and birds love the small fruits. Effective in a hedge row. Drought tolerant but prefers some moisture to remain presentable.

Saskatoon Amelanchier alnifolia
Wonderful display of pure white blooms in April, produces small fruit which is quickly consumed by birds, can form lovely small tree. Full sun to part shade, dry to slightly moist soils.

Elderberry Sambucus racemosa
Deciduous, small tree, part shade to full sun, needs moist conditions, lovely panicle of creamy white flowers that feed various insects and hummingbirds, followed by brilliant red berries that are loved by many birds, makes an excellent jelly but must be cooked.

Evergreen huckleberry Vaccinium ovatum
Evergreen shrub with small glossy leaves, full sun with adequate moisture, part-shade to shady, quite drought tolerant once established, slow growing, delicious blue or black fruit. Not a first food choice for deer.

Oregon Grape-tall Mahonia aquafolium
Evergreen, full sun, drought tolerant when established, panicles of yellow flowers, holly-like leaves, edible blue fruit for jellies or wine. Not a first food choice for deer.

Oregon Grape-low Mahonia nervosa
Evergreen, part shade, drought tolerant when established, panicles of yellow flowers, edible fruit for jellies and wine. Not a first food choice for deer.

Salal Gaultheria shallon
Evergreen, sprawling, shrubby groundcover, part-shade to shade, some moisture needed, edible, delicious, dark purple berries, somewhat slow growing. Good for steep slopes. Not a first food choice for deer.

Manzanita Arctostaphylos columbiana also A. x media
Evergreen shrub, full sun, needs excellent drainage, somewhat slow growing, has beautiful peeling reddish bark, bonsai-like shape, white to pink flowers early in spring, supplies food for hummingbirds. Not a first food choice for deer.

Flowering currant Ribes sanguineum
Deciduous, part shade or full sun with adequate moisture, beautiful early red, pink or white (hummingbirds prefer red) flowers, somewhat drought tolerant, fast growing.

Gummy gooseberry Ribes lobbii
Covered in small single, fuschia-like blooms in late March, great for hummingbirds. Part shade to full sun, has prickles.

Mock orange Philedelphus lewisii
Deciduous, full sun, appreciates good drainage, somewhat drought tolerant but needs some supplemental watering to look good, wonderfully scented white flowers.

Sword fern Polystichum munitum
Evergreen, part-shade to shade, needs some moisture but somewhat drought tolerant, large and lush looking. Good filler. Not a first food choice for deer.

Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Evergreen groundcover, full sun to part shade, drought tolerant when established, fast growing, beautiful red berries, loved by birds. Great trailing over stone walls. Not a first food choice for deer.

Hairy/orange honeysuckle Lonicera hispidula and L. ciliosa
Vines, rambling plants, good to climb up trees and clamber over shrubs. L. hispidula with purple flowers and L. ciliosa with orange flowers, used by hummingbirds and pollinators. Drought tolerant, full sun to part shade.

Wild strawberry Potentilla (Fragaria) species
Deciduous, fast growing groundcover, white flowers and some plants fruit well. Parent of commercial strawberries. Host plants for two-banded checkered skipper butterfly. P. chiloensis, full sun, P. vesca and virginiana prefer part-shade.

Stonecrops Sedum spathulifolium, S. oreganum, S. divergens
Evergreen groundcover succulents, prefer drought conditions, full sun, yellow flowers, Sedum spathulifolium & divergens bloom May, S. oreganum blooms end of July. Sedum spathulifolium host plant for blue-listed Moss’s elfin butterfly. Sometimes host to the lovely naked broomrape (Orobanche uniflorum).

Alumroot Heuchera micrantha
Evergreen, herbaceous perennial, lovely white sprays of flowers, blooms June-early July. Not a first food choice for deer. The native version of coralbells.

Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea
Deciduous, herbaceous perennial, to 1 m tall, spreading-plant alone or in containers, silver-gray foliage, white “everlasting” type flowers, blooms mid-July-mid-August. Favourite for pollinators, native bees, butterflies (esp. skippers), beetles. Not a first food choice for deer.

Columbine Aquileja formosa
Deciduous, herbaceous perennial, part-shade, orange flowers, blooms May-June, food plant for hummingbirds.

Wooly sunflower Eriophyllum lanatum
Deciduous, herbaceous perennial, full sun, needs good drainage-add grit to soil, cheerful yellow flowers with blue-green foliage, favoured by pollinators, butterflies, low growing.

Aster Aster subspicatus, A. foliaceus, A. chilensis
Deciduous, herbaceous perennials, spreading-plant alone or in containers, lovely purple flowers with yellow centres, blooms August-September, favoured by pollinators, butterflies, native bees.

Nodding onion Allium cernuum
Semi-evergreen bulbs, full sun, somewhat drought tolerant, pinkish-purple flowers, blooms July, self seeds very freely, edible (like green onions).

Sea Blush Plectris congesta
Annual, full sun, drought tolerant, but grows taller and lusher with supplemental watering, short, bright pink flowers, blooms March-June, self seeds freely.

Farewell-to-spring Clarkia amoena
Annual, full sun, drought tolerant, but grows taller and more lush with supplemental watering, sprawling habit, pink flowers bloom June-till mid-July, sometimes till fall, self seeds somewhat.

Camas Camassia quamash and C. leichlinii
Spring bulb, blooms end of April, early May, beautiful blue flowers (hyacinth-like), full sun, C. quamash prefers drier soils, good for open areas, meadows.

Fawn lily Erythronium oregonum
Beloved spring bulb, blooms mid March, white pendant flowers, part shade, beautiful in drifts under Garry oak trees.

Chocolate lily Fritillaria affinis
Spring bulb, blooms early-mid May, brownish red, speckled with yellow pendant flowers, full sun, charming short lily.

Tiger lily Lilium columbiana
Exquisite flowering lily, approx one metre tall with orange speckled flower in early to mid June. dry to slightly moist soils, full sun to dappled shade.

Gumweed Grindelia integrifolia
Yellow flowers in late summer, need excellent drainage and full sun, wonderful plant for pollinators, member of the aster family. Might be biennial.

Broad-leaved shootingstar Dodecatheon hendersonii
Delightful ground hugging perrenial, pink nodding flowers in March-April. Prefers rich soil, moderately dry, full sun to part shade.

Satinflower Olsynium douglasii
Petite perennial with iris like leaves, purples flowers very early-February-March, great with sedums in rock gardens. Needs full sun and shrap drainage.

Fringecup Tellima grandiflora
Tall spires of odd greenish-white flowers, very fragrant, blooms April-May. Needs good moisture, full sun to part shade, prefers rich soils.

Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
Lovely sprays of bright yellow flowers in mid-late summer. Full sun in well drained, poor soil. Food for pollinators.

Sea thrift Armeria maritima
Tight mounds of bright to pale pink flowers, flowering late spring to early summer, can rebloom if flowers are cut back. Needs full sun, excellent drainage, poor soil. Great in rock gardens and in rock walls.

The Ethics of Plant Rescue

2008-10-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

Plant Rescue, an Ethical Confusion

The Victoria Native Plant Study Group (NPSG) has been in the forefront of the plant rescue movement. By negotiating with developers we save native plants, even some quite rare ones, from sure eradication under the blades and tracks of land clearing machinery. Sometimes these rescued plants are used in our gardens or are donated to restoration projects. At other times the seeds and cuttings are used to propagate plants in nurseries and further the native plant gardening movement. These all seem to be activities that we can and should support.

But I wonder...

Spring 2002 and 2003 saw a huge plant rescue operation at the Langvista sites in Langford. I was an eager participant. I was delighted to be able to save native plants from certain obliteration and provide my own property and local municipal grounds with often expensive and hard to find native plants. All we rescuers carefully followed the rules laid out by the developers and stayed well out of covenanted areas, glad to know some of the site's natural beauty and plant community was protected. I did give a moment’s pause to wonder where the many birds would be nesting that year. However there was a beautiful, intact site across the road they could migrate to. I ignored the obvious: that site would already have its full complement of birds asserting their territories.

It was early 2003 that I heard this site, which backed onto Mill Hill Regional Park, was also about to be developed. Another rescue began.

This site was amazing, with an incredible diversity of native species, including some blue and red-listed rarities. There were literally thousands of Allium amplectans and many mosses, lichens and fungi.

All these species begs the question - what did we miss? What other rare jewels were not apparent to our non-expert eyes? Hans Roemer had recently found many more species and occurrences of rare plants on Mill Hill than was previously thought to exist there. It is logical to consider the same would be true at this adjacent site.

Last year brought a shift in my perceptions and I didn't feel quite so lucky to be involved in the "good works" of plant rescue. Rather, I felt increasingly sickened by the destruction and plunder of this hugely productive, rich, rare association of ecosystems. And why are we so focused on plant rescue? If you were to try snake rescue or alligator lizard rescue or caterpillar rescue, you would soon realize the futility of “rescues”.
When someone declared they felt like "a kid in a candy store", I really started to wonder what we were doing. This was no candy store that could be restocked with old favourites. It took many thousands of years to produce the plants and animals at this site. Nothing we attempt in our lifetimes could ever replace the astonishing environment that was lost.

When I consider the number of people who made many repeated trips to this site to rescue plants, I wonder what could have been accomplished had that same time and energy been directed towards saving the site? I have heard the developers were willing to sell the site to CRD Parks. What if we had worked with the District of Langford, CRD Parks, GOERT, NGOs, the provincial and the federal governments? Could we have preserved this immensely rich and biodiverse community for future generations? Through our ignorance and inactivity we let a piece of the best of the last remnants be destroyed. Perhaps if we had not been so focused on "rescuing" individual plants we could have rescued an entire ecosystem. What good are the plants that we saved really? They have become mere gardening material rather than part of a dynamic ecosystem. Is that a worthwhile trade?

Should we focus our limited resources on plant rescue? Or would the enthusiastic members of the plant rescue corps harness the power of their combined energies to the preservation of endangered ecosystems?

Perhaps if I could be sure we had explored all possible avenues to protect and preserve every remaining significant Garry oak and associated ecosystem site, then "plant rescue" operations would be worthwhile endeavours. At the moment I find myself sitting on the fence of indecision, staring at the crossroads of choice and I ask myself this question: if there is only a limited time left, what would I want to leave as my legacy?

Moralea Milne, VIP Warden, Devonian Regional Park. Article originally published as "The Ethics of Plant Rescue" in _The Victoria Naturalist_ 60.4(2004): 8-9.

Mistletoe Musings

2008-10-13T00:41:00.001-07:00

Mistletoe Musings

Most people know little about mistletoe beyond the delightful Christmas season tradition of “kissing beneath the mistletoe”. Did you know the proper procedure requires that you remove a berry for every kiss, until there are no berries left and no more kissing to be indulged?

In Norse mythology Frigga or Freya, the Goddess of Love, proves the power of a mothers love when her tears raise her son Balder from death caused by an arrow poisoned with red mistletoe berries. Her tears change the berries to a pearly white and rehabilitate the mistletoe reputation. She kisses everyone who walks beneath the mistletoe plant, in gratitude for all they did to protect her son.

Revered by Celtic Druids as a sacred plant, which they called “all-heal”, mistletoe was considered a potent substance that could cure illnesses of many descriptions, serve as an antidote against poisons, ensure fertility, protect against witchcraft, lightning, and death in battle and perform as a divining rod to find buried gold. Apparently, if opposing groups found themselves in the forest beneath mistletoe, they would call a truce for a day (kiss and make up?).

Although mistletoe is known to cause gastro-intestinal distress and can be potentially fatal, it’s properties have been investigated for use in cancer research to stimulate the immune system, kill cancer cells, reduce tumours, increase survival time, decrease pain and improve quality of life.

Mistletoe, from the German, mistel for dung and the old Anglo-Saxon tan for twig or “dung on a twig” refers to the perception that birds would leave behind voided mistletoe seeds on host tree branches, ensuring successful germination. However, that view has been proven false as mistletoe germination actually decreases with passage through a digestive tract. In fact mistletoe berries have evolved a much more remarkable dispersal tactic as they eject their single sticky seed at speeds of up to 60 mph!

In an undisturbed natural environment, the hemi-parasitic (utilizes the tree for food but also able to photosynthesize) mistletoe is not the destructive pest so disparaged by lumber companies but an important component of woodland ecology as it contributes to diversity in the forest. Mistletoe causes the host tree to develop dense clusters of branches, often referred to as the evocative witches’ brooms, which provide well protected roosting and nesting sites and effective cover from predators. Many familiar and some not so common birds such as Cooper’s hawks and spotted owls use witches’ brooms to raise their young, and the phainopepla, the silky flycatcher of the American South-West, relies on mistletoe growing on acacia and mesquite trees for much of its winter food. Several butterflies, such as the endangered (in British Columbia) Johnson’s hairstreak, lay their eggs on dwarf mistletoe, which the caterpillars then consume as food. Many birds, insects and mammals, like the Abert’s or tassel-eared squirrel, either drink the nectar of the mistletoe flowers or consume the berries or plants as an important part of their diets. Even the slow death of the host trees provides home and sustenance to many wild species such as cavity dwelling birds like woodpeckers and nuthatches.

From its place as a natural component of the forest ecology, to sacred plant, to medicinal cure-all, reviled as lumber pest or fondly associated with holiday fun and romance (but watch out for those fertility powers!), mistletoe has long been a part of human culture. Looking out my living room window at a well-loved view of oaks, arbutus and firs, I now realize that a dense cluster of branches high up in the canopy, looking like a well pruned topiary, is actually my own witches’ broom. Now, the next time my husband and I have a disagreement, I’ll maneuver him under the mistletoe and we can call a truce for the day!

Trillums

2008-10-13T00:40:00.001-07:00

Trillium Ovatum

Trilliums

Growing up, our suburban property backed onto abandoned farmers fields, small ponds and deciduous Eastern Woodlands and this is where my naturalist inclinations first appeared. At that time it was the fauna, rarely the flora that caught my young attention and I would spend countless hours scouring the fields, finding bird nests and baby rabbits, milkweed plants hosting monarch butterflies and old coke beds riddled with snake hibernacula. I rescued a muskrat from a neighbours garage and kept it loose in my bedroom until it recovered sufficiently to bite the hand that fed it!
Every spring, small ponds reverberated with the calls of a cast of frogs, each declaring their territory and availability, almost precluding sleep. Surrounding these woodland ponds in deep, rich, moist soil were carpets of chaste white trilliums that gradually shaded to pink and rose. These quite blameless flowers inspired fear and respect as my literal childish interpretations led me to believe that even inadvertent damage to the trilliums could send me to jail. I looked but never touched these glowing woodland gems.
There is an austere beauty, nothing fussy or overblown, that adorns the classic trillium. Floral emblem of Ontario and Ohio and protected by law in several provinces and states, trilliums have leaves and flower parts in threes or multiples of threes. In its most recognizable form, the leaves and sepals are clothed in unblemished green with petals a clear white. Other species can have mottled leaves and petals that range from yellow to pink or red. Rising from two inches to two feet, it never fails to quicken the heart of a rambling nature lover.
Like many lily species, trilliums can be slow to grow from seed, taking seven to fifteen years to bloom, although some of the species more than make up for this by living to a great old age of about one hundred years. The trillium has co-evolved with ants and they have developed a remarkable relationship that ensures dispersal of trillium seeds. The seed has an oily appendage that is attractive to ants, who gladly carry it home and consume the appendage. They then toss the still viable seed onto their garbage heap where it might germinate. If you pick the flower and leaves of a plant with underground storage components, like a bulb or rhizome, you deplete it of energy reserves for the next year and it could take several years before the plant recovers sufficiently to bloom again, hence the prohibitions on picking and collection I remember from so long ago.
Overharvesting and development of woodlands has depleted many populations so that some jurisdictions have enacted laws giving protection to the species. If you find trilliums offered for sale at your local nursery, please inquire if they are nursery grown or wild collected. Resist the temptation to buy wild collected plants.
The common name, wake-robin, most likely refers to the springtime reemergence of the plant, coincident with the welcome arrival of robins. Other familiar names such as birth-root and Indian-balm hint at former medicinal uses. It was valued for its astringent and antiseptic properties that relieved birthing difficulties, eye problems and gangrene as well as its aphrodisiac qualities.
In some botanical sources the following lines from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Nights Dream have been said to describe trilliums:
Yet mark'd I where the bolt of Cupid fell:
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's wound,

Although this could be an exquisite description of trilliums, they are native to North America, Japan and the Himalayans, not England or Europe, which generates a little mystery if you don’t read the rest of the poem:
And maidens call it love-in-idleness.
Love-in-idleness which could be either Viola arvensis (field pansy) or Viola tricolor (Johnny–jump-up), native to the British Isles and a more likely plant for Shakespeare to be familiar with!
Whoever decided to borrow Shakespeare’s lines to describe our North American beauties need not have bothered, trilliums with their clean and simple form and unpretentious beauty need no embellishment.

