Community’s own all-nature calendar debuts

Island Wild for Mirror Dec. 4, 2009

Karalyn Hubbard poses with her local 2010 nature calendar, inspired by Mother Earth’s beauty.

Flipping the page to December reminds us of the New Year ahead, and many banks, garages or grocery stores hand out generic calendars with boring pictures.

Like most folks, we look at our calendar daily, and use it to keep track of absolutely everything, so it’s wonderful when the monthly photo twigs our interest and brightens our spirit.

Now, with just one month to go before we flip to January, 2010, a Campbell River photographer has produced the community’s first all-nature photo art calendar, chock-full of luscious images of grasshoppers, eagles, spawning salmon and deer.

Hot off the press, Karalyn Hubbard’s first calendar is sure to fill the New Year with nature’s loveliness. January shows crunchy frost on red maple leaves; February features an ice formation called “Winter lace.” Golden water drops on a silver leaf prove the simplest things on Earth are precious and beautiful.

Here’s a chance to flip to a new month and see butterflies and wildflowers…and a ladybug nestled in a dogwood bloom. Hubbard snapped most of the images locally, and added a black border around monthly selections so those wishing to frame their favourites won’t need to purchase matting.

Among the photos are some of Vancouver Island’s premier nature images, snapped by a talented artist with an eye for striking themes and creative angles. In one remarkable scene, Hubbard captured a bald eagle carrying moss to soften a nest, while an eagle nestling looks on.

In pursuing the great outdoors as a subject, Hubbard explains her goal is “to share God’s beauty with everyone so they can appreciate the beautiful everyday things that surround us but are often taken for granted.”

She adds: “You just have to slow down and take notice. With a photo, the image is captured forever. Precious wildflowers that so many walk by – or on –without noticing, mushrooms, lichen, pinecones…there is beauty in everything.”

After receiving a Kodak Instamatic in her mid-teens, a love of photography blossomed. Currently, her snapping fav is a trusted Sony.

Contact Karalyn Hubbard Photography by E-mail regarding her calendar ($17.50) or unique greeting cards: kbphotography@shaw.ca. Blogsite: http://karalynbranscombephotography.blogspot.com/. Her nature photos are also sold in Willow Point at Cipollines Bakery (across from Sybil Andrews Cottage by the shore).

Sea lions play during bachelor's holiday

Island Wild Nov. 20, 2009

A colony of adult and sub-adult California sea lions (all males) with one larger, lighter Steller sea lion (male) in the middle. Photo Jim Dubois.

A California sea lion lying on its back with flippers in the air, a ritual called ‘finning’ that may help regulate body temperature. Photo Jim Dubois.

It was a dark and stormy night. The only sound louder than wind and rain was incessant barking of a California sea lion colony intent on keeping us awake. Last week, while staying ocean-side at Cowichan Bay, we learned how much noise these large sea mammals can make if they’re determined to prove their dominance.

Resort staff maintained it was a delightful sound, but assured us that these massive noise-makers would only be ‘in residence’ on their dock for a few more weeks. The sea lion males, they said, were ‘on vacation’ and far north of the female counterparts they’d left behind in California.

The next morning, all was forgiven when we opened the drapes to a majestic sight of these highly social animals floating together on the ocean's surface in ‘rafts’ as they waved their fins in the air as much to say: “Sorry for the racket during last night’s stag.”

Lisa Spaven is the marine mammal response coordinator at Nanaimo’s Pacific Biological Station (Fisheries and Oceans Canada). She explained that visiting California sea lion males visit Vancouver Island in late fall only to feed and compete, but will soon swim back to the females in California.

Only males migrate to British Columbia from California. Groups of these highly social mammals, called ‘colonies,’ often rest closely packed together on docks, floats or other haul-out sites on land. Renowned for their intelligence and playfulness, California Sea Lions (Zalophus californianus) are (much to the regret of many) popular performers in zoos and aquariums. In British Columbia, this species is not currently considered at risk.

Steller (northern) sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), however, are year-round residents of the Pacific Northwest coast, preferring to haul out in unpopulated areas well offshore. They have been designated a species of ‘Special Concern’ by COSEWIC.

Steller’s are much larger and lighter than California sea lions (light tan to reddish brown in colour). A thick neck covered with a mane of long, coarse hair resembles a lion’s… hence the common name ‘sea lion.’

Sea lions are a different species of animal from seals, but both are members of the scientific order Pinnipedia... finned ocean mammals that spend time both in the ocean and on land.

These hefty mammals tend to be larger than seals, and by far the more social and vocal. The loud ‘barking’ sound alerts us to sea lions’ presence, while seals utter only a low grunting sound.

