If you’ve been down the Miners Bay pier this past summer, you might have noticed an unusual piece of equipment tied to the near end of the long dock: a white bucket, bobbing in the ferry wake, with a large water jug visible below the surface of the waves. Maybe Read more…
Never underestimate bull kelp. At this point in the year, you may see bull kelp in the intertidal zone looking more like organic sludge than the epic growing algae of the Pacific. What is witnessed in the winter washed up on beaches, its stalk wound round itself in lifeless knots, Read more…
To some people, they are a curiosity, to others – a delicacy. But for plants and ecosystems, fungi are a necessity. In many ways, fungi are the unseen heroes of gardens, forests, and our environment as a whole. Without fungi, the world would be a much more barren and boring Read more…
In this article you’ll discover some reasons why native plants are amazing. Read on to learn about eight different species you might consider planting on your property. Why Garden with Native Plants For me, it took a while to recognize why having native plants around is so great. I started Read more…
As a kid, I remember riding my bicycle along the Galloping Goose trail in Victoria and seeing Scotch broom plants densely packed along the sides of the trail. Their brilliant yellow flowers caught my eye as their aromatic scent filled the hot summer air. To me their blooming marked the Read more…
We continue to celebrate our 20th anniversary year with a new collector’s badge that is available for purchase at our booth at the Farmers’ Market. The badge can be ironed or sewn on clothing, hats, or back packs. Thank you to Carolyn Howse of Hawk & Rose Press here on Read more…
About Linda Gilkeson: Linda earned a Ph.D. in Entomology from McGill University in 1986, and then moved to British Columbia to work for Applied Bio-Nomics Ltd., a company that produces biological controls. From 1991 to 2002 she worked for the provincial government, promoting programs to reduce and eliminate pesticide use. She Read more…
If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember the Looney Tunes cartoon characters Tweety the canary and Sylvester the cat. Tweety always managed to avoid Sylvester’s predatory ways, much to viewers’ amusement. Unfortunately, the reality is that wild birds all too often do not manage to escape alive from Read more…
This month let’s take a closer look at Oregon gumweed, also known by its scientific name, Grindelia stricta. It is native to North America and can be found along the west coast from Alaska to Oregon. It has sticky glandular hairs on its stems and leaves, which give the plant Read more…
Did you know the Ocean’s Day Intertidal Exploration has been running since 1995? Begun by Michael Dunn and the Mayne Island Naturalists, this annual event has seen a variety of different incarnations, at a variety of different beaches around the island. Held on, or close to, Ocean’s Day or World Read more…