Moralea Milne
November 1, 2004

Fairy Slippers

2008-10-13T00:39:00.001-07:00

Fairy Slipper (Calypso Bulbosa)

Nestled within life protecting moss in the depths of a cold dark cedar swamp or encased in a thick duff on a coniferous forest floor, there can be found a fragile and exquisite orchid that can make a strong man cry.
John Muir, known as the Father of Conservation and the founder of the Sierra Club only once set eyes upon this rare jewel and it was an experience he described as one of the most memorable and impressive moments of his life. He regarded the fairy slipper as “the most spiritual of all the flower people”.
Once common enough to be consumed as food by the people of the Pacific Northwest, it has become an uncommon and memorable pleasure to any naturalist fortunate enough to discover one and they are indeed difficult to find. In late summer they put forth a single small round pleated leaf that hugs the ground. This leaf braves the vagaries of winter until it is joined, just after snowmelt, by it’s solitary nodding blossom. Painted in pink, yellow and white; spotted and striped; the slipper shape of its lower lip alludes to its common name. Permit yourself a moment to gaze at its exquisite form and then bend down, right down to fairy level, to catch the subtle scent of vanilla that wafts through the air.
Even the scientists have been beguiled by this beauty, so much so that they gave it the name “Calypso”, after Homer’s sea nymph in the Odessey, who, for seven years, seduced Ulysses from his journey.
This delicate and sensitive beauty should only be preserved in it’s likeness. To pick or transplant it means almost certain death of the plant. The fragile roots cannot withstand the most gentle tug and it thrives only in partnership with particular fungi.
Rejoice if you are fortunate enough to locate a fairy slipper and think of John Muir who cried upon finding this singular and elusive treasure.

From the Natural World to Your Home

2008-10-13T00:37:00.000-07:00

FROM THE NATURAL WORLD TO YOUR HOME
January 5, 2004

In the natural world there exists a step by step series of interactions that occur in order to clothe the landscape we find around us. This process is known as succession. On to bare rocks and minerals the first plant life to arrive will be minuscule algae and lichens. Very slowly, over the eons, they foster the building of soil. As the soil increases, so do the numbers and diversity of lifeforms. Swaying grasses and verdant mosses promote flowering perennials, which encourages the proliferation of shrubs and finally, the canopy of trees. Even there, different species of trees arrive at different times. The pine forests of New England give way to mature hardwood forests, whose spectacle of fall colours enchant us all, just as the familiar alder of the northwest coast precedes the majestic cedar, known by First Nations as the tree of life.

Various conditions affect which plants will establish and survive. Fires bring both destruction and rejuvenation. Pine cones that have been dormant for many years respond to the searing heat by germinating and blanketing the forests with their sun tolerant seedlings. Like an army of small bottle brushes, they cover the soil, protecting and nurturing it. Complexity is added as each new plant modifies and changes the environment, creating conditions ripe for more particular species. Layer upon layer of plants develop and intermingle in an ever changing dance of life.

Clothing your home or yourself can be seen in a similar light. Beginning with the necessities and adding or removing layers as the situation or conditions warrant. A table can be a functional bare surface with only the necessary dishes and cutlery for a simple, introspective meal, or it can be made elaborate with the layering of fabric, texture and colour. Placemats upon tablecloths, prints upon wovens, saturated solids with innovative combinations of colour, centerpieces and candles, napkins and runners, provide friends and family engaging in festive occasions with a feast for the eye as well as the stomach.

April Cornell finds inspiration from the world around her, from nature and from the circumstances that have shaped her. Her muse is just outside her door, from the flamboyant cardinals flocking to her feeder to the elusive fairy slippers nestling in the forests. Just as ecological processes are dynamic, yet rooted in fundamental progressions and ever poised to engage in new plant combinations, so too flow the ideas of April Cornell; vibrant, expressive of the natural world and always graced with intriguing and novel dimensions.

Witty's Lagoon

2008-10-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

Witty’s Lagoon CRD Park January 8, 2004

Some places have what they consider a jewel in their crown but Witty’s Lagoon CRD Park, more commonly known as “Witty’s”, has many such jewels; a King’s ransom of the grand, the spectacular, the rare and the precious.
One jewel is the Tower Point section of the park. The following is reprinted with permission from the CRD Parks VIP Newsletter:

At Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park, Tower Point has an intriguing story to tell. It’s a story that reflects the history of colonization on southern Vancouver Island, changes for people and for ecosystems. The land that forms the park has had many uses over time; a First Nations fortification and village site, a Metchosin pioneer settlement to a present day park. But it hasn’t always been known as Tower Point…

Before European contact, the small Ka-Kyaakaan band occupied the land around Witty’s Lagoon. They were part of a larger group of people, the Coast Salish. The Ka-Kyaakaan had a permanent village on the sandy spit that was protected by two fortification sites, one at Tower Point. With its steep bluffs dropping into deep, cold water, Tower Point was an ideal defensive site, one that provided expansive views in all directions. If you look carefully, you can still see evidence of the fortification today.

Spanish and British ships explored the area, providing the first European contact and in 1850, local First Nations and the Hudson’s Bay Company signed the Fort Victoria Treaties. This act marked the beginning of the formal colonization of southern Vancouver Island. In 1860, a new settler to Metchosin named Edwin Rosman purchased several adjoining parcels of land, including Tower Point. The land changed hands several times until Dr. Hart and his family purchased the Tower Point property in 1909, from the Duke family.

The Hart family had water shortage problems on their farm. They commissioned the construction of a gravity-fed irrigation system to provide a reliable water source. The system began with a cement weir above the waterfall on Bilston Creek, near the present day Nature Centre – a fair distance from Tower Point! Water flowed through carefully constructed wooden pipes along the lagoon shore to the Hart property. The wooden pilings and the weir are still visible today when hiking the Lagoon Trail. Once the water reached the Hart property, it was pumped up to a wooden tower and gravity fed to the house and farm. Tower Point now had its modern day name.

The Higgs family later bought the land from Dr. Hart and named the property Darby Farm. The land changed hands several more times until 1970, when CRD Parks purchased it for regional parkland, making Witty’s Lagoon one of the original parks in the regional parks and trails system. The wooden tower you can see today is not the original one, but is believed to be the remnant of a tower probably built by the Higgs to cover and protect the pump used for their well.

Today, Tower Point has much to offer park visitors at any time of the year. It features seaside and mountain vistas, abundant birdlife, wildflowers in spring, a rocky shoreline inhabited by an array of marine life and wildlife viewing opportunities of resident harbour seals. As well, there are stories to tell and clues to find that whisper about the history of this piece of land.

By Colleen Long, Coordinator of Environmental Interpretation

Tower Point is known in botanical circles for the occurrence of several species of rare and uncommon plants: Howell’s triteleia (Triteleia howellii), showcased by local expert Andy McKinnon in a previous edition of the Muse; Geyer’s onion (Allium geyeri var. tenerum); seaside rein orchid (Piperia elegans) and poverty clover (Trifolium depauperatum). The rocky outcrops along the shoreline are festooned with moss and lichens. These areas are extremely sensitive to foot traffic and the moss is easily dislodged at this time of year. Please stay on the paths and help us to maintain these small but crucial populations of threatened and endangered plants.
For several years there has been ongoing broom removal at Tower Point. Broom, as most people are aware, is an aggressive non-native plant that particularly likes sunny, dry locations. Left unchecked it will invade and completely dominate open sites and wipe out populations of native plants. It is not the only invader plant to establish in the park. At the entranceway to Tower Point (Dog Poo Alley as it is known to some) is a small but growing cluster of knapweed, a scourge of our Interior grasslands and the bane of cattle ranchers (it can also be found along Metchosin Rd, through the gravel pit). Himalayan blackberry is also present, leapfrogging it’s way along the hillsides.
If you are interested in volunteering with CRD Parks, as a naturalist, park warden or to be involved in restoration projects, please contact Jenny Eastman or Jane Balfour at 478-3344
To be continued……

Safe haven for migrating waterfowl, repository of First Nations archaeological sites, precarious home to rare plants, soothing balm from our frenetic pace of life, Witty’s Lagoon Regional Park encompasses 55.5 hectares (approx. 137 acres) of Metchosin landscape and a place in the hearts and spirits of residents and visitors alike. Designated a nature appreciation park and brought into being by committed people with foresight and a thoughtful eye to the future, Metchosin has been the beneficiary of those long ago decisions.
Homesteaded by Captain Cooper and Thomas Blinkhorn and family, the 385 acre property known as Bilston Farm quickly passed through several hands until it was bought by John and Charlotte Witty in May of 1867. They and their descendants raised their families and tilled the land until Yvonne Witty left during the 1950s.
The Capital Regional District began acquiring parcels of land around the lagoon in 1966 with the intention of creating a park, a process that has been extended with the recent purchase of a property adjacent to the church. This new property was acquired to secure a covenant to protect Bilston Creek and riparian area and allow possible future access to the beach. Since the remaining land is not considered to have imperiled ecological communities, the intention has been that CRD Parks would then offer it for sale in order to purchase other more environmentally at risk properties. Negotiations have been started at the behest of some Metchosin residents to purchase the property because of its place in the cultural history of Metchosin’s first European settlers.
Heading down the trail from the Nature House, watch for the giant arbutus tree on your left, recorded as the 10th largest arbutus in BC. There is another very large specimen to your immediate right. The trail quickly arrives at Bilston Creek with it’s man-made impoundment that early pioneers constructed to irrigate properties at Tower Point. It now serves as important summer habitat for the native cutthroat trout in the creek. Bilston Creek stretches 10 km from Mt Macdonald to Witty’s Lagoon and good stewardship practices are critical to maintain the health of the creek and lagoon.
Crossing the bridge, close up views of the twenty metre rocky bluff known as Sitting Lady Falls are offered from the viewing platform above the falls, but taking the fork to the north affords a more spectacular panorama of the deluge, especially in late winter and spring when the creek is at its most tumultuous..
The walk to the beach, through enormous big-leaf maples, Douglas firs and more gigantic arbutus, as well as past some ancient apple trees takes you alongside the lagoon and salt marsh. Natural ongoing processes will eventually change the lagoon from a saltwater environment to freshwater marsh, however, these processes can be accelerated by increased sediment loads from human activities.
Many birders, novice and expert alike, enjoy the multitude of bird species that use the park. Like snowbirds to Florida, huge flocks of migrating American widgeons overwinter at the lagoon during our mild rainy season while elusive marbled godwits are rare transients glimpsed by only a lucky few. In late winter great horned owls set up their territory in the park with their nocturnal Hoo!, hu-hu-hu, Hoo! Hoo! Early May brings “birder’s neck” as the quick moving warblers fly through the treetops on their way to northern breeding grounds. The secretive Swainson’s and hermit thrushes entice the females with their melodious flutelike songs before the summer brings quiet as parents are busy feeding their families and hiding from predators.
What better time to enjoy the pleasures of the long sandy beach and tidal flats? Stretching 550 metres, the beach and sandspit provide great picnic areas and the shallow tidal flats can stretch half a kilometer during low tides, providing many hours of summer fun for the exuberant energies of the young and young at heart. Unfortunately we are loving this area to death, as it appears that overuse has caused a decline in the diversity of marine life in the tidal flats.
Contrary to intuition, the natural forces of erosion can have a silver lining and the eroding bluffs to the south of the spit prove that point, as they provide the sand that supplies the beach. Without that erosion the beach and sandspit would someday disappear. Those with a botanical bent can amuse themselves searching this area for the uncommon yellow sand verbena (Abronia latifolia) and rare contorted-podded evening primrose (Camissonia contorta).
Just behind the beach area is an old abandoned field and orchard that is quickly being displaced by invasive species such as Himalayan and evergreen blackberries, broom and English hawthorn. Introduced rabbits are everywhere, perhaps keeping the owl chicks well fed.
One small section of the park, over near Duke Rd and Cliff Drive has a remnant Garry oak ecosystem on some rocky bluffs and a doctoral student from UVic has been researching camas cultivation in this area.
After arrival or before departure from the main parking lot, be sure to visit the refurbished Nature House (open weekends and most holidays 12-4 pm), stocked with fascinating artifacts and data of marine, plant and animal life and friendly volunteer staff grateful (it can be quiet!) to answer your questions. From the giant grey whale vertebrae often propping open the door on a warm spring afternoon to the great blue heron who keeps an interested eye on proceedings, the nature house is a mini treasury of natural history knowledge.

Wildlife Trees

2008-10-13T00:33:00.001-07:00

Wildlife Trees
December 2005

Wildlife tree or firewood? Long known as snags (and we’re not talking not new age sensitive guys!), dead or partially dead standing trees have traditionally been sought after as nicely cured firewood or considered “eyesores” that require prompt removal. However, scientists, naturalists and our provincial government have realized that these seemingly lifeless trees are, in fact, biological “hotspots” that contribute enormously to the diversity of a forest and the BC Wildlife Act has provided protection to them in some cases.
Many reasons contribute to the death of a tree but a common cause is from a wound that becomes infected with bacteria and fungi, which in turn attracts insects who encourage the softening of the heartwood, making it more easily excavated by woodpeckers. As diseased and dying trees progress they provide food, nesting, roosting and denning sites and hunting perches to over 80 species of wildlife, many of which completely depend on them for some portion of their life. The larger the circumference and height of the tree, the more ecologically valuable it becomes. Old, mature Douglas-firs with strong, thick branches are preferred sites for bald eagle nests, larger diameter alders find favour with pileated woodpeckers and outsized, hollow trees can offer den sites for bears and river otters. Characteristics of valuable wildlife trees include sizeable diameter and height, thick branches, loose bark, broken tops, heart rot and other decay. To determine if your tree is a wildlife tree or if it is in use currently, look for nests, signs of feeding (owl pellets, feathers, fur), denning holes, wood chips around base, claw marks or fur on bark, food caches or bat guano around or beneath loose bark.
Just as “no man is an island”, a wildlife tree is more ecologically productive with a naturally vegetated buffer to protect the tree during storm and high wind events as well as provide a more viable environment for the wildlife that use the tree.
In the Pacific Northwest, some trees will remain standing for decades to hundreds of years after their death so careful consideration should be given before they are cut down as a “dangerous” hazard. Even after they come to their final resting place on the ground, downed logs continue to provide homes and food for smaller mammals, lizards, amphibians and insects, supply travel routes through the forest, act a “nurse” logs to young seedlings and finally contribute as nourishment to the soil.
If you are concerned about a wildlife tree for safety reasons, you can consider modifying them so that they retain some natural value. Remove the worrisome limbs or cut off the top (leave it as tall as possible) and if it is determined that the tree should be felled, leave it as a downed log rather than remove it entirely. If it is too obtrusive an eyesore, move the log into a forested area to decay.
WiTS or Wildlife Tree Stewards is a stewardship program of the Vancouver Island Region of the Federation of BC Naturalists (FBCN). The goal is to create, coordinate and assist a network of community stewards committed to conserving coastal wildlife tree habitats through volunteer monitoring, landowner agreements, and community education along the Strait of Georgia. If you are interested in their program, contact Gwen Greenwood – 250-652-2876, tggreenwood@shaw.ca
Save the firewood cutting for smaller diameter trees, they’re easier to haul and chop anyways. Enjoy your wildlife trees, find a hidden spot from which you can watch the daily and seasonal wildlife dramas that make rural living so much a part of a Metchosin experience.

The Life Cycle of a Wildlife Tree:
live, healthy tree
• provides nesting, roosting and perching opportunities
live unhealthy tree with decay or growth deformities
• provides nesting, roosting and habitat for strong primary excavators (woodpeckers, sapsuckers, nuthatches, chickadees) and nesting platforms for bald eagles, etc
dead tree with strong heartwood
• provides habitat for bats, brown creepers and insects under loose bark and in cracks
dead tree with soft heartwood
• provides homes for cavity nesters: many birds, small mammals and amphibians
fallen dead tree
• provides territory for small mammals, insects, reptiles and amphibians; provides travel routes for small creatures; nourishes and replenishes soil
BC Wildlife Act
Currently, Section 34(b) of the BC Wildlife Act extends year-round protection to a select group of birds’ nests that include those of Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and Great Blue Herons. For other bird species, the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and provincial Wildlife Act protects nests only when they are occupied by adult birds, their young and/or eggs. For these species, the nest tree is vulnerable to removal when occupation by birds or their eggs is unknown.

Section 34 of the BC Wildlife Act states:
34 A person commits an offence if the person, except as provided by regulation, possesses, takes, injures, molests or destroys
(a) a bird or its egg,
(b) the nest of an eagle, peregrine falcon, gyrfalcon, osprey, heron or burrowing owl, or
(c) the nest of a bird not referred to in paragraph (b) when the nest is occupied by a bird or its egg.

