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Category: Ecology

New Brighton Next – the Challenge of the Long Haul

New Brighton Next – the Challenge of the Long Haul

With the start of Fall 2024 the New Brighton Biodiversity Enhancement project moves into a new phase – the challenge of the long haul. We’ve done the big Scotch Broom and Himalayan Blackberry removals, planted about 1800 native perennial flowers and shrubs. Now we enter the really difficult job of just ‘keeping at it’ which will determine if the project succeeds or fails. This means pulling thousands of small Scotch Broom shoots, continuing to dig blackberry roots and clip back…

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Interpretive EcoWalk in Pacific Spirit Park

Interpretive EcoWalk in Pacific Spirit Park

Submitted by Laura Cottle On 27 November, 2022, Nature Vancouver (NV) and Pacific Spirit Park Society (PSPS) jointly organized this walk. Leaders, Ian Clague (NV & PSPS) and Sam Bundenthal (PSPS), met the group at the Pacific Spirit Regional Park Centre on 16th Ave (parking lot and washroom area) at 10am. on this beautiful sunny Sunday morning. After a brief introduction to by Laura Cottle (Volunteer and Program Coordinator for PSPS), the group of 2 leaders, 18 participants, 2 PSPS volunteers…

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Western Painted Turtles – Nesting Sites

Western Painted Turtles – Nesting Sites

Submitted by Caroline Penn  An early morning drop off at the Fulford ferry and return trip past Stowel Lake with the sun breaking through a cover of mist caused me to stop and explore the lakeshore, hoping for a few shots of the lake.  This little corner of the lake draws many swimmers on hot summer days but today with spring temperatures still cool enough for a morning frost I found a different attraction. On the short path to the lake…

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Big Trees of Lighthouse Park

Big Trees of Lighthouse Park

Trip Report by Helen Baker On March 16, Sally McDermott led a group of 13 on a four-hour loop hike through Lighthouse Park. Together we gazed up – way up – at the Douglas Fir and Red Cedar giants and made stops to look out at the ocean at Eagle Point and Juniper Point.  Signs of spring were everywhere – bald eagles flying into the treetops with sticks for nest building, salmonberry buds getting ready to burst and skunk cabbage poking up…

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Dual You Love Me? Love Darts and Pulmonate Snails

Dual You Love Me? Love Darts and Pulmonate Snails

Submitted by Caroline Penn A chance encounter with a Pacific Sideband Snail on a hiking trail on the slopes of Mt. Tuam on Salt Spring Island this fall led me to learn about the intriguing reproductive details of these snails. Much like the Cupid (or Eros) of ancient mythology, these snails make use of a love dart during their mating ritual, which enhances their reproductive outcome. The Sideband snail, Genus Monadenia, is already unique in that it is a pulmonate…

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Stoney Creek Salmon Tour

Stoney Creek Salmon Tour

Trip Leaders Deborah Simpson and Joan Lopez  Report by Deborah Simpson, Joan Lopez, and Sheila Byers On 26 November, 2021, a rare sunny morning, our group of 10 met up for a walk along the upper reaches of Stoney Creek in Burnaby with the hope of seeing some spawning salmon. Stoney Creek is one of the few places in an urban environment where you can see salmon spawning up close. It is home to coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) and chum (Oncorhynchus keta) salmon,…

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Snake Spotting on Vancouver Island

Snake Spotting on Vancouver Island

By Isabella Lovett My thirteen-year-old daughter, Chloe, has gone snake-crazy. So far, I’ve managed to side-step the allusions to vivarium shopping, and we’ve been indulging her latest passion by learning more about snakes in their natural habitat. To this end, we went on an impromptu Vancouver Island snake spotting expedition last weekend. We both had a wonderful time, and I would heartily recommend it to anyone who has a passion for nature. The possibility of spotting some snakes is a…

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Hike to Whyte Lake via Arbutus Ridge

Hike to Whyte Lake via Arbutus Ridge

Tuesday, September 14, 2021 – Text and photos by Kate H. Joint Hike with Friends of Cypress Provincial Park led by Anne Leathem (FCPP & NV) Map: North Shore Trail Map (Updated Second Edition) available at MEC We all readily agreed to postpone this hike to Thursday September 16th to avoid stormy weather. Five of us, including the leader, enjoyed a beautiful, calm and sunny day exploring the Arbutus Ridge area before continuing on the trail from the old helicopter pad…

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Himalayan Blackberry

Himalayan Blackberry

History and its impact on our local flora and fauna Here is an interesting article published in The Tyee about the Himalayan Blackberry. The article discusses at length the history of introduction of this invasive plant and its impact on our environment. Read the article from the link below: How Blackberries Took Over. It’s a Juicy Story

May 2020 at the Hastings Park sanctuary

May 2020 at the Hastings Park sanctuary

Text and Photos by Doug Cooper It was a great May for birding and nature in general at the Hastings Park sanctuary.  As May came to a close, the sanctuary was much quieter than earlier in the month, both in volume and variety of bird song as well as in numbers and species of birds.  Eight types of warblers were reported during the month:  Yellow, Yellow-rumped (of both subspecies types), MacGillivray’s, Wilson’s, Orange-crowned, Black-throated Grey, Townsend’s and Common Yellowthroat.  At…

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