On a proactive note: a new province-wide collaborative program, the B.C. Marine Mammal Response Network, assists distressed marine mammals, and collects valuable information from deceased animals. The program keeps track of threats such as disease outbreaks, inappropriate or illegal human activity, contamination, disturbance, vessel strikes, and entanglements.

If you find a dead, injured, sick or harassed marine mammal floating or on the beach, call toll-free: 1-800-465-4336 (24 hours/day: 7 days/week). For more information, contact Lisa Spaven by E-mail: Lisa.Spaven@dfo-mpo.gc.ca.

‘Two-tailed’ fish thwarts gull’s ambition
Island Wild for Fri. Nov. 13, 2009


With high hopes, this over-ambitious gull snared a ‘two-tailed’ fish. Photo Jim Dubois.

This photo of a Pacific Staghorn Sculpin shows the branched (cheek) horn, the black spot at the back of the first dorsal fin and the fin banding pattern. Photo Jim Dubois.

The eyes can sometimes be bigger than the stomach. Think of a hungry mob at a smorgasbord or Uncle Albert at Christmas dinner.

In the same way, birds and fish can both be prone to over-ambition when it comes to filling their plates (or in the case of animals – gullets) beyond the point of what they can reasonably handle.

Last weekend, Campbell River photographer Jim Dubois witnessed a splashy scene starring an overly-ambitious gull doing battle with its unwilling prey.

While standing on shore, watching a gull swimming along in shallow water, he noticed as the bird began leaping into the air and diving underwater. This it did a half-dozen times, the last time a bit higher than previous attempts. Successful at last, the gull resurfaced with what resembled a sculpin…gourmet food for hungry gulls.

As the gull reached shore, treasure in beak, Dubois took a closer look through his camera’s viewfinder and noticed the fish didn't look quite right, and seemed to possess two tails. After a few fruitless attempts to get ‘the thing’ down its gullet, the bird left in search of easier prey.

In this case, the seagull’s ambition was thwarted when it could neither swallow nor disgorge the ‘two-tailed’ sculpin. Left onshore, the wild sushi likely ended up as dinner for a larger marine species that would be undeterred by the sculpin’s prickly ‘horns.’

Suspecting a monster of the deep or genetic mutant, Dubois went in for a closer look, and found an eight-inch sculpin that had tried to swallow a four-inch sculpin – now firmly lodged inside the larger fish’s mouth.

Both fish were Pacific Staghorn Sculpin (scientific name: Leptocottus armatus). Folks who grew up on the west coast commonly referred to this large-headed species as a bullhead – for obvious reasons.

This native Pacific Northwest fish possesses a large, branched spine or thorn on each operculum (cheek), which resembles a stag’s horn or antler, thus the name.

As part of Mother Earth’s marine food cycle, gulls feed on small fish, which in turn feed on smaller fish. Oftentimes, the prey become the preyed upon. Mark Steinhilber (Head of Life Sciences, Royal Alberta Museum) confirms that cannibalism is common in most fishes.

Steinhilber has often seen this “bite off more than you can chew” behaviour, with varied outcomes. “Sometimes, amazingly, the prey fish is slowly digested (the tail slowly disappears over a few days) and sometimes the “predator” dies. The opercular spines or horns are considered anti-predator adaptations and I imagine they make swallowing prey a bit more difficult.”

The Pacific staghorn sculpin is a marine dwelling fish measuring 12-15 cm at maturity. Highly recognizable because of its large, flat head, and small eyes, it’s antler-like projections with 3-4 spines are unmistakable. Markings include smooth skin (grayish olive on back, yellow on sides, white on underside), a dark splotch on the tail end of the first dorsal fin, and light barring on the other fins.

Red maples mingle with the golden Bigleaf
Island Wild for Fri. Nov. 6, 2009

Vine maple leaves glow bright red alongside the Campbell River estuary.
Photo: Christine Scott.

The venerable maple leaf is rightly front and centre in the lead-up to Vancouver’s 2010 Olympic winter games. Canada’s national emblem also dominates the landscape when the country’s ten indigenous maple varieties splash on their autumn colours from coast to coast.

Gold is unquestionably maple’s dominant hue along the Pacific Northwest coast where indigenous (wild) Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) reigns supreme with dinner-plate sized leaves in brilliant yellow-gold.

Given the abundance of leafy outdoor gold in autumn, a sure head-turner is any tree or shrub with red foliage, and many gardeners satisfy their colour cravings with flaming domestic species such as Japanese maple and Virginia Creeper.

Things are no different in local forests, where indigenous trees and shrubs form a mosaic of gold AND red leaves. The foliage of three wild maple trees turn various shades when days shorten and nights grow cold.

