Gabriola folks will take one look at this frog and say that frog isn’t native to Gabriola! He lives here now, though, and seems quite content where I spotted him amidst the moss. He’s in the Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve, just near one of the bridges that GALTT built for us. In case [...]
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Gabriola’s giant hollow cedar tree isn’t as big (or as famous) as the hollow tree in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, but it doesn’t look like it needs help staying upright, either. And ok, the hollow part in the middle is smaller, too, but this cedar seems like a perfect place to put small people (or big [...]
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Apparently the sweet peas one sees here and there on Gabriola are perennial sweet peas, Lathyrus latifolius. I don’t see much of these on the island – do you? This plant is apparently an invasive sweet pea, though it doesn’t seem to be much of a problem here. This flower was on North Road at [...]
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Just two months ago I told you about a new bridge in Gabriola’s forest – in the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve. Well. Here’s another one! If you’d like to see this one for yourself, park on North Road and head into the Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve from there. Cross the stream on those [...]
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Here’s one of the things you’ll see in the Gabriola woods if you prowl around a bit. It’s a slime mold, and isn’t it just too cool for words? Wikipedia explains that a slime mold is a broad term describing fungus-like organisms that use spores to reproduce. (…) Slime molds have been found all over [...]
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This is in Gabriola’s Elder Cedar Nature Reserve, which I suspect is the oldest-growth forest we have on Gabriola. Moss is everywhere, festooned in generous and delightful excess.
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Last year in February I found a tree decorated with blue Christmas ornaments in Gabriola’s Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve. This last Christmas I hiked in the same area, wondering if somebody would decorate again. Saw nothing, ornament-wise. Nothing. But today: more ornaments in the S’ul-hween X’pey! Am I just missing these at Christmas, [...]
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You know that place in the Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve where the waters run deep in winter-time? The trail goes through it, and if you’ve tried to get past in the rainy season you’ll have wished that you’d taken hip waders or a small boat with you. GALTT (Gabriola Land and Trails Trust) [...]
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Just when I think I’ve figured out what all the strange stuff is in the Gabriola forest, I find another weird thing. This time it’s bubbles on trees. It looks as if somebody’s gone out with some dishwashing liquid, squirted it on trees, and added enough liquid to make bubbles. I’ve seen these bubbles on [...]
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We have gnomes in the Gabriola woods, and wasn’t I surprised to find that out yesterday morning! I’ve got the photos to prove it, and I’ll even tell you where they live so you can go see for yourselves. They’re in the Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve. If you park at the entrance on [...]
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These concrete blocks serve as stepping stones in the Elder Cedar Nature Reserve watering hole. The crossing looks easy in this photo, but you try it sometime when the waters are high and wide, when everything is slippery, and when both blocks are a couple of inches underwater. It’s less easy then. A while back [...]
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English Ivy is one of the invasive plants we have on Gabriola. It can climb and cover trees. The effect is quite pretty, but harmful: the ivy adds weight to the trees it covers, making them more likely to fall over in wind storms. It also smothers native plants. At the recent GALTT seminar on [...]
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I hiked through these woods at Christmas, but didn’t notice then that somebody has decorated a cedar tree with Christmas ornaments. It’s in the Elder Cedar (S’ul-hween X’pey) Nature Reserve. If you start at the park’s main entrance on North Road, you then either take the stepping stones across the stream, or head off the [...]
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