celebrating the pulse of a truly beautiful place
As the winter season approaches, it may seem like the time for fresh plant life is over. Not so. While we may not be enjoying the same leafy profusion brought by those April showers (though truthfully, here on the West Coast they're not always so very distinct from the January showers, the July showers, or the October showers), the winter months bring their share of new growth.
One of the very best things about this time of year is the stunning variety of greens everywhere you turn. Trees and shrubs are growing their new leaves, and all manner of plants are literally springing up out of the soil. Today I want to share a few of the new green things I came across on my hike - I hope you relish their freshness as much as I did!
The Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria affinis for the botanically-minded) is one of the coolest and yet commonly overlooked spring-flowering plants on the Island. They may not be as showy as Camas or Shooting Stars, but I think their bell-like shape and subtle shading is absolutely gorgeous. Fair warning, they don't have the nicest scent (think skunk cabbage rather than wild roses!).
One of my favourite places on the peninsula to hang out for an hour or two is Patricia Bay (Pat Bay to us local folk). For a small cove area with a roadway running right alongside it, there's an astonishing array of wildlife and activity to be found at the water's edge. Combine this with phenomenal sunsets, and the place pretty much can't be beat. There's also an incredible amount to be learned by taking the time to relax, sit a spell, and observe the goings-on of coastal life in the bay.
A veritable icon of West Coast life, Douglas-fir trees are ubiquitous throughout the coastal region. Beaten only by the Coast Redwoods for the title of World's Tallest Trees, these ancient giants can grow to over 85 metres (278 feet) tall. That's more than 25 stories high! The reason for the oddly hyphenated common name of Douglas-fir is that these evergreen trees actually aren't fir trees at all. Their scientific name, Pseudotsuga menziesii, literally labels this tree species as a 'false' (pseudo) 'fir' (tsuga). Gotta love that Latin.
Heart of the West Coast 