The Pacific Northwest has its own red maple leaf – vine maple (Acer circinatum) – a shrubby species with rosy autumn leaves growing alongside the Campbell River estuary (Myrt Thompson trail). These ruby gems hold their own amidst showers of the much larger golden Bigleaf maple leaves.

Perfectly-shaped 7-9 lobed leaves are an eye-catching sight where they grow in wet places – their preferred environment. While the vine maple occurs naturally in many coastal areas, city crews planted this species alongside the estuary as streamside re-vegetation about a dozen years ago.

The third maple species native to coastal British Columbia is Douglas maple (Acer glabrum), a shrub or small tree growing to 10 metres in height. Douglas maple leaves turn bright yellow-orange or crimson in fall. Often overlooked, it’s a proud Canadian maple and well worth knowing.

Maples aren’t the only leaves providing wild seasonal colour. Oregon-grape (Mahonia) is a shrubby evergreen species holly-like leaves. In autumn, many of its leathery ‘evergreen’ leaves turn reddish-purple. A veritable forest of Oregon-grape spreads as far as the eye can see at the western entrance to the Canyon View Trail alongside the Campbell River.

Red and yellow autumn leaves differ in the way they change colour. When days shorten, green pigments in the leaves (known as chlorophyll) diminish, then yellow pigments already inside become dominant and the leaves turn yellow. Green pigments only masked he leaves’ true yellow colour.

A different process causes leaves to turn red. As the chlorophyll diminishes in autumn, the leaves of some species produce anthocyanin, a red pigment not previously present.

Mother Earth supplied a variety of colour for Canada’s west coast, and indigenous species with red autumn leaves provide a vibrant jolt on nature walks. Native trees and shrubs with reddish autumn foliage include: evergreen blackberry, highbush-cranberry, ocean spray, Pacific crabapple, Pacific dogwood, red-osier dogwood, salal, Sitka mountain-ash and saskatoon.

Smurfs and gnomes and scary ‘shrooms
Island Wild for Fri. Oct. 30, 2009

The eye-popping Fly Agaric mushroom creates a great Halloween vignette as a gnome umbrella or spider floor. Photo Jim Dubois.

This most notorious Amanita (muscaria) gained fame as the classic toadstool of Alice in Wonderland. Photo Jim Dubois.

On October 31st, scores of little spooks and goblins will be out ringing doorbells during the annual Halloween candy blitz. It’s a fun season, and imaginations run wild with decorations of spiders, webs, ghosts, witches, and other scary props.

It’s also a good time to remember that some of planet Earth’s most frightening organisms are not made of plastic; they’re living out in the lawn, alongside a favourite nature trail or even in a local schoolyard.

Picture a blood-red flying saucer with white windows; or a red umbrella coated with pale patches. Of all the mushroom photos and enquiries that arrive in my inbox, none are more plentiful than the bright red and gravely toxic Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria).

Once upon a time, this mushroom found favour as an insecticide, crushed in a saucer of milk to attract flies, which became stupefied and drowned, thus the common names: Fly Agaric or Fly Amanita.

This most notorious Amanita first gained fame as the classic toadstool of Alice in Wonderland, and then a whole new generation became fans when it was chosen as the shape of the puffy-roofed Smurf house.

Every October, as if on cue, this eye-popping and unmistakable late-fruiting fungus springs up out of the ground to delight and fascinate mushroom enthusiasts and curious passers-by alike. Whether in green grass or on the woodland floor, it’s virtually impossible to miss the shocking stop-sign colouration.


Amanita muscaria is a gilled mushroom coloured deep red (sometimes orange-red) with a convex to flat cap often sprinkled with flaky white patches (of veil remnant). In its early stages, this species emerges as a rounded button-top, soon growing to a very large, flattened saucer-shape up to 25 cm (10 in) across.

Although this species is distinct and easy to identify, one way to verify is to make a spore print. Place a mushroom cap (stem removed) gill-side down on a piece of black art paper and cover with a glass bowl for several hours or overnight.

The microscopic white dust-like particles that fall from the gills are known as spores – the fungus’s reproductive parts. And while Amanita muscaria produces white spores, other species produce spores of different colours.

This brightly coloured beauty is arguably the most famous of all toxic mushrooms, and the Amanita family includes the most deadly wild mushrooms in the world. Amanita virosa is the main cause of fatalities, but many other members of the genus are poisonous to some degree.

Incredibly, poisonings from ingesting Amanita muscaria or other Amanitas are very common, despite the fact that mycologists stress no species of genus Amanita should ever be consumed.

