LATE AUGUST ON THE PLATEAU
As August proceeds the Meadows are already cooler, with a hint of Fall in the air. Plants are already forming their seeds, berries are plentiful including crowberry (Empetrum nigrum)
This berry, though a bit tart for our taste, is favourite for our resident Black Bear, who is seen out in the Meadows on a regular basis, morning and evening ( not always posing for the photographer!)
Now that the dandelions are over, berries are the main food source for the bears as they bulk up to survive the winter.
Butterflies are taking advantage of late blooming flowers such as the western mountain aster (Aster occidentalis), such as the Cabbage white (Pieris rapae)- on the left, or the Mariposa copper (Tharsalea mariposa) – right.
There is still an abundance of insects and so last Sunday we observed five or six Black Swifts (Cypseloides niger) circling high above the Meadows, feeding as always in flight.
And of course the Gray Jays are stashing away everything that visitors offer them. The grasses and leaves are starting to change colour – in a couple of weeks we expect to see the beginnings of the typical fall spectacle of reds and golds.
UPCOMING WEBINARS
As their time with us draws to a close, our two Research Assistants, Zeke and Paige, have prepared Webinars on the topics they chose for individual projects as part of their work for us. These will take place in the last week of August as follows:
Monday August 26th:
Slime Moulds of Strathcona Provincial Park by Zeke Gilmore
Date: Monday August 26th
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Cost: FREE
How to Watch: Webinar Link
Details: Zeke Gilmour, Strathcona Wilderness Institute research student, will present a review of the biology and taxonomy Myxomycetes (slime moulds) that have been found to date in Strathcona Provincial Park. Slime mould are colorful and important ecological protist predators about which relatively little is known, but for which there is growing interest.
(After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.)
Tuesday August 27th:
Observations on the Ecology of Buttle Lake with regards to native fish populations by Paige Stuart
Date: Tuesday August 27th
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Cost: FREE
How to Watch: Webinar Link
Details: Situated at the heart of Strathcona Provincial park, Buttle Lake which was once home to large trout populations has never recovered from the twin impacts of the building of the Upper Campbell Dam (1958) and the mining impacts of the Westmin Mine at Myra Falls. The impacts have drawn attention to short studies, notably by Dr. Tom Northcote from 1962 to 2000. SWI Student Paige Stuart has reviewed the literature to date and carried out a series of preliminary observations to determine knowledge gaps and understand the situation limiting recovery.
(After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.)
UPCOMING EVENTS
Here is the general poster for our late August and September schedule (magnify your screen to read it!) An Interpretive walk for the weekend of September 14/15 may be announced at short notice if there is demand. Further details on individual events are given below.
Saturday August 24th Guided Hike to Mt Becher
Time: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Place: Meet at the Parking Area at the top of Forbidden Plateau Road (Wood Mountain Park)
Distance: 22 k. round trip; elevation gain approx. 700 m., with some steep sections.
Limit : 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated.
Leader: Dave Weaver
Avid hiker, active SOFT member and veteran SWI volunteer Dave Weaver will lead this intermediate hike up to Mt Becher, featuring spectacular views of the Comox Valley and across to the Comox Glacier and ridges of Strathcona Park.
Pack a lunch. As always, have study footwear, and carry plenty water and be prepared for changeable weather in the subalpine.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Sunday September 1st Interpretive Walk : Tree Growth in the Subalpine
Time: 9.30 am – noon
Place: Meet at the Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows Trailhead,
Distance: approx. 6.5 km , around the Centennial Boardwalk and up to Battleship Lake
Limit : 15 participants; pre-registration would be appreciated.
Leader: Fred Newhouse
Forester and Naturalist Fred Newhouse will lead this easy walk around Paradise Meadow and up to Battleship Lake (6.5 km, elevation gain 180m) identifying typical subalpine trees and in their habitat, and their survival strategies within a subalpine ecosystem.
As always, have study footwear, and carry plenty water and be prepared for changeable weather in the subalpine.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Saturday September 7th Workshop – Moths in your Backyard
Time: 4-6 pm & 7-9 pm
Place: Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, Paradise Meadows
Cost: $35 (Limit of 15 Participants)
Leader: Libby Avis
Event Details: For the past 20 years, since retirement, Libby and her husband have been exploring the world of moths in their own backyard and beyond to encompass Vancouver Island, namely our backyard.
In the late afternoon she will give a presentation on Moths, the less glamorous or well -known members of the broad Lepidoptera family. There are in BC almost 10 times as many moths as butterflies, occupying many more ecological niches including the subalpine. Her talk gives an overview of some of the main families and species of moths on central/southern Vancouver Island, touching on different lifestyles, host species and methods of avoiding predation. This will be followed by an evening session in which Libby hopes to attract and identify what species are in and around the Meadows using a Moth-light. And there will also be attracted to the light other insects.
There will be a lecture and discussion from 4-6 pm, followed by a break for supper, then the outdoor portion of the workshop observing moths attracted to a “moth-light” from 7:00 pm onwards.
FMI and to Register, email strathconawilderness@gmail.com
Saturday September 21st 8.30 - 4.30 pm 6th Annual Subalpine Mycology Workshop
Sunday September 22nd, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Mycology Workshop Hike to Divers Lake
The SWI annual Subalpine Mycology Workshop will take place on September 21st in the Ruth Masters Nature Hall, Strathcona Park Wilderness Centre, followed by a hike to Divers Lake on Sunday 22nd.
This year our team of talented experts includes Andy MacKinnon, Thom O’Dell, Erin Feldman and Bryce Kendrick, all eminent mycologists with extensive experience in both instruction and guiding field forays. On Saturday we will have in-class slide presentations and ID sessions, combined with forays out into the Meadows, in both morning and afternoon, separated by a lunch featuring wild mushroom soup.
On the Sunday SWI Director Loys Maingon will lead a hike through the fungus-rich forested north facing slopes of Mt Allan Brooks on the trail to Divers Lake which lies in the valley below and to the west of Paradise Meadows.
For fuller details, plus a copy of the Workshop schedule and photos from past years , please go to our Website https://strathconapark.org/swi-events/ and scroll down to the 6th Annual Subalpine Mycology Workshop.
Or else email us to register at strathconawilderness@gmail.com .
FINALLY – thinking of fungi, Oak Bracket – Pseudoinonotus dryadeus, an unusual polypore recently found by Zeke Gilmore on the Elk River Trail.
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For more information or to contact Strathcona Wilderness Institute (SWI) please email: strathconawilderness@gmail.com
