We camped, hiked, kayaked, and explored New Zealand for a month. We completed two of the Great Treks and we visited a number of remote spots. We liked NZ a lot and we hope to return. There were many photos taken, and only a few are shared here, mostly of plants spotted while hiking the trails. Shared here … Continue reading →
Kinnikinnik (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) is a low-growing evergreen shrub. It is also known as bearberry. The trailing shrub can form a mat-like expanse over time. The alternate leaves are roughly long-ovals with smooth edges. In sunny weather, the leaves have a “shiny” surface. Clusters of small pink urn-shaped drooping flowers form at the terminal ends of branches. In … Continue reading →
We stayed on the Pender Islands in spring to hike, paddle, and explore. Each hike was a nature hike with lots to see and enjoy. One of the hikes we did was up an informal trail to the top of Spalding Hill. There were some wet areas near the bottom and some open slopes near the top of … Continue reading →
Orange Honeysuckle (Lonerica ciliosa) is woody vine in the honeysuckle family. The shrub can grow up to 7 m long, often supported by other shrubs. Many thin stems are hollow in early growth. The leaves are in opposite pairs on the stems and have a fringe of hairs. The leaves are smooth on top and glabrous on the … Continue reading →
We hiked trails on the Pender Islands in April. One of the trails we did was on the South Island, up Mt. Norman and then down to the seashore in Beaumont Provincial Marine Park, now part of the Gulf Islands National Park. We enjoyed the mild spring weather on the Gulf Islands, and we also stopped to enjoy the … Continue reading →
Black hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii) is a native vigorous deciduous shrub which grows up to 8 m tall. The trunk is sturdy and has woody branches with stout thorns. Many green oval(ish) toothed leaves appear in spring. Clusters of white (showy) flowers at the ends of thin branches. The individual flowers have 5 rounded petals. After flowering, dark red berry-like … Continue reading →
We stayed on Denman Island in the spring to explore the island, mostly by hiking, walking, kayaking, and exploring. Each day we would stop along the trails and routes to enjoy the spring wildflowers, flowering shrubs, and flowering trees that we encountered in this Pacific Northwest – Gulf Islands climate/ecosystem. Some of the photos shared here include Pacific Trillium (Trillium … Continue reading →
Spineless horsebrush (Tetradymia canescens) is a bushy evergreen shrub in the Asteraceae family. It grows from taproots and woody stems with multiple branches that rise to 40 – 80 cm. Many small lanceolate leaves are woolly or silver-haired in appearance. The inflorescence is grouped into 3-8-headed clusters at the tips of branches. The heads have 4 tubular, yellow flowers. … Continue reading →
We have stayed on Denman Island in spring a couple of times to hiking, kayak, and explore the island. There were many plants emerging from winter dormancy at this time of year, and lots of flowering shrubs and wildflowers to observe. Many photos are taken and a few are shared in this post. Included in this album are photos … Continue reading →
We have spotted one-flowered broomrape (Aphylon uniflorum) on open south-facing damp slopes a couple of times. It is also called one-flowered cancer root and naked broomrape and it is in the Orobanche family. It is a parasitic herb, feeding on stonecrop and other plants. It is short, with a bare stalk and has a purple tube-like flower. We … Continue reading →
