Botany Class 11

These two species are among the most fascinating plants to children as well as adults.

Botany Class 10

Violets are not always violet - in fact there are more species that are yellow.

Today & a Year Ago Today

Members of the Comox District Mountaineering Club did a three-hour snowshoe trek today around the 'Lakes Loop' - Battleship Lake & Lake Helen Mackenzie. A few snow flurries gave the trip a moody atmosphere.

Exactly one year ago, the CDMC trip had much more snow - here is a photo of the Wilderness Centre from Dec. 26, 2010 taken by Tim Penney.

Nordic ski trails in the meadows won't be groomed by Mt. Washington Alpine Resort until the snow depth reaches at least 1.8 m. to prevent damage to the fragile ecosystem of Strathcona Park beneath.

Winterizing

Strathcona Wilderness Institute Directors were up at the Wilderness Centre on Wednesday installing some protection for the building, in case there is a repeat of last year's snow levels.

The boards will hopefully keep snow away from the walls of the building. Snow depth at the Paradise Meadows elevation is so far just about 1 m compared with about 5 m at this time last year.

Botany Class 9

Two blooms that are fairly abundant in the meadows, both very striking when back-lit by the sun.

Botany Class 8

Two more small white flowers of the meadows, and how to distinguish them.

Botany Class 7

Ethnobotany, the study of the uses of plants by a group of people, is always a popular topic up at Paradise Meadows.

Mt Elma Snowshoe

A few days ago it was sunny up at Paradise Meadows - here is a link to a recent snowshoe trip by the Comox Valley Mountaineering Club, with report & photos by Tim Penney.

Peak Quake

What are the chances of being on top of a mountain during an earthquake??
It happened to a couple who hiked to the Golden Hinde, the highest mountain on Vancouver Island, in Strathcona Park, in September. Check out the detailed trip report for a full account of the six-day trip including the day of the ascent.

Botany Class 6

Two more plants that have white flowers on a slender stalk:

Botany Class 5

The wet fens of Paradise Meadows are ideal habitat for these beautiful orchids.

Botany Class 4

Visitors to the Wilderness Centre often asked for the names of these two abundant flowers seen on the way up to the Park.

Meadows Snowshoe

Members of  the Comox District Mountaineering Club did a snowshoe outing around the meadows a couple of days ago - here is a link to their trip report.  The skies were sunny up at 1100m although partly overcast down in the valley.

Botany Class 3

These two plants are distinctive during the whole summer in the meadows: usually the leaves are noticed first, then the flowers.

Holiday Season Begins

With seasonal holidays coming up, many people are preparing for giving gifts, and many organizations are looking for support. Strathcona Wilderness Institute is certainly one such organization that could use support for next year's programs & activities.

There are several potential projects: a community display about the organization, its history & the Park; an interpretive nature map of Paradise Meadows; an on-line plant identification gallery. You may even have  other suggestions?

If you have even the price of a cup of coffee to spare (o.k., maybe capuccino) there is a donate button on the right! Your support is appreciated!