References:
WiTS information website: www.wildlifetree.org.
Online Wildlife Tree Atlas: www.shim.bc.ca/wits2/witsloginscreen.htm
Wildlife Tree or Dangerous Tree? http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/publications/00035/WLDan.pdf

Wildlife Pond

2008-10-13T00:32:00.000-07:00

NATURESCAPE YOUR YARD WITH A WILDLIFE POND
“If you build it, frogs will find it”
May 2006

Do you enjoy the loud and raucous “konkoreeah” of the red-winged blackbird as it announces it’s suitability as a mate, the no less subdued mating calls of our diminutive tree frogs or the brilliant acrobatic flights of the territorial dragonflies? Then a wildlife pond could give you endless enjoyment and help sustain our local wildlife.
Water is one of our most basic needs and it is just as critical to most of our native wild creatures. Water not only sustains our bodies but it is a major component of the web of life. From the smallest algae-eating organisms which provide food to carnivorous insects that in turn feed fish and birds or even fat and sleek river otters, our creeks, ponds and lakes provide crucial habitat that nourish our senses as well as the biodiversity of our natural communities.
While Metchosin is blessed with a wealth of forested lands and rocky knolls abound, we have not been as gifted with wetlands. Some residents are fortunate enough to live along one of our few creeks, within the vicinity of Blinkhorn or Matheson Lake, or near a small wetland, but most of us have little more than a dripping tap or a miserly well to remind us of the delight that water can bestow.
Naturescaping your property is a concept wherein we enhance our yards to accommodate the needs of other creatures. We can supply habitat by filling a bird feeder or erecting a bat house, by planting native plants to attract birds and butterflies or by constructing a pond.
Large, small, elaborate or minimal, a pond can supply you with endless hours of interest as you watch the arrival and “settling in” of many kinds of flora and fauna. With natural water sources in short supply and competition high, it doesn’t take long for a traveling tree frog or a patrolling dragonfly to take up residence. We once created a very small pond, only about 2 x 3 ft and 18” to 24” deep. We added a few “feeder” goldfish and before we knew it we were visited by a great blue heron, who amused us immensely with it’s mime-like immobility and lightning strikes. Well worth a few fish.
However, the years have passed and we have learned that there are more “correct” ways to build ponds and supply habitat.
When considering adding a pond to your yard, you need to first consider why it is you want a pond. You can have either a fish pond or a wildlife pond but not both in the same space. Fish will eat amphibian eggs and juveniles as well as dragonfly larvae, so if you hope to attract these creatures you should not introduce fish. Of course, you can build a fish pond to attract herons, raccoons and river otters that feed on your fish! Not a bad idea either! One loud note of caution. If you have small children, you might want to consider if you can keep them away from the pond, either by fencing them in or out, until they are old enough to appreciate the dangers of water. Otherwise perhaps you could save this article and this dream until they are over the age of five.
If you have decided a wildlife pond is in your plans, then, for maximum enjoyment, place your pond close to the house so that even during a busy day you can take a moment to enjoy it’s subtleties. A small but manageable wildlife pond functions well if it is 8 ft x 5 ft and 18-24 inches deep. It is recommended to build a pond with varying depths and sloping sides so that wildlife can enter and exit (a salamander cannot climb out of a steep-sided edge). A shallow, pebbly “beach” area allows birds to safely drink and bathe. Ponds should receive at least 5 hours of sunlight a day to promote the growth of healthy pond plants and tadpoles. Heavy leaf fall can deprive the pond of oxygen, however some shade will moderate the water temperature and prevent the pond from over-heating. A shelf that is 9-12 inches deep and 12 inches wide around the edge of the pond will allow you to place plants in containers around the edge, which will probably be used by frogs as a suitable site to lay their eggs. A few stacked flat rocks on the bottom of the pond will provide cover for tadpoles in case a heron or raccoon comes visiting. Extend some logs or rocks above the surface to provide a resting place for birds, amphibians and dragonflies. If you are using city water instead of well water or fall rains to fill your pond, let the water stand a week before adding any organisms or the chlorine might prove deadly. It will naturally dissipate over one week. Some native water-loving plants include: common cattails, yellow or white marsh marigold, wild calla, the beautiful, bright pink-flowered water smartweed and our native yellow pond lily. Large paving stones around the edge of the pond can be dangerous to frogs as they will sometimes stick to hot stones and dehydrate. Native shrubs, sedges, rotting logs and rocks around the back edge will quickly naturalize the look of the pond.
To add more diversity and an added dimension, add a bog garden while you are constructing the pond. Line a shallow area next to the pond with a liner in which you have slashed a few holes. This will help supply any bog plants which sufficient moisture yet not drown them.
If your pond starts to appear cloudy, it might be suffering from too much algal growth, a result of excessive heat and sunshine and too rich conditions. Juvenile amphibians have a huge appetite for algae but you can also add a few water snails and some oxygenating plants to restore the natural balance. If you are worried about mosquitoes, dragonfly larvae (which are quite fearsome looking), have a voracious taste for mosquito larvae. Every site and book that I’ve read has recommended adding a bucket of water from an established natural pond to kick start your pond with the correct bacteria and microorganisms it needs to thrive. If you do this, please remember to NEVER transport any amphibians with the water, it is illegal and you could be introducing invasive bullfrogs or green frogs. Soon enough tree frogs and perhaps a salamander or two will find your pond, and dragonflies, during their aerial surveys, will scout out your new habitat almost before the plants are in the water.

For excellent, detailed plans and references:
http://www.beautifulbritain.co.uk/htm/pond/finishing_touches.htm
http://www.veggieglobal.com/wildlifecare/uk_ireland-ponds.htm
Native Plants of the Coastal Garden by Pettinger and Costanzo, 2002

Who Who Hoo's Out There?

2008-10-13T00:31:00.002-07:00

Who, Who, Hooo’s Out There?
Dec 13, 2006

As humans, we usually consider January and February to be a rather quiet time of the year. The holiday season is over and the gardening can really wait for another month. However, with your window left open at night, just before you drift off to sleep, you can hear, not the prancing and pawing of 8 tiny reindeer, but the hooting and calling of some lust addled owls.
This is the time when their hormonal juices dictate that great horned owls reconnect with their lifelong mates, serenading each other with their particular love hoots (is this where hootenanny comes from?), bowing and touching bills in courtship.
The male, like most raptors, is smaller than the female but he has a deeper, more resonant voice, sometimes described as “hoo-hoo hoooooo hoo-hoo”. You’ll hear him first and then her higher-pitched, enticing replies.
Great horned owls are impressive birds. The largest of all our owls, they stand 18-25 in (46-63 cm.) tall with wingspans that measure almost 6 feet (145 cm.). They are easily recognizable by their cat-like face, with yellow eyes and two large “ear” tufts (not actually part of their ears). This feline resemblance has earned them the common names of cat-owl and winged tiger as well as hoot owl.
Great horned owls forgo the chore of nest building and will use large abandoned or commandeered nests, chiefly of red-tailed hawks, crows and magpies or snuggle into sizeable hollows or the broken tops of wildlife trees. Sometimes they will settle into the tangled mass of branches that we call witch’s broom (created by the parasitic but wildlife habitat enhancing mistletoe plants). Their most common nest tree in BC is an older Douglas-fir but they also routinely use western red-cedar, ponderosa pine and white spruce. There they raise an average of two young, with both parents sharing incubation and feeding duties. The young owls fly at about 9-10 weeks but remain with their extremely protective parents till the end of the summer, as they hone their hunting skills. Most great horned owls, after leaving their nest, rarely move more than 80 km from the area in which they were born.
Owl feathers have a soft texture and the front edge of the first wing feathers are toothed like a saw or comb, attributes which help the wind pass over the wings, enabling silent flight. Their facial disks are shaped like a bowl, which acts as a parabolic dish to help funnel sound into their ear openings, which are positioned unevenly on the skull, to assist them in gauging the location of their prey. Owls can detect a left/right time difference of about 30 millionths of a second! Most owls are active at night and to enhance their vision, have developed large, tubular-shaped eyes that are locked into their sockets. To make up for this lack of eye movement, they have double the number of neck vertebrae as us (14 to our 7), which enables them to move their heads up to 270 degrees and almost upside down. They are able to see 100 times more acutely than humans and if owl to human size were correlated, our eyes would be the size of oranges! Their sense of smell, however, is much less developed and explains why a meal of skunk is palatable!
All these adaptations have contributed to great horned owls being feared and successful avian predators who have very few natural enemies. Their hunting territories encompass about 100-300 ha. Generally edge habitats are favoured, that intersection between open space and forest which supplies significant diversity, allowing more hunting and nesting opportunities. Small to medium sized mammals (especially rabbits and rodents), and birds as large as ducks and geese form their diet.
Brave, foolhardy or driven by uncontrollable parental instincts, smaller birds, particularly crows, are often seen mobbing owls. Their loud, raucous cries and repeated dives are thought to be protective strategies to direct owls away from their young.
At the end of the rearing season, male and female great horned owls will go their separate ways, having a “holiday” from each other until the next breeding season, when they seek out their former mates. Listen for them.

Barred owls are the other large owl that can be found in Metchosin. Like many of us, they are new immigrants from the east coast, showing up in BC in 1943. The first barred owls I ever saw were a pair energetically mating at the Cook Rd entrance to 100 Acre Woods in April of 2000. I know you are not supposed to transfer human emotions and behaviours onto animal actions, but they sure seemed like they were having a good time! Their calls, screams and antics were something to be heard and seen, the kind of moment that confirms your commitment to nature. Their distinctive hooting has been described as the phrase "Who, cooks, for-you? Who, cooks for-you, all?".
Barred owls stand approximately 21 inches tall (46-58 cm.), have a round, puffy head without ear tufts, dark eyes and a vertically streaked lower front chest.
They are considered secondary cavity nesters, meaning they use cavities in trees but are incapable of creating the holes themselves. They must find either large nest holes that have been excavated and abandoned by woodpeckers or natural cavities that are the result of internal or external decay.
With the arrival of barred owls has been a drastic decrease in our smaller western screech owl, some people think as a prey item for larger owls. Barred owls are opportunistic feeders, consuming that which is easy to come by. They usually eat small to medium sized mammals and smaller birds, with the occasional lizard, amphibian or insect as an appetizer. Barred owls are notorious for attacking joggers along paths, perhaps mistaking bouncing ponytails for squirrels!
Mated for life, they start breeding around the end of March and raise their 1- 4 young for 4 months in their preferred nest trees of larger Douglas-fir (greater than 50 cm diameter) or black cottonwoods. The young leave the nest at 4 weeks and remain in the branches of trees until they are able to fly, at 35-40 days. Juveniles tend to disperse short distances, usually within 6 miles. Their only natural enemy is the great horned owl. Many of the larger owls have long life spans, 10-13 years in the wild and up to 29 years in captivity.
Whether enjoying a hike at dawn or dusk or resting at home with the windows open, Metchosin forests might provide you with the opportunity to see or hear these magnificently adapted birds of prey.

Water Flows Downhill

2008-10-13T00:31:00.001-07:00

WELL WATER FLOWS DOWNHILL!
or
Emergency Preparedness and Reliance on Well Water

By John Webb

A couple of years ago when we moved from relatively urban south Metchosin to the more frontier like north end of town we discovered that we would move off the CRD water supply and onto a well. There was a drilled well on the property but no infrastructure attached. I met with a well contractor who explained the two pumps we required: one in the house to maintain water pressure and one down the well to bring up the water. It occurred to me that if the well began to run short of water in late summer or the power went out, this system design provided no backup. We could be stuck with little or no water. Instead I asked for a system where the water from the well is not pumped to the house, but to a 3,000 gallon tank up the hill from our house. This tank is automatically kept full. It then feeds downhill to the house – with or without power.

The system has worked flawlessly over the past few years, we have lots of water when we need it for daily use or in the case of extravagant summer watering, the system can then take a day or two to catch up. There is a good reserve for fire-fighting if we ever need it and in the event of lengthy power outages like those we have all shared over the past months there has been a more than adequate supply of water, albeit somewhat colder than wished.

This has been so effective I would recommend those without a holding tank to consider retrofitting if your terrain provides an adequate spot for a tank. A tank mounted on a water tower would be another idea but don’t discount the weight of the water and make sure the tower engineering compensates – a building permit would be required as well.

Tap Dancing With Maples

2008-10-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

TAP DANCING WITH MAPLES

The Duncan Forestry Centre was overrun with excited children and their intrigued parents on February 2 when they held a Maple Syrup Festival. Did you know that there is an association of maple syrup producers “Up-Island”, known as “Sapsuckers”, who are converting the sap from our bigleaf maples into a delicious amber syrup?
Lawrence Lampson from Glenora Farm and Gary Backlund from Backlund’s Backwoods are leading the maple syrup revolution on the island. Glenora Farm has been selling limited quantities of their award winning maple syrup from their shop at Glenora Corners, near Duncan and Gary and Katherine Backlund have written “Bigleaf Sugaring, Tapping the western maple” which provides excellent information on how to become involved in producing your own maple syrup.
After touring the displays, watching a tapping and syrup making demonstration and buying a 100 ml jar of syrup for $10.00, I too became caught up in the enthusiasm that permeated the show. I was ready to try my hand at maple tapping and syrup making. Although there were tapping kits for sale at the Forestry Centre, they had all been sold by the time I arrived at noon. Buckerfield’s was also sold out, so I called on Ian Mackenzie, known for his fabulous wooden buckets for sale at Luxton Fairgrounds, and asked for his assistance. He used his lathe to produce a number of wooden spiles and donated one sample collection kit, so that I could start my new hobby. Of course these kind of things never run smoothly for me and I had several trips to the hardware store before I had all the proper equipment together to collect sap. One half inch auger-type cordless drill with bit and charged battery, several “IV” type bags that I scrounged from the Candlelight and Wine shop and a couple of yards of one half inch plastic tubing that is sold in the plumbing section of Slegg’s.
There is something so quintessentially Canadian about tapping maple trees; perhaps it awakens a remnant pioneer spirit. Whatever the reason, I found myself grinning ear to ear as I gently hammered the spiles into the maple’s trunk and watched the first clear drops of sap drip through the plastic lines. So far, in about three days, I have collected 1.25 gallons of sap from five collection sites, which I have processed into one quarter cup of sweet, thin syrup (the general ratio is approximately seventy three parts sap to one part syrup). There just wasn’t enough sap to boil down into a thicker syrup without burning my pots (again). However, it is still delicious and I am inordinately proud of my accomplishment! One word of caution, if you decide to boil sap into syrup, do NOT go and answer emails while the sap is boiling on the stove, it is amazing how you can forget the time and how difficult it is to rescue a crusty burnt pot for future use!
Some people who tap maples do not bother with producing maple syrup and use the sap in place of water; for making rice, beer or wine. I drank a cupful right from the collection container and it was like drinking a very pleasant, slightly sweet glass of water. I’m sure there are going to be great health benefits from consuming a substance that causes trees to grow, buds to burst, leaves to unfurl and flowers to bloom (I’m hoping it’s the elixir of youth)!
Researchers are studying the bigleaf maple but as yet there are no hard and fast rules on when to tap, the sap appears to be flowing to its own particular beat, and no combination of conditions has explained when to tap or which trees are sweeter or more productive. One general guideline I found, written in 1972 “points toward choosing open growing trees with vigorous growth. The research points away from choosing trees in dry sites. The presence of sapsucker holes almost always indicates a good tapping tree. An interesting footnote to tapping is that it was found that holes drilled when sap was running produced much more sap than holes drilled when sap didn’t run for a few days. Later on when sap started running, these “dry” holes wouldn’t produce, yet adjacent older holes in the same stem would” (http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/rn181.pdf).
Tapping season is November through till March, be aware that at times the sap will flow, then stop, then start again. When the buds begin to break, the sap will develop an unpleasant flavour and it is best to put away the spiles and buckets until next season. If you are fortunate enough to be collecting too much sap and find you don’t have time to boil into syrup, the sap can be frozen for later use.
Are you interested in participating in the 100 Mile Diet movement? For now, try the early bigleaf maple flowers, before they are fully open, and savour their distinct broccoli-like flavour. Then, late next fall, join the sapsucker brigade and complement your slow food diet with a delectable local sweetener..

