Delicate whites

It seems to be the season for our native white flowers. These ones are ground-dwellers, few above ankle height.  They're scattered everywhere, along sunny trails, in the deep shade of the rainforest, at the edges of roads; blooming profusely while the weather holds, warm, but not too warm, with enough rain to keep the ground damp. Baking days will come soon enough.

Little Prince's Pine, Chimaphila menziesii.

These are tiny plants. I  found them in the moss under Douglas-fir trees.

Trailing blackberry, Rubus ursinus, already producing berries. On a recently logged hillside.

Dwarf dogwood, Cornus canadensis. These like shady, damp sites.

Starflowers, Trientalis latifolia; on the edge of the forest: they like sunlight.

Wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana. These grow in the interior, not near the coast.

Vanilla leaf, Achlys triphylla. A moisture lover.

Next: dogwood and beetles.

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En esta temporada, hay flores blancas por dondequiera. Estas crecen muy cerca del suelo, pocas pasan de la altura de mis tobillos. Se encuentran a lo largo de senderos asoleados, bajo la sombra del bosque pluvial, a los bordes de los caminos, produciendo sus flores aprisa mientras el clima sigue favorable, con temperaturas moderadas, y con suficiente lluvia como para mantener húmeda la tierra. Llegarán los dias de calor bastante pronto.

1. Las flores de "pino del principito", Chimaphila menziesii.
2. La planta entera, apenas midiendo unos 10 centímetros. Las encontré entre el musgo bajo abetos de Douglas.
3. Nuestra mora nativa, Rubus ursinus, la mora "del oso". Ya está produciendo sus frutillas. Las encontré en un sitio recién talado.
4. Cornus canadensis. Esta planta crece en la sombra, en sitios húmedos.
5. Flores "estrella", Trientalis latifolia. A estas les gusta el sol; crecen a los bordes del bosque.
6. Fresa silvestre, Fragaria virginiana. Crecen en el interior de la isla, y no cerca de la costa.
7. "Hoja de vainilla", Achlys  triphylla. Otra planta amante del agua.

Mañana; flores y escarabajos.

Good thing the moss is dry.

 I'm on my knees a lot these days. It's that time of year; when the ground is covered with sprinkles. White or pink or blue or purple sprinkles; get down to their level and they're flowers. Entire little flowers, some only a few millimetres across.

Small-leaved montia, Montia parvifolia.

The loonie, included to show the size, measures 2.65 cm. across. The flowers are about 7 mm. wide. The leaves, sometimes green, sometimes pink, are thick and spoon-shaped.

Early blue violet, Viola adunca.

Tiny and tinier; Blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora, and miniature daisy-lookalikes, with 5 double petals.

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium. The clustered flowers aren't open yet.

I couldn't identify this. A sedge (sedges have edges, goes the mnemonic; look at the stem), but very small.

A giant among all those tinies. Wild strawberry, with ant.

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Estoy de rodillas a cada rato en estos dias. Es la temporada; cuando el suelo está salpicado de "sprinkles" (chispas de confitería). Chispitas color de rosa, blancas, azules, hasta moradas; agáchate a su nivel y ves que son flores. Florecitas que pueden medir apenas unos milímetros.

1. Montia parvifolia. La moneda, un dólar Canadiense, mide 2.65 cm. de diámetro, haciendo que las flores miden alrededor de 7 mm. Las hojas características son gruesas, y tienen la forma  de una cuchara.
2. Violetas azules, Viola adunca.
3. Más pequeñas aun; las flores azules, Collinsia parviflora, las llamamos María de los ojos azules. Las otras se parecen a una margarita miniatura; tienen 5 pétalos dobles.
4. Milenrama o perejil bravío, Achillea millefolium. Las múltiples flores blancas todavía no se abren.
5. No pude identificar éste, aparte de que es una especie de Carex. Se distinguen porque los tallos tienen forma algo rectangular.
6. Entre todas esas flores, esta es un gigante; una fresa salvaje. Con su hormiga.

The meadow awakes

 End of April. In the protected meadow at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park, the first leaves and flower buds raise their heads above the dry moss. There's yarrow, just leaves, so far; white flowers so tiny they're just specks; the first nodding heads of meadow grasses, hints of miners' lettuce and red sorrel. The wild strawberries are in full bloom.

Wild strawberry. As found, with grass and stems from last year, beginnings of this year's diversity.

At the side of the path, a clump of large, yellow flowers with big leaves dominates the scene.

Puget balsamroot, Balsamorhiza deltoidei.

