Category Archives: wildflowers

Waxing alliteratively

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Alistair

It was a most elegant symphony of visual alliteration: waxwings wolfing waxberries. A flock of many dozen Bohemian Waxwings landed on a staging tree above a bank covered with rose hips and waxberries (aka, snowberries). They flew in waves to the waxberries, but … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Carbon antlers

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Alistair

The title, carbon antlers, is easy to misread as caribou antlers. Yet, they are not real antlers, but a fungus, Xylaria hypoxylon, that grows on decaying wood. The common names, carbon antlers, stag’s antlers and candlestick fungus, come from the … Continue reading →

Posted in wildflowers | 3 Comments

Snowberry eaters

Posted on October 24, 2015 by Alistair

What eats snowberries? Most types of berries are colourful, sweet and juicy, a persuasive combination that prompts birds to eat them and consequently to spread the seeds. In stark contrast, snowberries (waxberries) are white, tasteless and dry. As snowberries are both … Continue reading →

Posted in commentary, mammals, wildflowers | 2 Comments

Fairy Slipper

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Alistair

I don’t know how many wild orchids bloom around the Lake, but I have managed to photograph seven different local species. The first to appear each year, sometime in May, is the Fairy Slipper (Calypso bulbosa). This one was … Continue reading →

Posted in wildflowers | 6 Comments

September goulash

Posted on September 30, 2014 by Alistair

In this posting, a diverse collection of this month’s leftovers are used in a goulash. The only home of painted turtles near Nelson has long been the pond at Grohman Narrows Park (see loafing time). Yet, in late September, this turtle was seen in a pond … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, herptiles, mammals, wildflowers | 5 Comments

Flower sharing

Posted on September 6, 2014 by Alistair

I have watched many nectar sippers on flowers. The arrival of a second one usually drives the first away. Today, I was watching both a Drone Fly (Eristalis tenax) and a Western White Butterfly (Pontia occidentalis) roam around a … Continue reading →

Posted in bugs, wildflowers | 2 Comments

White rein orchid

Posted on June 27, 2014 by Alistair

This has been an unusually good year for finding wild orchids in Kokanee Creek Provincial Park. First came the fairy slipper, then the mountain lady’s slipper, then the spotted coralroot, and yesterday, the fragrant white rein orchid. There is a … Continue reading →

Posted in wildflowers | 1 Comment

Spotted Coralroot

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Alistair

Earlier this month, an acquaintance told me where he had found a spotted coralroot in Kokanee Creek Provincial Park. I had not yet seen this wild orchid and so followed his directions carefully. It had vanished and repeated searches … Continue reading →

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High and low

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Alistair

Things seen higher in the mountains often differ from those seen at the valley bottoms: trees, mammals, birds and flowers, all change with elevation. Here are some examples gleaned from this week’s jaunts. The Willow Flycatcher seems to prefer … Continue reading →

Posted in birds, mammals, wildflowers | 4 Comments

Lady’s Slipper

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Alistair

I confess to taking a particular delight in observing local wild orchids. Spring started well with fairy slippers in Kokanee Creek Park. While it didn’t diminish the pleasure, I had seen them other years and so knew where to look. Today’s observations … Continue reading →