References:
http://www.woodlot.bc.ca/agroforestry/pdf/Tapping-Big-Leaf-Maple-final-report.pdf
http://atkinsonmaple.com/

Spotted Knapweed

2008-10-13T00:28:00.001-07:00

Spotted Knapweed and Other Invasive Species
or Out, Damn’d Spot(ted)! Out!
By Moralea Milne Nov 9, 2007

For many of us, fall means innumerable soccer practices and endless hours ferrying our children from one activity to another. For others, cooler weather and shortening days creates the incentive to travel, to seek out warmer and drier climes.
To some of us involved in environmental do-goodism, it is a time for duty. The autumn rains soften the summer baked concrete soils, signaling that it is time to head to Devonian Park or other areas that are rife with invasive species and begin again the Herculean task of rescuing our flora and fauna from the death grip of introduced, invasive species.
Invasive species, alien invaders, dog-gone weeds! Almost more than development and land use changes, they tear at the resolve of environmentalists everywhere. Insidiously they show up, skulking about for years before they seemingly leap out of the blue and claim their territory, decimating meadows, woodlands and wetlands alike. There is an invasive specie for every situation.
Walk through East Sooke Park or parts of Witty’s Lagoon and find the forest floor overrun with that rhodo wannabe, spurge laurel (aka daphne) and that creeping, climbing, suffocating, green menace-English ivy. Meadows that were once clothed in blue camas are now defiantly yellow with broom and gorse. Wetlands throughout the continent have come under ferocious attack by that siren, purple loosestrife, some has recently been spotted in Metchosin. There are bloated bullfrogs, copulating rabbits, raucous flocks of omnipresent starlings and literally millions of proliferating black licorice slugs. There are relatively new weeds like spotted knapweed, tansy ragwort and spartina as well as the older foes like broom, gorse and hedgehog dogtail (grass).
Without too much difficulty you can get me to rant on interminably about introduced, invasive species, no doubt ensuring some eye-rolling and probably causing some people to duck when they see me coming! Why all the furor?
Introduced, invasive species are organisms that have, through no fault of their own, arrived in a new landscape. A landscape that is conducive to their growth and reproductive success and one that does not include any naturally occurring forces that could provide some restraint on their burgeoning populations. Meaning perfect growing conditions and no predators of consequence.
So?
New plants and animals-wouldn’t that add to biodiversity-the buzzword of the times? Unfortunately what happens is that the new organisms, be they of the air, earth or water, act like kids in a candy store. With no natural limits (parents or shopkeeper) they multiply at such a rate that they outcompete the existing flora and fauna (decimate the candy store). They muscle out the highly adapted native species. Instead of a meadow with thousands of plants and dozens of species, you have an impoverished site, a grassland with a only few species and most of these not recognized by the local insects, birds and animals as being edible or supplying habitat values. Adding insult to injury, these newcomers often come equipped with the ability to change their surroundings to be more to their liking. Some release poisons that stop plants from germinating, giving themselves more space to grow; some change the soil components so that there might be more nitrogen, making it harder for plants adapted to poor soils to survive; some use up all available moisture; some, like the introduced grey squirrel, use up the available nesting sites and eat the young of other species.
How do they get here?
They come in a variety of ways. Homesick for the old country? Bring over a few of your favourite species to make you feel more at home in your new landscape, that’s what happened with broom and starlings. Sometimes they arrive inadvertently in a shipment of agricultural seeds (knapweed); sometimes they hitch-hike a ride on a passing ship (rats); or in the ballast water picked up in one port and jettisoned in another (zebra mussels). Sometimes we invite them in, thinking they will take care of a problem (cane toads in Australia or English sparrows which were first imported to help fight agricultural insect pests, although they are primarily grain and seed eaters!) or they come by accident in nursery stock (many pathogens such as Chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease and black licorice slugs). Sometimes the nursery stock itself is to blame, English ivy is used extensively in landscaping and purple loosestrife is a beautiful garden ornamental.
There has been a slight shift in the thinking of those professionals entrusted with the task of designing management strategies to tackle invasive species. While not abandoning the battle to control more established weeds like broom, gorse and ivy, there is now an effort afoot to recognize new invasive plants (and animals!) before they become an entrenched problem. The expectation is that if we can identify and deal with an invasive introduction while it is a relative newcomer, it will be easier to control or even eradicate.
One of our newest invasive species is spotted knapweed. Only a few years ago there were a handful of plants along the road by the gravel pit and at the entrance to Tower Point. Unfortunately no one recognized the danger in time and the large field in the park is now chock-a-bloc full of the weed. If you have ever traveled to the southern interior you will know what a huge problem this can become. There, knapweed is universally hated as it invades pasture and crown land grazing areas, reducing them to knapweed deserts, unfit for livestock or deer and elk. Knapweed is a displaced member of the aster family and one of the plants which secrete a toxin that prevents other plants from growing in the area around them.
At a casual glance it looks somewhat like a smaller variety of thistle and it has a stiff, thistle-like flowerhead, usually purple, with narrow, divided leaves, the layered bracts surrounding the flower are tipped with a triangular black spot-hence its name. Flowering from July till October, it is capable of producing 400 seeds per plant in its normal, dry, growing conditions and up to 25,000 seeds under irrigation! It is a strong competitor on disturbed lands but can also invade natural landscapes.
The most effective and least time consuming way to handle invasive species is to prevent their establishment. Promote healthy native plant communities, disturb soil as little as possible and learn to recognize these alien invaders. Once an infestation is found, a control strategy should be mapped out. Decide where to spend your energy to get the greatest returns. Generally it is recommended to deal with the smallest areas of new invasions on the least disturbed sites, working towards the largest infestations on the most disturbed areas. It is crucial to success to limit new seed production and to deplete the seed bank.
In the case of spotted knapweed, it may be hand pulled, usually three times a year. Once, while the soil is still moist and pulling can remove the taproot; secondly, after the remaining plants have bolted (they form ground hugging rosettes-somewhat resembling dock- that will send up a flowering stalk)-usually in late June; and thirdly before seeds are dispersed. Mowing and cutting can be somewhat effective and should be carried out in the early flower stage; plants are less likely to resprout if allowed to bolt before cutting. Cutting must be repeated over several years to deplete the seedbank. If you are interested in using a chemical solution, non-selective herbicides will need repeat applications (a wipe-on application of Round-up is recommended) but first consult an accredited professional for advice. New plants will germinate, so remember to keep visiting the site and remove of any newly emerging or resprouting plants.
Other new invasive plant species are: carpet burweed, orange hawkweed, giant and Japanese knotweeds, dalmation toadflax, yellow flag iris, giant hogweed and butterfly weed. Contact the Coastal Invasive Plant Committee for more information at info@coastalinvasiveplants.com or 857-4272.
Too numerous and too successful and sometimes it seems, on a particularly disheartening day, too impossible to even contemplate controlling. However, some Sunday mornings during the winter months, we manage to have some fun and share good times at Devonian Regional Park as we continue our “duty” at the park. It will be seven years this season that we have been involved in removing broom from the park and we are making a difference. If you would like to join us, contact Moralea at 478-3838 or moralea@telus.net.

Scorpion Comes To Stay

2008-10-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

Scully the Scorpion

Strange Bedfellows!
Sept 14, 2006

Taxes and scorpions make strange bedfellows.
Going through your tax papers is not an activity most of us would find very exciting, but for Johan Wessels, of Galloping Goose Sausage Co fame, it brought both excitement and a surprise guest.
No, the taxman has not taken up residence, but as Johan was rummaging through his papers in July, an unusual and somewhat alarming visitor made it’s presence known by falling onto his lap. Perhaps it hitchhiked in a box of Okanagan fruit or stole a ride in his son’s truck, returning home from Alberta. Scully, a Northern Scorpion, however, is remaining mute on that issue.
Northern scorpions, looking like miniature lobsters with an attitude, usually reside in the hot, dry, south facing hillsides of the Southern Okanagan and Alberta. Their upturned tail comes equipped with a poisonous stinger that can cause pain and swelling much like a hornet’s sting. Active at night, they feed on spiders and other small insects, by day they hide under rocks and bits of bark. Live-born young spend the time before their first molt riding on their mothers back. They take up to 5 years to become adults and can live up to 25 years.
Not particularly common even in their natural habitat, in Metchosin it is one of a kind! Scully is living comfortably, though caged, in his new home, being fed various insect delicacies by the Wessels family.
Sad news reached me late in 2008 that Scully had passed away. Strangely enough, the family had become quite fond of their unusual housemate and he is missed.

Sheep Moth

2008-10-13T00:26:00.001-07:00

SHEEP MOTH
Sept 14, 2006
Moralea Milne

One of the things that is the most rewarding about writing articles for the Muse is the feedback from people who have something of interest that they want to show me in the hope I will share their excitement and interest. And I do! Several times lately I have had occasion to visit a nearby home and discover something new and fascinating. One was the unexpected scorpion at the Wessels’ home and another was an exquisite sheep moth that had been rescued from the grill of a car by a Metchosin resident. A Halloween mixture of black, orange and pink, the 2 ½ inch moth with it’s feathery antennae is a reputedly common (I’ve never seen it before) day flying moth of the silkworm family. This species of moth will overwinter as an egg, spend next year as a caterpillar feeding on snowberry and members of the rose family (don’t touch the caterpillars-those spines can sting!), overwinter again in it’s chrysalis and finally emerge in all it’s mothly glory the following summer to breed and die. The adult moths have taken a decidedly different evolutionary tract from most other creatures, focusing on procreating to the point they have evolved without the ability to eat in their last life stage as a moth. They have no mouthparts and only live a week or two after emerging from their cocoons. But their beauty, while around, is incomparable.

Septic Savvy

2008-10-13T00:25:00.001-07:00

SEPTIC SAVVY
$$$$$$ DOWN THE DRAIN $$$$$$

Have you thought much about your septic system lately? Ever? If you are like many of us, you moved to a rural area from an urban environment where we didn’t really think about what we poured down our drains or flushed through our toilets. It is only when an unmistakable odour comes wafting up from the direction of our drainfield, a toilet backs up or some very suspicious sludge starts moving across the lawn that we wake up to the consequence of an ill-treated septic system. And what a rude awakening that can be!! Fixing a failed septic system can run into many thousands of dollars, pose serious health risks, lead to polluted wells, streams, lakes and groundwater and strain relations with neighbours, especially those downhill.
What is a septic system? There are many different systems, but they generally follow the same basic principals.
A pipe leads from your home to a septic tank. Many older systems have 600 gal (what’s that in metric?) tanks, while newer models for a single family three bedroom residence are now 900 gallons. If installing a new tank, purchase the largest size you can afford, the larger the tank size, the cleaner the wastewater leaving the tank. Older models are single chambered while the newer models are double chambered. Wastes separate and settle out in the tank and bacteria work to decompose the solids. A call to Ken’s Septic revealed that the decomposition occurs at the top of your tank. When the tank cover is removed, there should be no odour until the sewage crust is broken. Some crusts are so thick, a 200 pound man could stand on them! The ideal crust will look like rich, black compost. The wastewater then flows through a distribution box from where it is directed into the drainfield, through a network of pipes with small holes. The water gradually seeps into the soil, where further filtration and microbial activity occur, rendering the wastewater harmless and recharging the groundwater.
Anke Bergner, CRD Environmental Education Coordinator, pointed out the do’s and don’ts of septic system management. Maintenance and monitoring, reduce and refrain are the bywords. They can be summed up quickly as:
• Have your system inspected and pumped out regularly
• Check for signs of failure, such as odours or lush growth in the drainfield
• Reduce the amount of water flowing through the system
• Refrain from putting inappropriate materials down your drains
Perhaps the single most important lessons is what is allowed in your septic system, “yellow and brown flush it down” along with the strongest toilet paper. Paper that disintegrates too easily clogs pipes. That’s it. Anything else can either clog the drainfield or destroy the microorganisms that decompose the effluent. Anke illustrates the perils of improper disposal with a journey of a Q-tip that eventually lodges in a drainpipe, becomes entwined with hair or dental floss and causes a blockage which leads to a system failure. Money down the drain. An effluent filter is highly recommended to reduce clogging and protect your drainfield and can usually be added to your existing system for a reasonable rate. The filters are approximately $70.00 and installation can vary from $0-$300.00. For an additional two dollars you can buy “hair catchers”, which fit over your sink drains to prevent hair and other particles from entering your sewage disposal system. These could also eliminate the expense of callouts to help locate everything from false teeth to diamond rings!
Toxic substances from grease to paint can wreck havoc on the microorganisms that flourish in septic systems, busily digesting and decomposing our wastes. Granular drain cleaners are one of the most toxic substances you can put into your system. Only 2 tablespoonfuls can kill all the beneficial bacteria in a 1000 gal. tank. Instead, if your drains are plugged, try using a plunger, a plumber’s snake, or a recipe of one half cup of baking soda followed by one half cup of vinegar. Cover and let sit 5 minutes and then flush with 2 litres of boiling water. Medications can disrupt the fauna of the septic system. People using strong antibiotics for long periods (which work to kill bacteria) can find they need to pump out their septic tanks more often.
Another common cause of failure is hydraulic overloading of the system. Three teenage kids and two parents having showers, maybe a load or two of laundry and then set the dishwasher, all before leaving for work and school doesn’t leave enough time for the solids to settle or the microorganisms to do their jobs before the wastewater is flushed through the system. Try to space water use throughout the day, so as not to overload your septic system and cause sewage particles to enter the drainfield.
About that drainfield, the best thing to plant over it is grass (some camas, shooting stars and fawn lilies could probably be included) as trees and shrubs will clog the drainage holes in the pipes. Those “good” bacteria in the drainfield need some help too. Don’t saturate the ground over the drainfield with excessive watering (max. 10 minutes), it reduces the oxygen they need to function properly. No buildings, carports or swimming pools, divert stormwater and keep out livestock to have your drainfield functioning properly for decades.
It’s a good idea to draw a map of your system so that you know where your tank, distribution box and septic field are located. It saves money when someone comes to pump out your tank and they don’t have to take a shovel and spend time and effort finding and uncovering the tank cover. It’s helpful information to pass onto a new owner if you decide to sell your property.
There are 30,000 septic systems in the CRD and 700 new permits are issued a year. Twenty-five percent of septic systems in use are thought to be malfunctioning. The average life expectancy of a septic system in the CRD is 19 years but a properly managed system should last as long as your home. Those numbers have the CRD worried and they are considering implementing a bylaw that would regulate septic systems. By 2005 an inspection of all septic systems would be undertaken and pump-outs would be required every 3 to 5 years. Regular maintenance has been stressed by all the companies contacted as crucial in maintaining the health of your septic waste management system. Certification would be mandatory for all service operators and will ensure a high degree of professionalism in the industry. That would decrease the faulty advise one participant received when her tank was recently pumped. She was advised to add some yeast to jump start the microorganisms. While the yeast won’t damage the system, it is unnecessary, all you need are your own waste products. Our guts come fully inoculated with all the right organisms to get things going. No need for dead chickens, cats or fish heads and certainly no need for packaged biological agents. The chemical agents sold to activate a septic system can actually harm it by damaging the structures themselves.
Another way to reduce the flow through your septic system is to use a composting toilet. Michael Rouse, formerly the UK's chief drinking water inspector, recently said that if Britain were planning sewage disposal from scratch today, "we wouldn't flush it away - we would collect the solids and compost it". An interesting idea and perhaps the subject of a future article.
If you would like more information about how to maintain and monitor your septic system, try these websites:
www.nsfc.wvu.edu
http://www.viha.ca/mho/HPES/landuse.htm
www.crd.bc.ca/es/septicsavvy.pdf
www.kensseptic.com

For information on composting toilets try:
www.compostingtoilet.org

Say No To Drugs (pesticide use)

2008-10-13T00:23:00.000-07:00

Say No To Drugs (pesticide use)
June 3, 2003

The federal government’s new pot bill is in the news these days, with many people voicing concerns for and against. But what about the use of other drugs in our community, ones that are proven to cause serious health problems?

Pesticides are likened to drugs for our lawns and gardens and pesticide reduction, integrated pest management (or IPM) and pesticide free are the new catchwords.
Why should we care? How about these numbers from the World Wildlife Fund? 50,000,000 kilograms of pesticide are used each year in Canada, 70% of which are used on crops. A conventional 18 hole golf course is sprayed with 700 kg of pesticide annually, 700% per hectare more than is used on farmland. On average an apple is sprayed 12-20 times before harvest. Big numbers.

Some members of our community are worried about pesticide use in Metchosin, especially where it can affect the most vulnerable among us, our children and seniors. Pesticide use can contribute to soil and groundwater pollution, it can wipe out beneficial predators and microorganisms as well as the target species and it can affect the health of ourselves, our pets and our loved ones.

Your children are most susceptible because:
• Their small size means that per kilo of body weight they can absorb more pesticides than an adult.
• They are closer to the ground resulting in higher levels of pesticide in their breathing zone.
• They play on the ground where pesticides are more likely to be applied and they put contaminated objects and fingers in their mouths.
• Their defense mechanisms are not fully developed, leaving them more vulnerable to toxic effects.

The federal and provincial governments as well as the CRD and our municipal council have all looked at pesticides and their effect on us and on the environment. Each level of government has recognized the dangers of pesticide use and addressed this issue. Ever the trend setters, our council passed a guideline restricting cosmetic pesticide use on municipal grounds in 2001. Now the CRD Roundtable on the Environment has produced an excellent guide to pesticide alternatives titled “Playing it Safe: Reducing Pesticide Use in Our Community”.

Just as a proper diet is considered an effective preventative measure to reduce the chance of certain cancers and chemotherapy is the mighty drug arsenal used to defeat cancers, so healthy growing conditions prevent most pest outbreaks and pesticide use should be the last resort to fight serious infestations.
There are measures we can all take to reduce or eliminate pesticides in our lives.
• Eat organic and if that is not always possible, these are 12 of the most heavily sprayed foods:
Apricots Bananas Bell peppers Cherries
Grapes Cucumbers Green beans Cantaloupe
Lettuce Potatoes Spinach Tomatoes

When gardening:
• Build healthy soils by fertilizing naturally. Nourish your garden and lawn with compost, manure, grass clippings and/or slow release organic fertilizer.
• Aerate your lawn in spring or fall to relieve compaction.
• Overseed annually to keep your lawn thick and healthy, this helps the grass outcompete the weeds. Although this doesn’t work so well if you are trying to create a native wildflower meadow, where native plants need space to grow amongst the grasses!
• Choose plants and grass seed mixes suitable for your area. Native shrubs like mock orange and flowering currant are beautiful and need little care.
• Use a mixture of plants. There is less chance of a serious pest outbreak when the garden is planted with many different species.
• Some plants, such as marigolds, are said to deter pests.
• Use crop rotation in your food garden.
• Use mulches to prevent weeds from germinating and to protect the soil. A thick layer of newspaper with an added layer of leaf mulch can effectively convert an area of grass to a flower bed without the use of Round-up.