I had seen these here 5 years ago. It's good to see they're still holding their own.

Deltoid balsamroot is an S2 provincially imperiled species that is red-listed, which means it is at high risk of being endangered or lost in the near future. Its current distribution is limited to populations scattered throughout Victoria, Cowichan and Campbell River. (Invasive Species Council of BC)

Also red-listed:

This park is also home to Coastal triquetrella (Triquetrella californica) moss. This is an S1S2 provincially critically imperiled species that is also red-listed. This species’ current distribution in BC is known only in two populations; Campbell River and Galiano Island. It was found on the sandy backshores of Oyster Bay Shoreline Park ... (ISCBC)

I don't know if this is the tiny, dry moss that covers the ground in the meadow; an observer on iNaturalist found it on the dunes just across the dike from the meadow.

The people at ISCBC were here two years ago, clearing out invasive species; the horrible (but delicious) Himalayan blackberry, Scotch broom, and purple deadnettle (which I didn't realize was also invasive.) Thanks, guys!

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Finales de abril. En la pradera protegida del Parque Costal de Oyster Bay (Oyster Bay Shoreline Park), las primeras hojas y botones de flores se alzan sobre el musgo seco. Hay milenrama (Achillea millefolium), solamente las hojas por ahora; unas florecitas blancas, tan pequeñas que apenas se presentan como puntitos blancos; las primeras cabezas de gramíneas, brotecitos de lechuga del minero (Claytonia sibirica) y de aceredilla (Rumex acetosella). Las fresas salvajes ya llevan sus flores abiertas.

Foto: Fresa salvaje, rodeada de varias plantas, tallos secos de pasto y hierbas del año pasado, y los brotes nuevos de una pradera muy diversificada.

A un lado del camino, una planta con grandes hojas, y flores amarillas como de girasol, domina la escena.

Foto: Raiz balsámica deltoidea, Balsamorhiza deltoidei.

Había visto estas flores aquí hace 5 años. Me da gusto verlas aquí todavía.

La raiz balsámica deltoidea es una especie en peligro en la provincia, incluída en la Lista Roja, lo cual quiere decir que está muy cerca de estar amenazada o perdida en el futuro cercano. En el presente, su distribución se limita a poblaciones separadas en Victoria, Cowichan, y Campbell River. (Invasive Species Council of BC)

También está en la Lista Roja:

Este parque también hospeda el musgo Triquetella californica. Esta es una especie amenazada criticalmente en la provincia, también en la Lista Roja. La distribución en la provincia al presente se conoce en solamente dos sitios: Campbell River y la isla Galiano. Lo encontraron entre la arena al lado de la playa de Oyster Bay Shoreline Park ... (ISCBC)

No sé si este es el musgo seco, muy pequeño, que cubre el suelo en la pradera; un observador de iNaturalist lo encontró justo al otro lado del dique que separa la pradera de las dunas.

Un grupo de parte de ISCBC trabajaron aquí hace dos años, arrancando plantas de las especies invasivas, mora de Himalaya (terrible, pero las bayas son deliciosas), brezales escoceses, y ortiga muerta purpúrea (yo no sabía que esta hierba común era invasiva). ¡Gracias!

Invasive yellows, well-behaved whites

 And now the flowers yellow and white.

Buttercup, Ranunculus sp.

This is a pest. It takes over lawns and gardens, anywhere there's moisture, crowding out grasses and veggies and planted flowers. I ripped a big armful out of a small flower bed this afternoon. I didn't get all the roots, so it will be back soon.

But it is beautiful.

And another pest:

Scotch broom, Cystisus scoparius near Echo Lake.

The individual flowers are beautiful, and the colour is cheerful, but this is an extremely invasive plant. It colonizes roadsides, open fields, logged sites, crowding out native species, overshadowing tree saplings, preventing reforestation. And it is toxic to livestock, including the deer that otherwise would be browsing in these open spaces. On top of that, the plants live up to 25 years, producing vast quantities of seed. And the seeds can survive in the soil for up to 80 years.

Everywhere I've driven this month, north or south or west (can't go east; that's the ocean), I see masses of these yellow flowers. It makes me sad, even if the colour is cheerful.

The native wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana.

It's always a pleasure to find these tiny plants. They grow in open forest or meadows, and if you're there just at the right time, they may have strawberries, miniature but very sweet.

On a friend's balcony, Bunny tails, Lagurus ovatus. An introduced species, but not likely to become invasive.

