As a Northwest native plant Salmonberry is well known for colonizing wet sites west of the Cascades and for its reddish-orange raspberry-like fruits. This species is a deciduous shrub that can grow to a height of 10’ and spread out to form thick stands. New stems are green and armed with thorns while older stems … Continue reading Salmonberry: Anyone say Yum?
30 minutes in nature every day for 30 days in May. That's the invitation. We figured it was the best way to follow up our #30DaysofNativePlantLove immersion in stewardship. (Plus, it gives you one "weather day" card to play, just in case it's absolutely torrential and you don't want to leave the building.) According to … Continue reading This May, trade screen time for Green Time with the 30×30 Challenge
The berries are eaten by bears, small mammals, quail and grouse, and song birds such as thrushes. The flower is a source of nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant is host for the larva of certain butterflies. But they're not edible for humans. Best to tell the kids they're poisonous.
Fossil evidence suggests that bracken fern has had at least 55 million years to evolve and perfect antidisease and antiherbivore chemicals. It produces bitter tasting sesquiterpenes and tannins, phytosterols that are closely related to the insect moulting-hormone, and cyanogenic glycosides that yield hydrogen cyanide (HCN) when crushed. It generates simple phenolic acids that reduce grazing, … Continue reading Bracken Fern, producer of fiddleheads, means “eagle like fern”
Look for the berries in July. You can make them into jam. And the thimbleberry leaf makes a good toilet paper substitute when you’re out in the woods!
Halfway through our month-long immersion in native plants, I hit a point of overwhelm... There's so much to know! And these 30 feature plants are the tiniest fraction of species. The Native Plant Garden at One Mile Lake Nature Centre, alone, was planted out in 400 different plants. Then, I spoke with Dawn Johnson, and … Continue reading Signs of spring: the bodacious, liliaceous False Lily of the Valley
We interrupt our month-long immersion in local plantlife, to share a few upcoming events. A great resource to find out what's going on is the Pemberton BC Facebook page. Saturday, April 18: PVTA Trails Day, 9am Meet at the bike Co for breakfast, followed by trail love. Pick up a membership. $10 for individuals, $25 … Continue reading EVENTS Coming up: managing trails, grizzlies, anxiety, community spaces and more
The Wellness Almanac 