If you discover a pest problem:
• Be sure you know the pest you are dealing with. Consult garden centres, our local gardening club, books, the internet. It does no good to spray for fungus if aphids are the problem.
• How serious is the problem? Are beneficial insects already attacking the pests? Give them a chance to complete their job. Can you live with a certain amount of damage? Is the damage affecting plant health or is it just aesthetics?
• Use the least harmful and most natural solution first. Are there non toxic methods to control the pest that can be used? These can range from biological controls to soaps to hand weeding to the use of disease resistant and native plants. To address fungal problems, the CRD recommends trying a formulation of one tablespoon of baking soda and horticultural oil diluted in four litres of water to be sprayed on leaves.

If pesticides are deemed to be absolutely necessary:
Consult with a professional.
Use the least amount of the least toxic product on only the target species.
Follow label directions and wear protective clothing.
Notify anyone who might be affected.
Wash thoroughly after use to lessen your own exposure.

There are other ways we can make a direct difference in our own neighbourhood.
Council has been attempting to eliminate pesticide use on our school grounds; lobby your school board to forward this initiative. Consider supporting Metchosin farmers. Visit the Farmer’s market on Sundays from 11 am to 2 pm for wholesome, locally grown produce, much of it organic.
Further information can be found online at:
www.crd.bc.ca/rte/toxic.htm CRD initiatives on reducing pesticide use.
www.wwf.ca/learn/pesticidereduction World Wildlife Fund of Canada
www.healthylawns.ca/english/html/hg-e_flash.shtml#flash Government of Canada site
There are two excellent books by Carole Rubin: “How To Get Your Lawn And Garden Off Drugs” and “How To Get Your Lawn Off Grass”

Salamanders of Metchosin

2008-10-13T00:22:00.000-07:00

Rough-skinned Newt

SALAMANDERS OF METCHOSIN
March 8, 2006

While removing broom from Devonian Park, I have several times been surprised to find a Rough-skinnned Newt partially buried in the litter. The dark brown colouring on it’s back blends in perfectly with the loamy, decaying plant material it inhabits and if it remained still, would be very difficult to find. However, my enthusiastic efforts to dislodge broom are too much for the newt as it scrambles to get out of my way. It is then that you notice the bright orange underside which warn most creatures of it’s potentially toxic secretions.
Salamanders are amphibians; creatures with thin, moist, generally smooth skin, whose eggs have a protective layer of jelly surrounding them, rather than hard shells. Many amphibians, like frogs and some salamanders, spend all or part of their lives in lakes and ponds, while some species of salamanders are fully earth-bound or terrestrial. Most aquatic species breed and lay their eggs in water, then gradually change into their adult forms (metamorphose), when they begin a life tied to forests until next breeding season.
Rough-skinned Newts are one of six species of salamanders that might be found in Metchosin. They are members of the aquatic group, breeding in water and moving onto land as adults, although some newts might remain in ponds year round. They have a grainy, bumpy skin that could led you to believe you have found a lizard, the orange belly is a dead giveaway though! Their poison is considered one of the most toxic in the world and can be passed though an open cut or through ingestion. Interestingly, our kinder, gentler, Vancouver Island newts have apparently developed without this poisonous protection.
If you notice tadpole-like creatures in your pond, you can easily tell apart salamander and frog hatchlings; salamanders are born with plumy, branched gills that noticeably fan out from the side of their bodies and remain until they change into adults, while frogs have less obvious gills that disappear soon after hatching. Salamander front legs appear before their hind ones, unlike frogs, whose hind legs develop first.
Another aquatic species is the Long-toed Salamander. It lives underground or in rotten logs, is dark gray or black with a yellow or green, somewhat broken stripe along it’s back and can grow to 9 cm (3½ inches). It seldom wanders far from water and requires abundant cover, especially vegetation along pond edges.
Northwestern Salamanders are our largest salamander and can reach 11-12 cm (4½ inches). They are generally found along the west coast but may be present in Metchosin, especially in wetter forested areas. They are uniformly brown but without the orange belly of the Rough-skinned Newt, and they have poison glands on their body which can ooze large white drops of a noxious substance. Some Northwestern Salamanders do not change into land dwellers but remain and reproduce in their gilled, aquatic state. If you find what you suspect might be this species in Metchosin, please contact moralea@telus.net
All the aquatic species benefit from having undisturbed pond edges with native vegetation, so that they can access and depart from the water without being unduly subjected to predators.
The Western Red-backed Salamander, Ensatinas and Wandering Salamanders are all terrestrial salamanders. They are lungless, breathing through their skin and the lining of their mouth and they require cool, damp conditions to prevent dehydration. This helps explain why many are active at night and use rotting logs, rock rubble and underground burrows for habitat and breeding.
During construction of our home, a large sized black plastic bag that nestled into a depression was forgotten for several months. When I finally removed it to build a small rock garden, there were four Red-backed Salamanders using it for cover, the plastic keeping the site moist. The smallest wasn’t much larger than one inch and the largest about 2½ inches, the approximate size of all our terrestrial salamanders. Although their colouration has been described as variable, all the “redbacks” I’ve found have a dark colouring with a wide stripe of reddish-gold running from their necks through to the end of their tails.
Bright colours on salamanders may function as a warning, as with Rough-skinned Newts or may serve to confuse a predator, who might grab the salamander by the tail or limb, which can break off, helping the salamander to escape. Over months their lost body part will regenerate.
Ensatinas are forest dwellers that are found in the Victoria watershed and are possibly in Metchosin. The adults are usually grey or brown with a rather orange cast, particularly where the limbs meet the body, the juveniles meanwhile can be dark with metallic white or silver flecks.
Wandering Salamanders have brown to black colouring, speckled with bronze spots and splotches and are known to jump (the only salamander species here that do so). They can be found in trees, in large downed logs, under bark and in rock crevices. Our Wandering Salamanders (formerly known as Clouded Salamanders) are a source of controversy in the zoological community. Did they arrive here by hitching a ride on bark used in the tanning industry or are they a native species with widely separated populations (the next populations are in California)?
All terrestrial salamanders produce much smaller broods than aquatic species. The females expend a lot of energy guarding the eggs and appear to be able to breed only every second year. They have very limited home ranges, from one square metre to a few dozen square metres and if their home site is destroyed they will have great difficulty in populating new areas and if even possible, this process will be very slow.
Most, if not all salamander species are quite dependant on large rotting logs (over 20 inch diameter) which younger forests often can’t supply, on thick, loose bark which only occurs on mature, dying trees or on talus slopes that can be blasted and bulldozed for fill. These requirements make them extremely vulnerable to habitat loss.
When found, salamanders seem very small and fragile and you might question their value to the environment. However, salamanders play a crucial role in forest floor ecology, eating many insects and in turn, becoming prey to many larger species. If you are fortunate enough to find one, remember that their porous skin is their lungs, so it is better not to touch them and inadvertently poison them with insecticides or lotions you may have forgotten you have on your hands. If you must handle them, use gloves or place them in a leaf to view or photograph, returning them as quickly as possible to the exact spot in which they were discovered.

Reference
Amphibians of Oregon, Washington and British Columbia (1996) by Corkran and Thoms
With assistance from Kristiina Ovaska and Christian Englestoft

Rare Plant Communities of Metchosin

2008-10-13T00:18:00.000-07:00

RARE PLANT COMMUNITIES OF METCHOSIN
March 20, 2005

The combination of the climate in our area and the varied geography of Metchosin unite to produce a series of linked landscapes within our community. From the sand and cobble beaches along Metchosin and William Head Roads to pastoral farmlands, from Garry oak meadows to upland mountain tops, we are unique on the lower island in the diversity, complexity and relatively pristine condition of our ecosystems.
Some of these are considered rare plant communities. Plant communities are a certain mix of plants that occur together because of growing conditions that include soil type and fertility, moisture, slope and light. One of the most common rare plant communities is the Garry oak ecosystem over which many words have been spent, but did you know we have other, equally uncommon and remarkable plant communities?
On gentle slopes and along ridgetops on shallow, fast draining soils over bedrock you will find the rare plant community known as Arbutus-hairy manzanita. These slopes generally face from southeast to southwest, have an exceptionally pronounced dryness and very poor to medium soil richness. Shore pines with deep ridged bark stand alone or in small groups. Rolling rocky knolls are thickly covered with a variety of mosses and lichens, and bonsai-like manzanitas with their blue-green evergreen leaves and crimson bark appear as if they were lifted from an ancient Japanese garden. Scattered on the ground you will find blue wildrye and Roemer’s fescue, interspersed with rattlesnake plantain, yarrow and wild strawberry. A few white fawn lilies, tigerlilies and death camas round out a scene of exquisite beauty.
Another rare plant community is the Douglas-fir-arbutus community. It occurs on similar dry southerly exposures or on flat well drained gravelly soils, with very poor to medium fertility. The large old growth Douglas-fir are rare as hens teeth but some younger trees are becoming mature and with arbutus comprise most of the tree layer with the occasional Garry oak, cascara, shore pine, western flowering dogwood, western yew or western redcedar. Oceanspray can be common along with snowberry, Oregon grape, baldhip rose, saskatoon, salal and huckleberry vines. The incomparable Calypso bulbosa or fairy slipper orchids as well as the wonderful variagation in the leaf of the rattlesnake plantain are jewels in the groundcover. Two of our rarest plant species, white top aster and Howell’s triteleia can also be found here.
A third rare plant community is the rock outcrop or mossy bald which often occurs as small openings in forested areas. With gentle to moderate slopes and thin soils this plant community is generally devoid of trees and shrubs but is home to kinnikinnick, junegrass, yarrow, harvest lily, Hooker’s onion and hoary rock moss. In the seepage areas and vernal pools that remain wet all winter and spring but dry out in the summer you will sometimes find the rare winged water-starwort and creeping spearwort or the delicate and lovely slim-leaf onion. The moss layer here is very fragile and the plants are easily dislodged by even a hikers boot. ATV’s, horses and mountain bikes can devestate in minutes what it took the landscape centuries to evolve. These sites often offer spectacular views as well as exceptional wildflower displays and they are rapidly being lost to development as house sites.
These remnant pieces of the coastal Douglas-fir mosaic are woth our attention and preservation. When they are gone, they will never return, so perhaps it behoves us to consider what avenues we may explore to ensure their continued existence within Metchosin.

2008-10-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

“Rare Creatures of Metchosin and Their Preservation.”

The Community House was packed with Metchosinites on Wed Jan. 26, when the APRM sponsored presentations on “Rare Creatures of Metchosin and Their Preservation.”

Metchosin resident Dave Nagorsen, former Curator of Small Mammals at Royal BC Museum started the evening with a talk on bats and small mammals. There are 30 mammals indigenous to Vancouver Island, of which 6 are at risk and 4 are (probably) found in Metchosin.
The provincially red-listed (our most serious category) American water shrew enjoys aquatic areas with lots of cover in the form of woody debris. It has not been found in Metchosin, but given its small size, its nocturnal behaviour, its preference for remaining under cover of woody debris on the margins of streams, it probably does inhabit relatively undisturbed parts of the Bilston system. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates and small fish.
The ermine, or short-tailed weasel is on our provincial blue-list (considered vulnerable). It is our smallest carnivore on Vancouver Island at 25-30 cm and weighs under 100 grams. It dines on small birds (including chickens), mice, and amphibians. It requires riparian habitat, rotting logs and a thick understory It has not been reported in Metchosin, but one was found dead near Sooke Road and had probably been killed by a cat.
Bats are the only mammals capable of flight. In summer, the females of most species congregate in maternity colonies while the males remain solitary. The life cycle of most of our bats during the winter season is a bit of a mystery; some hibernate in the area, while others probably migrate south. Bats need “bat” trees for roosting. These are dead, larger trees, often cedars, that are moderately decayed but with bark remaining. Woodpecker cavities also provide cover.
Townsend’s big-eared bats are blue-listed by the province. They are especially sensitive to disturbance, especially during their winter hibernation, and roost in caves or buildings. In Metchosin both summer colonies of females and hibernating winter colonies have been found at Mary Hill.
Keen’s long-eared bats have made the provincial red-list. They are sometimes found in high elevation caves. There is no record of these bats in Metchosin but someone’s cat on Tideview Rd. in East Sooke killed one, so they are likely in the vicinity.
Our native red squirrels have locally disappeared over the past 20 years and it is not clear if the culprit is the introduced gray squirrel, since the red eats conifer cones while the grays eat Garry oak acorns.
To help preserve these rare and threatened mammals we should: maintain wildlife trees, especially cedars; learn to identify species, remove bats from your home by exclusion, NOT extermination; maintain riparian habitats; “control cats” (who are devastating hunters of small mammals) and report suspected rare species to the Conservation Data Centre, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection.
Christian Englestoft of Alula Biological Consulting is involved in research of the red-listed sharp-tailed snake. This is a very small snake with juveniles only 10 cm in length, and adults under 35 cm; one half the size of normal garter snakes. Besides its small size, its easiest distinguishing feature is its tail. Although called sharp-tailed, the name is a bit misleading. In appearance the tail appears blunt, rather than pointed, but the tip has a sharp “hook”. They lay eggs rather than bearing live young, another point which sets them apart from garter snakes. Only 2 nests have ever been found.
These endangered snakes have been found in Metchosin, beside the Galloping Goose-near Pearson College, on Mary Hill. Besides the sharp-tailed snake, we have three species of garter snakes in Metchosin, none of which are dangerous.
Habitat that seems to appeal to sharp-tailed snakes includes south facing slopes, heat traps (gullies, forest openings) and lots of cover objects (debris, rotting logs, boulders).
Diet consists mostly slugs although they have been found eating salamanders.
These are very elusive, secretive creatures and it is easy to overlook them in the rush to develop a site. Care must be taken to ascertain if they are present and to maintain their habitat. It is crucial to leave rocks and logs and to minimize disturbance. Contact Christian Englestoft at alula.bc@telus.net if you think you have sighted this snake.
James Miskelly, MSc, spoke eloquently on rare and threatened butterflies of Metchosin. Southern Vancouver Island used to be world-renowned for its abundance of butterflies. In 1884 , George Taylor reported an “ extreme abundance of butterflies as one of the most noticeable features of the landscape”, of which there were over 40 species and from 1903 there was a quote about butterflies carpeting the sea and beaches.
Most butterfly species, in their caterpillar form, prefer specific types of plants to feed upon. With the conversion of the natural environment to an urban landscape, to agriculture and through forestry practices, all these food preferences have become increasingly scarce. Certain types of butterflies need woodland edges and trails, some need rocky bluffs or Garry oak woodlands and others have flourished in disturbed areas. The more varied the landscape, the more types of butterflies are likely to inhabit an area. Metchosin is special in the region because it retains a variety of natural habitats: relatively wild road-sides, some disused fields, forests, meadows, rocky knolls, wetlands, etc.
The propertius duskywing (a blue-listed species) will lay their eggs only on Garry oaks and after the caterpillars have pupated they remain in the leaf litter throughout the winter. They can only successfully survive if the leaf litter remains (hence, they are rare in Oak Bay where Garry oaks remain only in “neat” leaf litter free gardens).
Two other rare species that are found in Metchosin are the common branded skipper and Moss’ elfin. The Moss’ elfin caterpillars feed on stonecrop, which is suffering from predation by those ever hungry deer and from development of rocky bluffs. Common branded skipper caterpillars feed on native grasses, which have suffered a severe decline, especially from competition with introduced grass species.
BTK spraying for gypsy moth or in common garden practice, has been absolutely fatal where it occurred, wiping out populations of butterflies that take years to recover, if ever.
We are so fortunate to live in Metchosin, a community rich in natural landscapes, that can still provide habitat to our rarest creatures. Consider what you can do to increase the likelihood of survival for these living beings.

Host Plants or Food for Caterpillars

We cannot have butterflies without first having caterpillars. Perhaps even more important than the nectar flowers for the adults are the food plants for their young. Like some of our children, caterpillars are very picky eaters and each species will only eat from a very limited menu. Of course, when you are choosy about your foods and your food source disappears for whatever reason, you are apt to struggle for survival. A few species have learned to appreciate introduced plants but most are committed to their native flora. Planting some of these host plants today will help ensure there are butterflies for tomorrow.