Sorting old photos, I came across this one, taken years and years ago, with my pocket camera, and needing to have the colour and lighting corrected. I liked it because of the elegant simplicity of the magnolia flowers against the messy background of someone's backyard.

Magnolia was in bloom down my street the other day, but the flowers never last long; when I went by with the camera, they were falling apart.

Magnolia, Delta, April, 2008

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Y ahora, las flores amarillas y blancas:

• 1. Ranúnculus. Esta planta es una plaga. Crece y domina el césped, los jardines de verduras o de flores. Esta tarde arranqué brazos llenos de la planta de un pequeño espacio donde tengo flores tratando de sobrevivir. No terminé con los ranúnculos, porque aun quedan raices en la tierra; volverán a crecer.
• 2. Pero son hermosas, eso sí.
• 3. Retama negra, Cytisus scoparius. Otra plaga, peor que los ranúnculos. 

Las flores individuales son bellas, y el color es alegre, pero la planta es extremadamente invasora. Coloniza los lados de las carreteras, campos abiertos, y el terreno donde los madereros han cortado el bosque. Ahoga las plantas nativas, cubriendo los arbolitos nuevos, impidiendo que el bosque vuelva a crecer. Y es una planta tóxica para el ganado, y también para los venados que normalmente se alimentan de las plantas nativas en estos sitios. Y encima de todo eso, las plantas pueden vivir 25 años y producen gran cantidad de semillas que pueden permanecer vivos en la tierra por hasta 80 años.

En todas partes donde he visitado este mes pasado, norte, sur, oeste (al este hay solo agua) veo campos enteros llenos de estas flores amarillas. Me entristece, aunque el color sea alegre.

• 4. Fresas salvajes. Una especia nativa. Siempre es un placer encontrar unas de estas plantitas. Crecen en campo abierto o en bosques asoleados, y si llegas en hora justa, podrás encontrar sus frutitas, fresas muy pequeñas, pero bien dulces.
• 5. En el patio de una amiga, vi estas "colas de liebre", Lagurus ovatus. Una especie introducida pero no es probable que se vuelva invasora.
• 6. Revisando fotos viejas, encontré esta, de hace años, que saqué con mi camarita de bolsillo, y que necesitaba un ajuste de color y luz. Me gustó por la elegancia de las flores de magnolia frente a la maraña que fue el patio trasero donde crecían.

Las magnolias estaban en flor en mi calle hace unos dias, pero las flores no son duraderas, y cuando regresé después con la cámara, ya se habían desbaratado.

Just white flowers

Almost all the flowers I saw in the forest on Friday were white.

Serviceberry/Saskatoon. These were high on a tall shrub, in dim woods. Note the long beetle on the upper left.

Starflowers, Trientalis latifolia. The flowers are just slightly pink. The greenish bud beneath is a  trailing blackberry.

Thimbleberries, Rubus parviflorus, buds and flowers and brand new leaves.

Vanilla leaf, Achlys triphilla.

Wild strawberry, with black fly.

And another thimbleberry. Just because.

The elderberry stems now hold tiny green berries. A few deep pink salmonberry flowers were still on the branches, but most have started to form berries, too. And all along the highway (so it doesn't count as in the forest), the horribly invasive Scotch broom is flowering enthusiastically. Yellow flowers: pretty but not a welcome sight.

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Casi todas las flores que vi esta semana en el bosque eran blancas.

1. Serviceberry/Saskatoon. Estas estaban en un arbusto muy alto, en penumbra. Hay un escarabajo largo en una flor a la izquierda.
2. Flor "estrella". El botón verde abajo es una mora indígena.
3. Thimbleberry, "frutilla de dedal". Da frutillas muy suaves, muy dulces, en forma de dedal, de ahí el nombre.
4. Hoja de vainilla. Las hojas secas de esta planta tienen un olor a vainilla.
5. Fresa silvestre.
6. Y otra "thimbleberry".

Las ramas de saúco ahora llevan frutillas muy pequeñas, todavía muy verdes. Hay todavía algunas de las flores color de rosa de salmonberry, pero también la mayoría de estos se están haciendo fruta. Y a lo largo de la carretera (así que no cuenta entre las flores del bosque) el "Scotch broom", Cutisus scoparius, que en una plaga enormemente invasiva, está floreciendo con entusiasmo. Tiene flores amarillas, muy bonitas, pero no es una vista que se recibe con gusto.

Misâskwatômina

Serviceberry: such a humdrum name for such a glorious shrub!

The flowers.

And the same flowers a minute earlier, with orange fly.