Fungophobes can rest assured that toxic fungi species can actually be fun…especially at Halloween. Just don’t eat them…don’t even nibble.

E-mail Christine at: wildernesswest@shaw.ca

Miniature wild apples brighten nature trails

Island Wild for Fri. Oct. 23, 2009

Our native Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca or Pyrus fusca), resembles a dwarf crabapple with almond-sized edible fruit. Photo by Christine Scott.

Red, green or gold … apples just naturally seem to belong amidst the warm colours of autumn. And whether we’re bobbing for this tasty fruit at a fall fair, wrapping them in caramel or baking them up in a pie, there’s no question that October is apple time.

The sweet, white-fleshed, fist-sized beauties we know today are a far cry from their wild ancestors. Without delving into the scientific aspects of pomology, early wild apples were only cherry-sized – and a bit sour – but early civilizations turned this “wild child” into one of the most sought-after fruits on earth through grafting and experimentation.

Meanwhile, far away across the sea, and shrouded in the mists of time, aboriginal peoples living along Canada’s west coast discovered their own wild crabapple thousands of years ago.

Our native Pacific crabapple (Malus fusca or Pyrus fusca), resembles a dwarf crabapple with almond-sized edible fruit. A delightful little “pomme” in every aspect, from its perfect mini-seeds to its colour and shape, the indigenous little crabapple likely resembles the diminutive ancestors of today’s cultivated apples.

The miniature egg-shaped apples became a vital food staple and trade item for coastal peoples, who harvested them in early fall and stored them in water-filled cedarwood boxes. So valuable were these vitamin-rich fruits that such a box could once be traded for 10 Hudson’s Bay blankets.

Along with western red-cedar and salmon, Pacific crabapple still holds its place as a keystone species for Pacific Northwest coastal peoples. It was so essential to the Gitga’at of B.C.’s northwest coast that they identified and named at least six different varieties.

The place to search for our wild crabapple is alongside estuaries and streams, where it forms shrubs to small trees from 2 to 12 m (6.5 - 40 ft.) tall. Thorn-like spur-shoots line the branches, sometimes fooling people into thinking they’ve found a hawthorn tree. The green leaves with toothed edges and pointed ends of this deciduous species turn to red, yellow or orange in the fall, and adding to the colour of our native landscape.

Come springtime, flat-topped flower clusters with an apple-blossom scent appear, followed in late summer by bunches of oval to cylindrical fruits (10-15 mm long) dangling from long red stalks. At first the fruits are green, turning yellow, pink or purplish-red. Fully ripe, this refreshing trailside treat tastes pleasantly tart.

Out in the woods, holding a cluster of little wild apples in hand, it’s hard not to dream of apple pie. But while two pounds of domestic apples make one 9-inch pie, it would take hundreds of these wee “pommes” to fill one pie shell.

Perhaps the moral of this story could be that our indigenous Pacific crabapple is best sampled fresh, leaving most of the fruit on the tree for birds and beasts. It’s important to always be mindful of the ethical use of native plants, and to think back several millennia to a time when aboriginal coastal peoples carefully tended these most valuable of their fruit trees.

Email Island Wild and Christine at: wildernesswest@shaw.ca.

A bush-whacking visit to fungi heaven Oct. 16, 2009

Island Wild for Fri. Oct. 16, 2009

Boletes (most of them edible) resemble a hamburger bun on a thick stalk. Photo Christine Scott

I thought it would be an easy walk in the park. Instead, I found myself crashing through the bush, shoulder-deep in salal and huckleberry shrubs, brushing cobwebs from my face as I tried to keep my footing on wet, moss-covered rocks and roots.

Such is the lot of a serious mushroom hunter, and on a Saturday morning in early October, some 20-plus fungi aficionados took part in a mushroom walk led by veteran mushroom man Sequoia Lesosky. We were looking for killers and lobsters and kings and queens…and seeking to tell them apart.

We headed into Campbell River’s Beaverlodge Forest, just kitty-corner to the Hilchey-Dogwood intersection, at first along a well-worn pathway…then off-trail and deep into fungi heaven.

“Mushrooms,” Lesosky explained, “are the fruiting body, much like the apple on an apple tree.” The mushroom we see – the fruit body – is only the reproductive part of the fungus organism.The vegetative state of fungi are thread-like structures called mycelia, hidden deep within soil, bark or moss.

Almost instantly, our guide finds an innocuous-looking white mushroom called Destroying Angel (Amanita virosa) – a deadly species which, if ingested, will kill in 24 hours. Lesosky warns it is very common locally. The stem at the base is bulbous and enclosed in a baglike volva…a distinguishing feature of the deadly Amanita family.