Host Plants
Stinging Nettles for Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, Satyr Anglewing and West Coast Lady
Grasses and Sedges for Woodland Skipper, Arctic Skipper, *Common Branded Skipper, *Wood Nymph
Oceanspray and Hardhack for Western Spring Azure
Oceanspray, Saskatoon, Bitter Cherry for Pale Swallowtail
Saskatoon, Cottonwood and Bitter Cherry for Lorquin’s Admiral
Alder, Willows and Bitter Cherry for Western Tiger Swallowtail
Wild Strawberry and Potentilla for *Two-Banded Checkered Skipper
Stonecrop for *Moss’ Elfin
Carrot Family: Cous, Dill, Fennel for Anise Swallowtail
Native Violets for Hydapse Fritillary
American Winter Cress and Rockcress for Sara’s Orangetip
Western Bleeding Heart for Clodius Parnassian
*uncommon butterfly

Butterfly Nectar Plants

Generally speaking, the best butterfly nectar plants are those that are sunloving, purple, pink, yellow or white in color, and single-flowered rather than double flowered.
There are four basic guiding principles in arranging your chosen plants: (1) place shorter plants in the front (or outside edges) and taller plants in the back (or center); (2) place larval food plants in hidden and less obvious areas; (3) plant in large groups of one color rather than single plants of different colors; and (4) plan for a continuous bloom through the entire growing season with spring, summer, and fall blooming plants.
(from: butterflywebsite.com/articles/websourced/bgarden.html)

Spring: flowering currant, violets, cherry, crabapple, hawthorn, lilac, nodding onion, sweet William, heliotrope, camas
Spring-Summer: bleeding heart, columbine, lupine, coreopsis, phlox, dogwood, wooly sunflower
Summer: native roses, potentilla, sedum, fireweed, lavender, bee balm, butterfly weed, cow parsnip, coneflower, dogbane, marigold, zinnia, salvia
Summer-Fall: asters, pearly everlasting, yarrow, goldenrod, sunflower, fleabane, cosmos

"Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators"

2008-10-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

“Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators”
Moralea Milne
Jan 12, 2008

This is the slogan for one group (www.pollinator.org) that is trying to increase public awareness about the immense value of pollinators and of the risks inherent in their population declines. It is reported that one mouthful in three that we consume is the result of insect pollination. Twenty-five percent of all birds eat seeds and fruit and are dependant on insect pollinators. It is a sobering thought to realize the interconnectedness of insects and our food supply and their value to the health of ecosystems worldwide.
Canada has approximately 1000 species of wild bees plus thousands of species of pollinating flies and beetles but most people only consider the introduced honey bee when they think of pollinators. Honey bees are good pollinators of many plants due to their vast numbers when a hive is placed nearby. Quite a number of our flowering plants are not well pollinated by them though as some plants require a specialised buzzing or a kind of bug dance to ensure the flower releases its pollen. This is an evolutionary tactic that ensures the right insect partner will transfer pollen to the same species of plant rather than randomly over a field of many different types of blooms. Honey bees are apt to be less discerning in their plant choices and can fly over a much larger range. This means they might be visiting many different species of plants and not necessarily ensuring cross pollination. Native bees and other insect pollinators often stay within 100 m of their nest site. A single female blue orchard bee (aka mason bee aka BOB) can visit 60,000 blossoms in its short lifetime. Native bees however do not produce honey.
Our honey bees are under serious threat from introduced mites and pathogens. Feral honey bee colonies have been all but wiped out in the East and only the attention and vigilance of bee keepers enables any hives to survive. These pests and diseases have also infected some native bees, but many are not showing signs of infestation.
What is affecting native pollinator populations are the usual consequences of our urban spread and agribusiness: habitat loss, fragmentation of the landscape so that natural areas are widely separated from each other, pesticide use, introduced species and diseases and monoculture food production all contribute to the decline of our wild pollinators. Many species make nests in woodpecker or beetle holes or fissures in dead wood or even underground, sometimes in abandoned mouse holes. When we tidy up our yards and parks so that there are no dead and dying trees and deeply till the soil, then we are forcing these species to seek more favourable living conditions farther and farther from our gardens and farms. When we grow a single crop, there is usually not a long enough floral season from the single crop to sustain the pollinators. They need different plants blooming throughout their life cycle in order to feed and survive.
Pollen comes in two general varieties. A very light, dusty pollen that is found in grasses and conifers is wind dispersed, while the heavier, sticky pollen, found on tomatoes and blueberries and most flowering plants is distributed as insects pick it up on their hairy bodies and move it from plant to plant; smooth bodied insects are not generally good pollinators. The sticky variety of pollen is rich in protein, starches and vitamins and is used by many species to feed their developing young.
Many people are considering our native blue orchard bees to be a major tool that can be used to pollinate our food and esp tree fruit crops as the honey bee populations decline further. BOB’s as they are also known, are solitary bees that can live adjacent to each other in bee condos. They are adapted to our environment and will fly earlier in the year than honey bees even in our adverse weather conditions. They’ll even fly in a light drizzle, surely a true west coast creature! BOB’s begin flying when the temperature reaches 14ºc, usually in the first two weeks of March and continue through the tree fruit season,
Solitary bees are described as gentle and non-threatening creatures that you would need to squeeze between your fingers before they will sting. The blue orchard bee looks somewhat similar to a house fly, only with a more rounded, smaller body (.5 in) and an intense cobalt blue abdomen. True flies have one set of wings while bees have two sets, although sometimes the second set can be hard to make out.
Some hover flies are excellent pollinators and can be recognized as they hover over a flower like a hummingbird; bees and wasps cannot hover. There is another species of blue orchard bee (Osmia texana) known as the berry bee because of its predilection for raspberry, blackberry and loganberry flowers. These bees fly a little later in the spring, usually around mid-May when BOB’s are just finishing their services. Apparently they will nest in similar bee condos and it might be worth building some bee condos and putting them out later in the spring for these pollinating helpers. Our native bumble bees are also invaluable for their pollination services, there are known to be at least ten species here on Southern Vancouver Island. Bumble bees do form small colonies and are known to sting if they feel threatened. I inadvertently stepped on a nest during a walk through Devonian one year and although the air was alive with bumble bees, none of them seemed to consider me a threat. In fact no one I was with received a sting (quite unlike a similar experience with hornets-ouch!).
Do you have some fruit trees that are miserly with their fruit production? Is a cool, wet week in February or March limiting the honey bees ability to pollinate your trees?
On my own property I have some plum, apple and pear trees that only rarely produce bumper crops. Since the resident bear is much more attuned to their peak ripeness stage and quick and diligent to harvest them, bumper crop or not, I rarely manage more than a single pie from my trees.
However, if you are not growing fruit for bears, you might consider creating some habitat for our native pollinators, adapted to life in our soggy spring climate. Derek Wulff is offering to show anyone how to construct a blue orchard bee condo on Monday February 25, 7 pm at the Community House. You need a large plastic pop bottle which will be painted, some cotton batten or upholsterers cotton (they often give scraps away for free), newspaper to roll into straw shapes, some cardboard, elastic bands and masking tape. Bee condo tubes are made from rolled newspaper and must be at least six inches long. The female will lay fertilized female eggs at the furthest end of the tubes and unfertilized male eggs at the nearest end; if the tubes are too short, she will only lay male orchard bees. The males hatch first and hang around the entrance waiting for the females to emerge and mate, like teenage boys around the 7-eleven!
Some pollinators use the hollow stems of the common reed (Phragmites australis) as nurseries for their young. Apparently the stem walls are thick enough to curtail certain parasitic wasp species from infesting the nests. That is also why rolled newspaper is appropriate for the tubes that the females will use to lay their eggs, they can rolled thickly enough to prevent the wasp ovipositors from reaching the juvenile bees. The wasps are able to penetrate the walls of plastic and cardboard straws and lay their eggs on developing mason bees. There will need to be a source of mud nearby that the females use to plug their constructed cells and nests. The developing young will complete metamorphoses in the nests by July but remain in the tubes until early spring. The nests cannot be moved or jostled until after July, if an egg falls from its mooring, it will usually die. Mite populations build up over three years and dedicated gardeners will need to clean the cocoons of dormant mason bees in the fall. This is easily done as the mites are on the outside of the cocoon and can be washed off with warm soapy water without damaging the bees. The bee condos should be placed where they receive morning sun, but protected from hot weather by a shaded overhang.

You can help our declining populations of pollinators by planting pollinator friendly flowers and enhancing pollinator habitat (from Lifecycles website).
• Native pollinators tend to be attracted to blue, purple and yellow single blossom flowers.
• Flowers with short tubes or no tubes at all are more likely to attract a variety of bees.
• Short-tongued bees and hover flies are attracted to small shallow flowers such as in the mustard family (beautiful bitter-cress and sea rocket), carrot family (springold and fennel), and sunflower family (daisies and asters).
• Long-tongued bumble bees are attracted to flowers with deep corollas and hidden nectar spurs such as larkspur, columbine, snapdragon, bergamot, delphinium, bell shaped flowers, mint and tomato family.
• Leaf cutter bees are attracted to beans and peas (legume family).
• Use native flowers and heritage varieties.
• Construct and install nest for pollinators for pollinators in your backyard. There are many designs for nesting boxes for species such as mason bees and hunting wasps.
• Learn to identify beneficial insects and their nest sites and let them flourish in your garden. This allows for a balanced population of spiders, ladybugs, bees and other beneficial insects to fight against the pests in your yard.
• Provide a water source, like a birdbath, small pond or a dripping faucet which insects can access. Bees need to drink clean water too!
• Provide mud for mason bee nests by digging a hole as wide as a shovel, past the organic layer and into the mineral layer of the soil. The mineral soil can be easily packed by the mason bee.
• Leave dead wood in your backyard. Dead wood provides shelter and nesting space for many beneficial insects, including leaf cutter bees and mason bees. They make their homes in old beetle burrows. Entire trees or even branches will suit this purpose.
• Keep some empty in your yard. For bees that keep underground nests, it is important to keep a small patch of uncultivated and undisturbed ground which is accessible to them.
• Flower food can be added to your yard by planting high nectar-producing plants each year. Native plants are great for indigenous pollinators!
• REDUCE PESTICIDE USE. Look towards other options first. Organic controls such as soap sprays and pest control techniques with natural parasites are good starters.

References:
www.lifecyclesproject.ca
www.pollinationcanada.ca
articles by Rex Welland of Victoria
The Forgotten Pollinators by Stephan Buchmann et al

Nature's Silver Lining

2008-10-13T00:10:00.001-07:00

NATURE’S SILVER LINING

January 2007

The storms that have wrecked havoc in Metchosin and elsewhere these past months have many of us busy cutting down dangerous trees that lean toward our houses, clearing and burning branches, dealing with a wealth of firewood and generally trying to regain a semblance of pre-storm normalcy.
Some of our surroundings look much the same as they appeared in October while others are a tangle of uprooted and broken trees, littering the landscape like so many carelessly tossed matchsticks. Our own property lost at least 50 trees, especially hard hit were the beautiful, ancient shore pines up on the windy ridges. Virtually all of our damaged trees are inaccessible and, unfortunately, will not provide any of the firewood bonanza that others are reaping.
Storm seasons like this are relatively infrequent events that serve a purpose that is not readily apparent in human lifespans. The upturned trees, with their roots almost embarrassingly on display, looking awkward and unnatural, do perform a long-term purpose. As the years drift by, the soil is loosened and falls back to earth, mixed without the aid of a shovel or rototiller. The hummocks and hills produced by the slowly rotting root balls create microsites with diverse combinations of moisture, light, fertility and texture that support new and varied plant and animal communities. The bottom of the slope with it’s extra water supply might become home to a small patch of vanilla leaf while the top of the hill might be amenable to the more drought tolerant Oregon grape. The north and south sides of the hill could likewise host separate species, each adapted to take advantage of the new site conditions.
Where trees have come down, new space is opened to light and water and the understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants will often respond with a surge of new growth. Seeds that have been lying dormant for decades, awaiting their chance to germinate, will vigourously attempt to dominate the new situation. In wetter areas, bigleaf maples or alders might sprout quickly before giving way, some years hence, to Douglas-firs or cedars. On a mossy bald that is newly opened to the sun, mosses that favour shade will give way to mosses and lichens that need light. Sun-loving camas might replace shade adapted fawn lilies. Likewise, sunny areas that are now buried under mounds of branches and debris will eventually benefit from the accumulation of soil as the process of decomposition begins.
All those snapped off trunks and downed trees that are not used for firewood will also contribute to the biodiversity of Metchosin. Broken trees will eventually fall prey to rots and fungus that soften the wood and allow woodpeckers, chickadees and nuthatches to excavate new nesting sites- that can later be reused by wood ducks, owls, bats and many other birds and small mammals. Downed trees (also known as coarse woody debris) will slowly settle into the ground and begin the long process of becoming habitat for frogs, lizards and salamanders; supply food to foraging bears; mushrooms to excited naturalists and act as nurse logs to delectable huckleberries or stately firs and arbutus. Downed trees can also create more favourable conditions for fish in streams. Logs across streams and creeks create pools and ripples that trout and salmon use for spawning and summer habitat as well as supplying secure places where aquatic creatures can hide from predators.
If you have some areas of your property that can remain natural, you might consider leaving the new landscape as it has been altered, allowing the slow recovery and transformation that nature has decreed. If your neighbours or family complain that you are being lazy, don’t tell them you are feeling resistant to hard labour, rather, proclaim righteously that you are helping to create habitat for generations to come.
Additionally, not everything needs to be burnt or cut up. Some of those stacks of branches can be remodeled to form “brush piles”, which provide homes to winter wrens and other small creatures. Consider leaving some of the broken trees or if they need to be removed for safety reasons, cut as tall a stump as possible so that it can still be used by wildlife (call a qualified professional for this work). Let the logs lie as they have fallen, to feed the earth and provide homes for innumerable living things.
It can be difficult to appreciate the slow transformation from storm tossed, jarring havoc to increased habitat and biodiversity within our community, but your grandchildren and their descendants will reap the benefits of your thoughtfulness.

Naturescape BC recommends this method for constructing long-lasting log and brush piles:
Log pile:
At the base of the structure, spread bark chips as a mulch. Cut logs to varying lengths and arrange creatively-mostly on end, with a few lying lengthwise. To provide hiding spots amongst the logs, place clay flower pots on their sides or use bricks, rocks, or clay drain tiles. Cover the area with leaves and small twigs and disturb as little as possible. If necessary, add material to the log pile from time to time.
Brush pile:
A foundation of rocks or logs will prevent a brush pile from decomposing too quickly. Pile branches beaver-lodge style, two or three metres high and wide. Although native vines (never ivy or vinca!) can be grown over the pile to green its appearance, you will probably want to add to the pile as it shrinks over time. Don’t disturb or make additions at nesting time. You may have ground-nesting birds (like towhees and California quail) using this safe place to raise their young.