They're a native shrub, also known as saskatoons, western juneberry, sugar plum, chuckley pear, etc. The name, saskatoon, comes from the Cree "misâskwatômina". In summer, they'll produce deep purple berries, some delicious, some so-so, depending on the weather and the soil where they're growing.

These were on the shore beside the old forestry bridge across the upper end of Upper Campbell Lake.

The lake on a rainy afternoon. The bridge is just visible at the right.

Wild strawberries in bloom among dead grasses and leaves.

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En inglés, lo llamamos, "serviceberry": frutilla de servicio. ¡Qué nombre tan aburrido para este arbusto glorioso!

También se le dan los nombres, "saskatoon", frutilla de junio, ciruela azucarada, y otros. El nombre "saskatoon" viene de una palabra de los Cree, "misâskwatômina".

En el verano producen frutillas de un azul morado fuerte, algunas son deliciosas, otras no tanto; depende del clima y de la tierra donde crecen.

Las encontré en la costa del lago Upper Campbell, cerca del viejo puente forestal, que se ve en la tercera foto.

La última foto son flores de fresa silvestre, creciendo al lado del camino.

Over in the meadow in the sand in the sun

A sign at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park tells walkers to respect the sensitive plants' meadow. "Keep Off!" in polite Canadian terms. So I hunker down in the sand at the edge of the path, with my camera on the ground and my chin barely above it, while other walkers pass by, looking at me oddly. Because the spring flowers are down there at shoe height and they're worth the effort.

Small-flowered blue-eyed Mary, aka maiden blue-eyed Mary, Collinsia parviflora. The big leaves are wild strawberry; the feathery ones are yarrow.

With an ant. Smaller than the redheads, but just as busy.

They turn entire patches of the ground blue.

These are a little taller. Not much, though. From standing height, they look like white dust spots.

Shepherd's cress, Teesdalia nudicaulis

Inflorescence of slender, divergent, 4-8 mm long stalks; petals about 1 mm long; sepals often purplish-tinged, about 0.5 mm long. (From E-Flora)

The whole flower head is less than 1 cm across. (I have very small fingernails: this one is 1.1 cm across the widest point.)

The basal leaves. I needed these to identify the plant. The white fuzz is haircap moss.

A bit bigger, but still down to earth. A wild strawberry. They bloom plentifully here, but I've never seen a ripe strawberry. Probably the slugs beat me to them.

Woolly sunflower and yarrow leaves, with blue-eyed Mary. The woolly sunflower may or may not produce yellow flowers in mid-summer, possibly depending on the weather. The threads around the top leaves are not spider webs: they're the reason for the name. The "wool" may help protect the plant from overheating.

Bug's-eye view

On knees and elbows in the meadow at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park, I followed a beetle, trying to take his photo; he wasn't interested.

So I looked at the meadow, instead. It's another world down there.

Mosses, red sorrel, and what looks like Prairie pepper grass, but is only an inch or two tall.

Roadside rock moss, and a couple of sporophytes on twisty stems.

Caught up with the beetle/bug. Has wings, but never tried to fly. And never stopped running.

Indian consumption plant.

Spittle bug spit. It was on anything taller than a hand's breadth.

Hairy stems of wild strawberry.

Back on my feet, I looked down at those wild strawberries. They're growing everywhere, flowering prettily, but I've never seen berries here. Maybe this year.

Two open flowers, four past their prime. Pollinated? I hope so.

So soft!

The path through the protected area at Oyster Bay Shoreline Park is lined at this time of year with pale, pinkish, fuzzy balls, about the size of beans, held ankle height on stiff stems. Down on my knees, they looked like a clover, but no clover I'd ever seen before.

Mini cotton candy flowers

Yes, definitely a clover.

It isn't in my Plants of Coastal BC, but an image search on Google found it quickly. It's commonly named hare's foot clover or rabbit foot clover, obvious choices for names because of it's soft hairiness. Or stone clover, which seems a misnomer.

It's scientific name is Trifolium arvense, which means "three leaves in the field". It's an introduced plant from Europe, but has spread throughout the world. it likes dry, sandy soil like the Oyster Bay dunes.

Growing, in this field, in close company with wild strawberry. A bit confusing. The leaves of the hare's foot clover are small and narrow.

Wild strawberry, without the clover.

There will be no post tomorrow, I hope: weather permitting, I'll be going to Tahsis for a couple of days. I'll be back with more Oyster Bay plants Thursday. (And another couple hundred photos to sort, I'm sure. I'll never catch up!)