“Botany” John Davidson is a historically well known figure. The first provincial botanist of BC, a founder of the UBC Botanical Gardens and UBC Herbarium, and of course the original founder of Nature Vancouver. This presentation will focus on two incredible areas of botany research that Davidson originally investigated and have been forgotten about in modern times. The still unexplained discovery of a valuable and tasty sugar growing on Douglas-Fir trees. A natural phenomenon unique to old growth trees that seemingly no longer occurs. Also his brilliant relentless efforts to make sure the Cascara Tree, seen as a miracle laxative drug at the time, wasn’t overharvested and eliminated from Canada.

Ryan Regier is a Collections Librarian at UBC Library and an amateur botanist. He is fascinated by how knowledge about forests and plants gets communicated and shared via stories and research. He is a member of the Nature Vancouver Botany Committee and a volunteer with Pacific Spirit Park Society where he leads forest walks and writes for PSPS blog.

This presentation will be a hybrid of in-person and online. On the Monday preceding the event, Nature Vancouver members will receive the Zoom link in the weekly e-News. The talk will begin at 7:30 pm. Non-members are welcome and should Email enews@NatureVancouver.ca a few days ahead to register for the link.