Our ultimate quarries though, are the edible varieties, primarily the bright orange-red, seafood-scented lobster mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum). Unique and unmistakable, lobsters grow in patches, peeking out from under a moss carpet under old-growth or second-growth forest.

Lobster mushrooms usually begin life as white russula or lactarius mushrooms. Under certain conditions, a mold-like parasitic fungus completely covers its host mushroom with a vivid orange-red coating that obliterates the gills. It’s considered a meaty and prime edible, but care must be taken to assure the host species. But waste no time: according to Lesosky, the lobsters “Come up fast and go bad fast.”

Another sought-after edible, the boletes, feature a spongy underside with round pores instead of gills (the Dutch call them “squirrels’ bread”). Looking every bit like a hamburger bun on a thick stalk, boletes (porcini) are easy to identify and represent the safest mushroom family to find and eat. King and queen bolete flesh retains its white colour when cut. Dreams of creamed porcini on toast fill the air…or at least imaginations.

Most mushrooms are symbiotic with certain trees, and can usually be found beneath them. Short-stemmed russulas and coral mushrooms, for example, love to live beneath fir trees.

Long ago, aboriginal groups realized the value of mushrooms and utilized them in various ways. Even the humble, woody polypore of “artist’s conk” fame was once dried and used to carry fire or to make dye.

In autumn, edible mushrooms in a variety of shapes and sizes hide in every forest: boletes, cauliflowers, chanterelles, chicken-of-the-woods, oysters and even a cup-shaped fungus called orange peel.

According to Lesosky, this fall should turn out to be a very good mushroom season. Good places to forage include: Crown Land, Loveland Bay, Beaverlodge Lands and the Snowden Forest. Seek permission if foraging on inactive woodlots. Safety hints: Always use a compass; carry a lighter (to make fire) and a knife.

Annual bruin invasion: Oct. 9, 2009

Article by: Christine Scott
Photo by: Jim Dubois

Attracted by the irresistible stench of countless spawned-out salmon carcasses, Coastal Black Bears become a common sight throughout October as they feast alongside local riverbanks. And where one bear appears, more can be expected…often with cubs in tow.

Every year at this time, despite the fact that most human-bear conflict is almost entirely preventable, local conservation officers brace for hundreds of reports related to bear sightings in residential areas.

Thankfully, the number of bear complaints is lower this year compared to previous years. Ben York, Field Supervisor, B.C. Conservation Officer Service, advises this is due in large part to high numbers of Pink salmon keeping the furry beasts happy and well-fed down by the rivers.

According to York, it’s highly desirable for “Ursus americanus” to keep a natural fear of people. If these dangerous wild animals wander into a yard, York advises homeowners to “Throw rocks, yell, frighten the bear away … but from a safe place and at a safe distance.”

During the autumn season, the chunky mammals do all they can to fatten up, requiring 10,000 calories a day before hibernation begins. Bruin activity usually slows down by the end of October when they’ve packed on enough lard to den down for the winter. However, on Vancouver Island, bear complaints may continue well into November.

In spring and summer, local forests produce sufficient wild food for bears to forage on. By October, blackberries and red huckleberries have shriveled and dried, so bears switch to salal and Oregon-grapes, while slowly moving down to lower elevations.

Bears consider fruit to be a natural food source, so communities with abundant domestic fruit trees can expect more than their share of furry backyard visitors. Once wild animals learn how to access human food, they'll overcome any obstacle to get it. On Perkins Road in Campbell River north, a black bear has broken down the same fence section ten times in the past three years.

Sadly, bears face almost certain misery and death when they lose their fear of humans and become “habituated.” The first line of defense is reducing bears' access to non-natural food sources by proper management of attractants. In “bear-tolerant” communities such as Whistler and Revelstoke, bears still exist but far fewer bears have been destroyed because programs are in place to reduce attractants.

Household garbage is the single biggest killer of bears. To bear-proof backyards, put garbage out the night before scheduled pickup day. Stow sealed garbage cans where bears can’t access them. Pick all fruit and store inside. Keep pet food indoors. Double-wrap disposable diapers (one of bears’ favourite things to eat). Scrub down BBQ grills.

New amendments to the province’s Wildlife Act regarding appropriate waste containment call for fines up to $50,000 for failing to comply with a citation to cease providing food for dangerous wildlife.

Learn more about the “bear problem” (in reality, a “people problem”) online at: www.env.gov.bc.ca/cos/info/bearaware. Access Bear Smart community programs: 250-266-BEAR (2327). Report bear conflict to Ministry of Environment’s 24-hour Emergency Co-ordination Centre: 1-800-663-9453.