References:
Wildlife and Trees in British Columbia (co-written by Metchosinite Todd Manning and others)
Naturescape British Columbia. The provincial guide. By Susan Campbell and Sylvia Pincott

Native Pant Gardening for Food

2008-10-13T00:09:00.001-07:00

NATIVE PLANT GARDENING FOR FOOD

Moralea Milne
March 2007

Want to try your hand at a different sort of food gardening? How about growing some of our native plants for food?
Nothing is easier to grow than nodding onions, they multiple like crazy while supplying lovely pink blooms and delicious small onions. They like full sun some occasional watering and a medium rich soil. Onion soup anyone?
All the Montias are edible and great for a salad, Montia perfoliata and M. siberica are aptly called miner’s lettuce. Once you get some plants started they self seed freely (try to stop them!). They grow well at my place in part shade in a compost based soil. However they do equally well at the municipal grounds in poor conditions.
Did you know that goldenrod, shooting star and columbine flowers are edible and can add a certain, “je ne sais quoi” to your salad? (Eat columbine flowers in moderation, they add a touch of beauty and a sweet flavour but do not ingest any other part of the plant, it is toxic). Columbine is another plant that will self seed prolifically once you get a plant started. Grow in part shade, in rich soils with supplemental watering. Goldenrod is easy to grow, preferring full sun and some extra watering, give it plenty of room to move though! As a bonus, goldenrod and others from the aster family supply nectar to many pollinators and butterflies. It is hard to believe that you would grow enough shooting stars to pluck some flowers for a salad but they come easily from seed, prefer part shade and a rich soil, although they take three or four years to flower from seed. Plan ahead for that dinner party!
I have read that all parts of stonecrop are edible and have a slightly cucumber like flavour, however of the few I tried, most were quite bitter, more like a cucumber that has been grown under stress, perhaps the fresh new leaves are better. It is easy to grow if you supply a very gritty soil with a stoney mulch and water sparingly, if at all (watch for the eggs and caterpillars of the Moss’s elfin butterfly, especially in the flowers). Twisted stalk berries are also reputed to have a mild cucumber-like flavour. Grow in part shade in rich conditions and supply ample water.
Use small quantities of alumroot leaves to sharpen the flavour of a bland salad. Alumroot (Heuchera micrantha) is our native species of coralbells and is easy to grow and tolerant of a wide range of growing conditions, it grows fast and large in rich soils.
Fireweed leaves and shoots are full of vitamin c and beta-carotene and can be eaten raw or cooked. The entire young plant can be treated like asparagus (crepes?). Once you get fireweed started it is a reliable self seeder and as an added bonus, the flowers are exquisite. Fireweed needs full sun, some extra watering and lots of room to spread.
Tiny monkeyflower (Mimulus sp) leaves can be incorporated to add a slightly salty taste to foods. Once established, monkeyflowers will self seed with abandon. They like full sun and good drainage.
Elderberry fritters can be made by dipping the flowers of either the red or blue species in a batter and frying. The blue fruit makes an intoxicating elderberry wine. BEWARE! Use only blue fruit, the red is toxic (it might help you to remember: red is dead). Elderberry prefers a slightly moist, nitrogen rich soil, in part shade.
Stinging nettle has long been used as a spinach substitute, and is high in vitamins A, C and D. Use only the young plants and check carefully for butterfly eggs and caterpillars as many species (satyr anglewing, red admirable, Milbert’s tortiseshell and west coast lady) use nettles as a host plant. Grow in full sun to part shade in very rich, moist soils. Even if you don’t eat them, grow them to add habitat for the butterflies, particularly if grown in full sun. They spread, so give them LOTS of room.
If you are fortunate enough to have a pond or some large planters (kid’s swimming pools), grow some cattails. Young cattail shoots can be peeled, then stir fried and are somewhat like bamboo shoots. Apparently the green pollinating flower heads can be treated like corn on the cob. I have read that the pollen can be scraped off, dried and used as a flour. Beware if they are growing in stagnant or polluted water, they will pick up a disagreeable flavour or toxins.
We have some delicious berries in this area. Salal fruit are yummy eaten raw or maybe heated and poured over ice cream? Plant in part shade with some sun for best berry production. Salal plants prefer acidic, humus rich, poor to medium nutrient soils.
Oregon grape makes an excellent and tasty jelly. Try it on a slice of toast, it’s a delicious way to start your day. Tall Oregon grape needs full sun, a medium rich soil and is drought tolerant. Dull Oregon grape has equally tasty berries, however it is a lower growing, shade tolerant, drought adapted plant which prefers a medium rich, coarse soil.
Evergreen blueberries and huckleberries both belong to the same tasty family. Evergreen blueberries need full sun and poor to medium, acidic, well drained soils while huckleberries are shade lovers and appear to need humus rich conditions as well.
Enjoy growing something a little different, amaze your friends, feed your enemies and help supply a little more habitat for our wild neighbours.

References:
GL Tilford, 1997. Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West
Klinka, K et al, 1995. Indicator Plants of Coastal British Columbia
Pojar J and A MacKinnon, 1994. Plants of Coastal British Columbia.

Native Plant Gardening is for the Birds!

2008-10-13T00:08:00.000-07:00

NATIVE PLANT GARDENING IS FOR THE BIRDS!

April 7, 2006

Do you enjoy watching the antics of glutinous squirrels, those Flying Wallendas of the animal world, as they combine agility and recklessness in their quest for feeder domination? Do you anticipate the appearance of the earliest migrating songbirds or the arrival of exhausted parents with their newly fledged offspring for their first lessons in feeder etiquette? By offering a variety of bird food in a diverse assortment of feeders or all manner of bird baths, from rudimentary pie plates to specially designed ponds, you are naturescaping. A new name for an old practice in which you enhance the features of your property to encourage wildlife to visit and with luck and forethought, to set up house.
One aspect of naturescaping is to use native plants (and non-invasive horticultural plants) to benefit not only your visual enjoyment but also contribute to enhanced habitat for many creatures, including our feathered neighbours.
Most birds are insect eaters when need for nourishment is great and fruits, nuts and nectar are not abundant; even hummingbirds snack on bugs. Trees with thick, ridged bark, like mature Douglas-fir and Garry oaks supply habitat for many insects that brown creepers, red-breasted nuthatches and woodpeckers are adapted to locating. Snowberries harbour many bugs and caterpillars as well as supplying excellent cover for ground-using birds. A snarl of trailing blackberries provides a source of berries and a favoured nesting site for towhees. All the warblers are insect eaters and the bugs and spiders you see on your native shrubs are a natural part of the food chain. Resist spraying pesticides which removes these important food sources.
Many of us hang hummingbird feeders outside our windows so that we can marvel at the their beauty and territorial battles. To increase their preference for your yard, the March-April flowering of the gummy gooseberry with its scarlet red, fuchsia-like blooms and the pendant flowers of its near relative, the flowering currant are both a source of nectar for our Anna’s and Rufous hummingbirds, as are the dark pink blossoms of salmonberry. These are all invaluable food sources when so little else has begun to flower. In bloom at the end of March and equally welcomed are the pink and white blossoms of the hairy manzanita. April and May follow with red elderberry, twinberry and western honeysuckle coming into flower with their hummingbird favoured blooms. May through June, the flamboyant red columbine and the more restrained Pacific bleeding heart both contribute to the hummers diets while another favourite, Cooley’s hedge-nettle, with its red to pink flowers, blooms later in the season. In fact, some of these plants are pollinated almost exclusively by hummingbirds.
Many shrubs and trees produce fruit and nuts that last from spring, well into the winter and supply much needed food. Manzanita berries are eaten by band-tailed pigeons (now considered a blue-listed species) and Oregon grape fruit are consumed by fox sparrow and towhees, while kinnikinnick berries are munched by grouse, among others. Indian plum are quickly stripped of their fruit early in the season and Saskatoons provide mid-summer nourishment. All these shrubs require well-drained, sunny areas for maximum fruit production. Even the shade loving huckleberries will produce more fruit if they have the benefit of extra sun. Think of the fields of blueberries (usually a shade lover) growing in full sun on the drive from the ferry to Vancouver.
Salal, dull Oregon grape, huckleberries and many of our currants and gooseberries do well with light shading to full sun and dry to slightly moist soil conditions and are appreciated by thrushes, grouse, quail, robins and others. Of course, these plants need supplemental watering if they are to survive the additional sun and the drying out that entails.
Sitka mountain ash, alders, elderberry, bitter cherry, Pacific crabapple and black hawthorn are usually found near streams, lakes and wetlands and, as you would suspect, require more moisture. Purple finch, evening grosbeaks, cedar waxwings, robins and many other birds will devour the fruits and seeds of these plants. American goldfinch, warblers and flycatchers appreciate ninebark, another great shrub for riparian areas and grosbeaks find the bigleaf maple’s winged seeds to their liking. Apparently, 23 species of birds, in particular grouse and quail, find the tender buds of Scouler’s willow delectable.
Garry oak acorns are quickly eaten by Stellar’s jays and band-tailed pigeons and many birds consume arbutus berries. Thrushes, pine grosbeaks and red-breasted nuthatches love cedar, pine and fir cones and pine siskins indulge in hemlock seeds.
Birds really appreciate and need plenty of cover nearby to help them escape easily if a hawk or other threat appears. However a lot of dense ground cover or shrubs, which towhees, fox sparrows and quail love, can be counter-productive if there are cats nearby, who will wait patiently for unsuspecting birds to land. In that case some cat proof fencing is in order. I used short fence-like edging around my feeder, which gave the birds a “heads-up” when the cat would have to jump over it before reaching them. Lots of stakes in the ground can accomplish the same result at no expense.
Non-native, non-invasive garden plants can be a complementary addition to your naturescaped garden: fuchsias, weigela, flowering quince and the honeysuckle vine “Dropmore Scarlet” are all appreciated by hummingbirds. The evergreen California lilac attracts sparrows to its small fruit capsules and we’ve all seen many birds feast on sunflowers seeds.
Please do not plant any of the invasive species, even though birds might love them. English hawthorn, ivy, holly and cotoneaster are 4 big-time no-no's! They might supply some extra food and habitat for birds but eventually they decrease these necessities for other forms of wildlife as they turn biological diversity into virtual monocultures.
Naturescaping is a way to enhance our yards for our enjoyment of wildlife and at the same time, helps achieve a balance that encourages our co-existence with the natural world. Planting native trees, shrubs and flowers is one way that this can be accomplished and once established, needs no more input from us yet gives back many seasons of bird watching pleasure.

References and Resources:

Naturescape Stewardship Series, Caring for Wildlife Habitat at Home. 1995. Written and compiled by Susan Campbell and
The Bird Garden, produced by the National Audubon Society, 1995
Canadian Wildlife Federation has excellent resources for Naturescaping: http://www.cwf-fcf.org/
Naturescape BC has an excellent guide on Caring for Wildlife Habitat at Home that you can find at: http://www.hctf.ca/naturescape/resources.htm
Another great naturescaping site: http://www.wildaboutgardening.org/index.asp
A wonderful website, PlantNative, an Oregon based group, is dedicated to moving native plants and naturescaping into mainstream landscaping practices. http://www.plantnative.com/index.htm

Why Salmonberries?

2008-10-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

October 14th, 2005

Why Salmonberries?

Why salmonberries? Or Garry oaks or oceanspray or pearly everlasting for that matter? What reasons are there to promote the retention and replanting of native species?
Native plants are plants that historically grow in a given locality, under certain conditions. The water regime, the type of soil and its fertility, the slope, the position relative to the sun, prevailing winds, temperature, even the underlying bedrock are all factors that determine the evolution of plant communities. In addition, the frequency of disturbances such as fire and flooding, further contribute to the makeup of an ecosystem. Within all these many and varied constraints, native plants have evolved over thousands of years, to take best advantage of their situation.
Salmonberries, for example, thrive in reliably moist, rich soil conditions, often along streambanks and they tolerate fluctuating groundwater tables, something most plants find deadly. They are often found in flood and erosion prone areas along creeks and streams. They have strong roots which are invaluable in these conditions because they hold the soil during heavy floods and their suckering ability quickly repopulates an area with new plants, if necessary. They provide food, in the form of nectar, pollen, leaves and berries to a wide variety of insects, birds and animals. In fact, their very early flowers are an important energy source to the first hungry pollinators and humming birds that arrive in the spring.
If you were to plant rhododendrons or other less adapted plants in place of the salmonberries, it would disturb the interactions among the various species. There would be no early flowers, of the right size and shape for the starving rufous humming birds. There would be no regeneration after a heavy late winter flood, because rhodos don’t have shoot producing roots and cannot quickly form colonies; the earth would fall into the stream, silting over gravel beds which might harbour cutthroat trout eggs, because rhododendrons, although beautiful, did not evolve to occupy this particular set of circumstances and associations.
Whether in development projects or around your own property, retaining native plants is the best option, replanting with appropriate native species a passable second and replanting with non-native plants a poor third, even when they are adapted to the site conditions, such as wet or dry soils. Broom, for instance is adapted to our dry summers with sun-baked soils, but it has been found deficient in other regards. It has very aggressive survival techniques with which it displaces native species, so that there are fewer types and reduced abundance of plants, insects and animals in areas where broom has secured a foothold.
Purple loosestrife is a flamboyantly beautiful plant that has been planted in wet garden areas across North America. It outcompetes virtually all other plants in favourable areas, successfully invading wetlands across the continent, again reducing diversity. Yes, a red-winged blackbird can use it for a nest site, but soon there will be less food for the blackbird to eat as the insect species that depend on a variety of plants to survive move on to more diverse, wetlands comprised of their natural plant communities.
Like everyday gardening, understanding the site specific needs of a plant, determines its location. If you have a salmonberry growing on the edge of a lightly shaded stream and transplant it to the top of a sunny rocky bluff only fifteen metres away, although it is a native plant, it will not flourish, in fact, it will most likely die, because it is outside its ecological comfort zone. Conversely, if you were to transplant a clump of creamy grey stonecrop from its cliff hanging, sunny habitat into the midst of an alder swamp, it too would not prosper. In other words, the plants are dependant on the conditions in which they have evolved.
This evolution has included not just the plants, but the insect, bird and animal worlds as well. The natural diversity of plants also determines the variety of insect species, which in turn influences the bird and animal species that will inhabit the area. There will be different birds, ants, beetles and flying pollinators, for each type of plant community, the mix and abundance dependant on the environment.
Salmonberries, with their myriad ecological values, and their striking rich magenta flowers, have an important role to play in a sustainable environment. Like all native species, they perform diverse roles within their community, some of which we can appreciate with a bit of knowledge and some which are likely as yet undiscovered.

Panic or Prudence? (Possible Pandemic)

2008-10-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

October 22, 2005

PANIC! or Prudence?

The Metchosin Community House was full to overflowing on October 14th with Pod leaders, Emergency Preparedness Committee members, Mayor Watson and most current council members as retiring “Pod God” Larry Hildreth welcomed John Hollemans to his new role as head of Pod coordination.
It seems like extreme events are almost becoming the norm and our Emergency Preparedness Committee has been busy assessing Metchosin’s readiness for unforeseen catastrophic events. Plans are afoot to place signage at the 20 metre mark above our marine shoreline, to warn that below this area is a Tsunami hazard zone. Fortunately, it seems we can learn from the tragedies of other populations.
Already somewhat familiar with routines to follow when confronted with floods, fires, storms and earthquakes, we are now being asked to prepare ourselves for an influenza pandemic. This is predicted to be a completely new strain of flu that mutates to form a superflu bug that will have global implications.
Called “The Elusive Plague”, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, in cooperation with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, has produced a video to help make communities and governments aware of the probable threat of a global influenza pandemic.
The “flu” is a viral respiratory illness that usually occurs in the fall and winter and causes coughs, sore throat, occasional fever and extreme lethargy and malaise, you can feel like you have been run over by a Mack truck. Seniors and those with compromised health are the most vulnerable to fatality and thousands of seniors across Canada die every year from this disease.
There are 3 types of influenza: A, B and C. C is a rare form, and A and B both cause year to year epidemics, with influenza B being a milder form. B and C are both associated solely with humans but A is also associated with birds and animals.
The usual annual flu bugs are described as viruses that mutate gradually and within certain parameters (like a subtle drift from light blue to dark blue), causing various degrees of illness, but being composed of pathogens for which our bodies have developed antibodies. The A virus is more changeable and elusive and occasionally, every 10 to 40 years, it will make a dramatic shift into a completely new subtype (like a shift from blue to yellow), for which we have no antibodies and we can be quickly overcome with the virus.
Influenza A develops in birds, then learns to shift to animals and humans. This can occur when there is close proximity between birds, animals and humans, in fact many pandemics begin in the Far East because of close living conditions between humans and animals.
The new Influenza A subtype adapts to humans and then quickly spreads person to person via the respiratory route through coughing, sneezing, laughing, etc. You can be the most infectious the 24 hours before symptoms even show.
The Spanish flu of 1918-1919 infected just about everyone, with 5% of the global population or 40,000,000 people, perishing. It was particularly deadly to young, healthy adults between 20-35 years of age, many succumbing within hours or days of becoming ill; 50,000 Canadians died.
The Asian flu of 1957 spanned the globe in 6 months and the second wave was even more severe than the first. A pandemic associated with the outbreak of The Hong Kong flu of 1997 was averted because of the slaughter of poultry before the virus learned how to pass from human to human.
It is predicted that the next pandemic will occur sometime in the next 5-10 years. It will probably begin in the summer and will reach Canada within 3-5 months. At 6-8 months, there will be peak mortality and each subsequent outbreak of the virus will probably be more severe. It is predicted that 3,000,000 plus British Columbians will be infected, 1,800,000 will be clinically ill, and 18,500 will be hospitalized. There could be 6,800 deaths. These numbers are projected from the 1957 and 1968 outbreaks, which were less severe than the 1918 pandemic.
Does this sound like fear mongering? It is a projected worse case scenario, that calls for communities to prepare for the worst and as the Girl Guides say, Be Prepared!
Canada has a Pandemic Influenza Plan, that “aims to assist and facilitate appropriate planning at all levels of government for the next influenza pandemic” . Fortunately, Canada is the first country in the world to plan for a secure vaccine supply through the contracting of a domestic supplier. The contract ensures that everything required for vaccine production, including the egg supply and storage facilities, is in place, although it could still take 6-12 months to produce enough vaccine once the virus strain has been identified.
What can be done?
• Plan how to administer vaccine as efficiently as possible, when it becomes available.
• Plan for numerous, mass immunization clinics.
• Each community will need their own “ stand alone” emergency preparedness strategy, with dedicated resources, as communities will not be able to rely on neighbouring regions, which will also be struggling.
• Increase both public and political awareness.
• Plan for a scenario that acknowledges much of the labour force might be unable to work, causing disruptions to essential community services.
Questions that need to be studied include:
• what is our current capacity for response?
• what will be the requirements?
• what gaps have been identified?
• how will vaccine be administered quickly?
• whom can be recruited to assist?
• how and where can the vaccine be safely stored?
• who will be considered as most critical to receive the vaccine?
• how do we deal with shortages of supplies, staff and facilities?
What can you do?
If this type of an event does occur, residents of rural communities such as Metchosin have some options which may promote wellness.
Obviously isolation from the virus is key. Our neighbourhood POD members would have to attempt to be as self-sufficient as possible. Residents will have to take a close look at what they need to do to live locally. Home vegetable gardens, orchards, and small holdings of livestock will be important. People need to become familiar with who is living in their neighbourhood POD.
Volunteer now to help with our Metchosin services such as Search and Rescue, the Fire Department, the Emergency Operations Centre and the Metchosin Community House. Individuals need to consider the possibilities of Pandemic and become aware of what Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Provincial Emergency Preparedness program have set up in preparation for a possible occurrence. Knowledge is power.

• cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough
• stay home when you are sick
• wash your hands frequently especially after touching your mouth, nose, eyes or used tissues
• get your flu shot; even though it is not effective against a pandemic virus, it will help keep your immune system strong, if it is not fighting another flu bug and it will help to build a larger capacity in vaccine production, supply and distribution.

Approximately one billion dollars are lost annually due to absenteeism, lost productivity and health care costs associated with the every day variety of the flu. Losses from a pandemic are expected to exceed that exponentially in addition to the tragic consequences to families and friends. It seems a prudent time to start considering Metchosin’s response to this predicted global pandemic catastrophe, before we panic.

Resources:
BC Pandemic Influenza Plan website: http://www.bccdc.org/content.php?item=150
Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan website:
http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cpip-pclcpi/
Vancouver Island Health Authority website: www.viha.ca/
Provincial Emergency Preparedness website: www.pep.bc.ca/

Mushroom Musings

2008-10-13T00:05:00.001-07:00

Mushroom Musings

Moralea Milne October, 2006

When the summer gardens begin to lose their glory and long hot days give way to cool misty weather-the first autumn rains drench the baked earth and set in motion the emergence of many forms of mushrooms. Invisible throughout most of the year, unknown to many and yet stretching like the veins of life almost everywhere that plants grow, mushrooms evoke both delight in the subtle pleasures of autumn and a sense of dread to the uninitiated.
If you compare mushrooms to marigolds, the underground, threadlike portion of the mushroom or mycelium can be compared to the stem and leaves of the marigold and the mushroom as we recognize it, is like the flower holding within it the potential of reproduction. And it is that “flower” or fruiting body, that can be relished as an epicurean delicacy or feared as a deadly poison.
By decomposing organic matter to free up essential nutrients or by supplying these nutrients through a mutually beneficial relationship with other plants, mushrooms and their kin contribute to the well-being of our planet. The health of almost all plants from the mighty Douglas fir to the stately white pine forests, from Scottish heathers to wild blueberries, from red barked arbutus to exquisite orchids, depend on relationships with mushrooms.
Jelly babies, dead man’s foot, purple fairy club, witch’s butter, turkey tail, destroying angel and shaggy mane are some of the evocative names used to conjure the myriad shapes, extraordinary colours and fearsome properties you can discover on an early autumn journey through your local woodland. Remember to bring a small sketchpad or a camera to capture the magic of their variety.
To many people the first question is: is it safe to eat? At one time toads were considered to be poisonous and by just sitting on a toadstool, they could imbue it with their toxins. The old distinction that mushrooms were safe and toadstools were poisonous has been debunked and they are now all considered mushrooms. If you are interested in exploring the fungal world, buy a field guide, go on several field trips with an specialist to thoroughly acquaint yourself with the different varieties and, to save your sanity, leave the LBJ’s or little brown jobs to the experts.
Although mushrooms are commonly associated with fall rains, the end of winter also heralds the appearance of some well known spring “fruiting” mushrooms. Investigate our local forests and exclaim over the colourful and poisonous Amanita muscaria, upon which the caterpillar of “Alice in Wonderland” fame was pictured (Blinkhorn Lake Nature Park), search diligently for the delectable black morels (Morchella sp) occasionally associated with the incomparable calypso orchid (often found in burnt over open spaces) and investigate small humps in the forest duff for that other black gold-truffles, sometimes found under oak trees. In fall, explore carefully near spruce and hardwoods such as birch and oak for king Bolete (Boletus edulis) prized in Italy as the porcini mushroom, sniff the gills of the pine mushroom (Armillaria ponderosa) for it’s cinnamon-like defining scent and in our Pacific Northwest, the coniferous forests are the preferred habitat of chanterelles, one of the most favoured mushrooms in North America.
Whether you search as a beginner or an expert, for food or for interest, mushrooms can beguile you with their beauty, their astonishing forms and their palette of colours, extending from the understated and subtle shadings of cream and brown to the obvious and vivid, yellows, reds and greens. A feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.

This piece was originally written for my sister, April Cornell. She has given permission to reprint.

Mosquitos and You (West Nile)

2008-10-13T00:03:00.000-07:00

“Mosquitoes and You” or “Buzz Off”!!

Steady winds and dry summers all combine to allow many of us in Metchosin to brag about the few mosquitoes we encounter in our yards. With the imminent arrival of West Nile disease we want to ensure that we retain our bragging rights.
There are many simple steps we can take to reduce the chance of mosquitoes breeding in our yard or if they are there, to make sure their predators are there too.
There are 2500- 3000 species of mosquitoes worldwide, of which 46 species reside in BC. They all share a similar life history that takes place in the remarkably short span of seven days. Many species can use any small container of standing water in which to reproduce; from old tires to flower pot saucers, from bird baths to bottle caps. Yes, four mosquito larvae can live in the stagnant water in a bottle cap! Be vigilant, search your property and empty all containers, even those non-biodegradable plastic fast food containers or the cellophane from a discarded cigarette pack.
➢ At least once a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, livestock watering troughs, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
➢ Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
➢ Remove discarded tires and other items that could collect water.
➢ Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your home.
Once you have done all you can to ensure you are not inviting mosquitoes to your breed on your property, then you need you need to mosquito proof yourself and your family.
➢ Deet is the active ingredient in chemical mosquito repellent that seems to offer the greatest degree of protection. Apply sparingly to exposed skin. The more DEET a repellent contains the longer time it can protect you from mosquito bites. A higher percentage of DEET in a repellent does not mean that your protection is better—just that it will last longer. DEET concentrations higher than 50% do not increase the length of protection. Choose a repellent that provides protection for the amount of time that you will be outdoors. Do not use on children under 2 months of age.
➢ Keep away from the eyes, nose and mouth, so avoid applying repellent to the hands of children.
➢ Pregnant women should minimize use.
➢ Wash treated skin after coming indoors.
➢ Spray clothing with repellents containing permethrin or DEET since mosquitoes may bite through thin clothing. Products containing permethrin, derived from a species a chrysanthemum, are very effective in killing mosquitoes on clothing and fabrics. Do not apply repellents containing permethrin directly to exposed skin. A combination of permethrin on clothing and a skin safe product on your exposed skin, gives the most effective protection. Spray repellant onto mosquito netting that you hang around your bed or camp-cot. This will give the double benefit of excluding the mosquitoes and poisoning the insects as they rest on the netting.
➢ Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when you are outdoors with young babies.
For those who are uncomfortable with chemical insecticides; there are a number of plants that have been identified as having some mosquito repellent success. The following is gleaned from various sources and has not been verified.
➢ Citronella, cedar, catnip, verbena, lantana, pennyroyal, geranium, lavender, pine, cajeput, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme, allspice, garlic, lemongrsss, eucalyptus and peppermint. These are often mixed in combination with tea tree oil, coconut oil, soy oil or almond oil.
➢ The following is a sample recipe for a do it yourself repellent:
20 drops Eucalyptus oil
20 drops Cedarwood oil
10 drops Tea Tree oil
10 drops Geranium oil
2 oz. carrier oil ( such as Jojoba )
Mix together in a 4 oz. container. Apply to skin as needed avoiding the eye area. Keep out of reach of children. Test on a small area of skin for sensitivities . Experiment with different percentages of essential oil.
➢ Half and half clear, real vanilla (not extract) and water
➢ Some people swear by Vick’s Vapo-Rub
➢ One vitamin B-1 (Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg) tablet a day April through October. The odor the tablet gives out through your skin (YOU can not smell it) repels mosquitoes, black flies, no-see'ms, and gnats. It does not work on stinging insects.
Products which apparently don’t work include electronic “bug zappers” and sonic repellers. The bug zappers are reported to be much more likely to attract and kill almost any other flying insect.
Research seems to indicate that mosquitoes are attracted to skin temperature, moisture, carbon dioxide (exhaling), lactic acid (produced in muscles from exertion and found in sour milk) and floral fragrances. Strategies that reduce these attractants can be helpful.
➢ When possible, wear light colored long-sleeved shirts and long pants whenever you are outdoors.
➢ Consider staying indoors at dawn, dusk, and in the early evening, which are peak mosquito biting times.
➢ Install or repair window and door screens so that mosquitoes cannot get indoors.
➢ Avoid perfumes, sweet oils, creams and eating bananas as these seem to attract mosquitoes
This seems to suggest that lying around wearing light coloured clothing, breathing shallowly and perhaps sipping a non-sweet beverage might be the best method to get through mosquito season!
To mosquitoes, we are not all created equal. They show a preference for adults over children, although this drops off as we age and for men over women, which is a sexist bias I can live with! Larger people can also be unfairly singled out, perhaps because of greater relative heat and/or carbon dioxide output.
Before you decide to blacktop your local pond or lake, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources claims a healthy wetland provides habitat for many unique animals -- including the natural enemies of mosquitoes. Mosquito populations are held in check in by birds, bats, frogs, fish and insects that feed on mosquito adults and larvae. Wetlands can decrease mosquito populations by providing proper habitat for such predators. For example, when Essex County, Mass., restored a 1,500 acre wetland, the mosquito population dropped by 90 percent. Other states, such as New Jersey, have also been controlling mosquitoes the "natural way" by eliminating small, stagnant breeding depressions and using water management practices to increase mosquito predators. These "natural methods" reduced the cost of mosquito control over the traditional method of insecticide application, by more than 97 percent. Some of these aquatic predators include dragonflies, damselflies, water striders, backswimmers, predaceous diving beetles, topminnows and mosquitofish. Even our native sticklebacks will feed on mosquito larvae.
Mosquitoes are an important part of the food chain and we can get help from our wild neighbours to keep them in check. Erect birdhouses that will attract insectivorous birds such as purple martins and swallows. Some swallows have been found with approximately 1000 mosquitoes in their stomachs! The addition of bat boxes is also a good idea. For example, a single little brown bat can consume 1,200 mosquito-sized insects in just one hour.
If you find dead birds, especially crows and jays, that you suspect of having West Nile, do NOT contact the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) or our local Public Health branch. They are able to collect sufficient birds for testing. Dispose of the dead birds as you would normally. Wear gloves, bury or double bag and dispose of in the garbage and wash your hands.
Most of the agencies handling information on West Nile disease stress that it is unlikely that any one person will contact the disease and even more unlikely that it would develop into a serious illness.

Much of this article was plagiarized from the following sites:

Further information on West Nile disease and reducing the risk of mosquito bites can be found through the BCCDC at their website: www.bccdc.org/news.php?item=148
Information on bats and bat house plans can be found at: www.batcon.org
Be prepared, this next site comes with the very annoying sound of a whining mosquito www.fnr.purdue.edu/inwood/past%20issues/DEVOURMOSQUITOES.htm
The Canadian Centre for Disease Control:
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/prevention.htm
A child friendly site showing the life history of mosquitoes:
www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/insects/mosquito/

Migrating Fish of Metchosin

2008-10-13T00:02:00.001-07:00

The Migrating Fish of Metchosin

By Moralea Milne for publication in the February 2003 issue of Metchosin Muse

Sherwood Creek, located within Devonian Capital Regional District Park and Gooch Creek, off William Head Road are at least two creeks in Metchosin that are home to the migrating fish species, sea run cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki ckarki) and threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculcatus).
We all know the fascinating life cycle of salmon, whereby the fish spawn or breed in freshwater, spend their adult years in saltwater and return to spawn in their original home stream. The scientific word used to describe fish migrating between freshwater and saltwater is anadromous and only one percent of all fish species in the world have this ability.
Metchosin has been fortunate to retain some of it’s native cutthroat trout habitat when many small streams on Southern Vancouver Island have been lost to urban development. There are a few residents who remember some fine fishing off Taylor Beach.
“Cuts”, an affectionate term used by many who appreciate our cutthroat trout, can be either entirely freshwater dwelling (often called residents) or spend part of their adult life cycle in saltwater. In the case of the fish in Devonian Park, they originally would have been able to access the Juan de Fuca Strait through Taylor Beach, but now have very limited access. Only when there are exceptionally high tides and high water tables can Sherwood Creek forge a path through the gravel and cobble beach. The trout are opportunists though and will seize the occasion to migrate. Changes to the original lagoon are inevitable over time as the lagoon slowly closes in, becoming only intermittently open to the saltwater, then closing completely. Upland development, with it’s diversion of water for wells, irrigation, ponds, etc. and a climate change to drier conditions has probably accelerated the process. However, the fish are capable of adjusting their lifecycles to adapt to these changing conditions.
Fish in the Gooch Creek watershed are still able to access the Strait every winter and spring, when a small stream can be seen emptying through the north end of Taylor Beach.
Sea run cutthroat trout are considered a blue-listed or “vulnerable” species and at maturity are usually about 12-18 inches long and 1 to 4 pounds in weight, with a characteristic red streak under their lower jaw. They are very adaptable fish and can spawn any time from fall through May, depending on location and conditions. Around Metchosin they spawn from January to March in shallow, relatively slow moving water in small coastal streams. The female prepares a scooped out gravel bed or redd where she lays from 200 to 4400 eggs. The male fertilizes the eggs and they then mound the gravel over the eggs and leave them to incubate. Clean water is vitally important as muddy, silty water will smother the eggs and prevent oxygen from reaching the embryos.
The eggs incubate for six or seven weeks before they hatch and after hatching the young “fry” remain in the nest another week before they are free swimming. They remain in their home streams for one to three or more years before migrating to the ocean, the young dining on aquatic insects and the older trout feeding on insects, fish eggs, shrimp, and small fish such as sticklebacks. While some “cuts” may never leave their stream, most venture out to saltwater for additional feeding opportunities. While in the ocean they generally hunt close to shore, not too far from their home streams, preferring to feed in shallow (to 10 feet), cobble and barnacle shorelines. Although some cuts do overwinter in saltwater, most return to their home streams to feed and spawn.
Cuts are unlike their salmon cousins and do not die after spawning. If conditions are favourable they can live to 12 years of age and return to reproduce many times. As the female trout ages, she produces larger eggs in larger quantities. Aren’t we glad that doesn’t hold true for us! Imagine your first pregnancy produces a single small baby, the next larger twins, then triplets……However, most trout do not have life expectancies much beyond 4 years as they suffer from high rates of predation.
The threespine stickleback is our other migrating fish, which, like the cutthroat trout can be either freshwater dwelling or spend part of their lives in saltwater. They are a much smaller (5-10 cm.), bony fish with a row of three sharp spines on their back. They feed mainly on the larvae of aquatic insects, fish eggs and small snails, and are considered satisfactory eating by water birds, including kingfishers and herons, some diving beetles and our cutthroat trout.
The male sticklebacks are the new age dads of the fish world. When the water reaches 12-15ºC he prepares a small (approximately 2 cm.) nest in a sandy, weedy spot, using plant material and a sticky substance he excretes from his kidneys. He then burrows into the mound, creating a tunnel shaped nest. By this time he has also developed a bright red colouration on his underside and his back has turned white. This, coupled with a zig-zag courtship dance seduces a female into the nest where she lays her eggs. The dad then takes over all egg and juvenile fish rearing responsibilities. He fans the water, allowing the all important oxygen to move through the nest and chases away predators. He continues this responsible behavior once the eggs have hatched and will even capture a straying baby in his mouth and spit it back into the nest! Well, we’ve probably all had some experience with “straying” children that make us want to spit too!
Most adults then die within the next several months and the young, depending on circumstances and species, will either stay in their local stream or pond or migrate to saltwater.
There has been some success with using them for mosquito control, something to note with the potential for our newest invasive pathogen, West Nile disease.
Clean, oxygenated water is important to the success of spawning fish and to help preserve our natural resources we need to be stewards of our land. Protect your water by preventing erosion and it’s twin evil, siltation. Allow streamside vegetation to grow which will reduce erosion, filter out contaminants and keep the water cool (by shading). Enjoy your land, relax by your water and try to leave some space for our native plants and animals.
Walk carefully by the snake fence along Sherwood Creek in Devonian Park and you may still be able to see some cutthroat trout spawning. Throughout the summer you should be able to catch a glimpse of the young trout darting stealthily, searching for food and cover. Unfortunately last summer something happened upstream which stopped the flow of water for several days. This was just enough time to dry many of the pools and most of the young trout perished. With the series of droughts we have experienced lately and the reduction in water flow to creeks, it doesn’t take long for serious consequences to occur. It is a lesson in the drastic effects of our tampering with the flow of water. Any work in a stream must be approved by the provincial and/or federal government.
If you have information on other fish bearing waters in Metchosin, please contact Moralea Milne at 478-3838 or through e-mail at: milne-webb@shaw.ca