Trip Report by Rita Li & Laura Cottle

On Sunday, May 21, we had 16 participants, a group comprised of members of Nature Vancouver and Northshore Hikers, enjoying a walk in the Pacific Spirit Park. We started at the north entrance to Camosun Bog, walked around the Bog, then over to the second growth coniferous forest Southwest of the bog, and finally across Imperial Road to walk through the area west of Imperial road. The description here concentrates on the initial portion of the walk: Camosun Bog. 

Along the boardwalk in Camosun Bog, Leader Leslie Bohm introduced white blooming plant -Labrador tea with its distinct leaves: hairy and orange on the underside. Boiled as a tea, the leaves are said to have medicinal value. Growing alongside the Labrador tea was its cousin, Bog Laurel with pink blossoms and shiny green leaves. We also checked the star-flower and bog blueberry. The most impressive plant that we learned about was the carnivorous Sundew. To find sundew, we looked in its typical habit – open sunlight and exposed areas of sphagnum moss. Once we spied a green one, we then found bigger stalks standing 5cm from a reddish patch of tiny circular leaf clusters. At first, it was difficult to recognize them but with Leslie’s careful guidance, we were able to find them!  

Our other leaders, Noriko Nakaya and Laura Cottle helped us to know more about the restoration work that is being carried out in Camosun Bog. The restoration of the 2000+ year old peat and marshland has been going on for a number of years. The result is the building of boardwalks through the forest and the reintroduction of native bog vegetation. It’s such a nice place to explore, and we are grateful for the volunteers, such as Noriko, who do restoration work every Saturday morning. Laura told us that they (Pacific Spirit Park Society) are always looking for new volunteers to help “garden” the bog and remove the non-bog plants.