Plants of the North Shuswap.

The photos from the OXA show a most vivid red colour on the bark. Do you know if the bark brightens up in winter, compared to what it is now? It sounds like it does.

 

On the way to St. Ives, I pass by the local beach. Don't expect a luxury such as sand at this beach, it's strictly 100% rock. Acerholic made me promise to have something of botanical interest, otherwise we could be talking about WWIII here. No worries, a quick check of all the plants which are located in a narrow strip of ground between the gravel parking area and the lake confirm that everything has had the hand of man involved.

I will start with two smoke bushes, cotinus coggygria, and now I'm thinking that this is where we might have taken the cutting for our smoke bush at the house.

 

We have a plant like this at home, and again, I'm sure we took the cutting from here. I keep asking Val what it's called, but, you know, she doesn't know either. Really very pretty in the sunlight.

 

Also at the "beach" this Oregon grape, berberis nervosa, one of the few plants I remember from my Ruxton Island days, where it grew wild.

 

At the end of the parking area is this group of aspen.

 

I believe this tree is the same as the tall ones we have here up by the road. The ones we think are Cottonwood. If nothing else, both the bark and the leaves are practically identical. At high water, it is probably within inches of the lake. A somewhat messy tree.

 

You have seen these clearcuts before from photos I have taken from the house. Here, I am much closer to the other side of the lake, so a better view this time. Taken from the "beach".

 

I should perhaps make a note here regarding the size of the leaves of the big leaf maple. The book says up to 12" wide, which reminded me of a segment that appeared on Channel 6 in Victoria a number of years ago. A young lad had found a large leaf more than a foot wide, and the interviewer was talking "Guinness Book of Records" type size. A few days later I checked some of the local maples and ran across one at 21" wide! So now I would like to claim the Guinness record! Naturally, I cannot put my finger on the photo, but I do have it somewhere. All in good fun.

 

One more from the "beach". This looks close to a Mugo Pine, although the pictures I can find are all slightly different. There appears to be quite a number of varieties of the Mugo pine.

 

The willow-like thing is definitely a member of the aster family.

There are too many posts in too many different directions for me to do identifications on everything -- this is why we strongly suggest 1 plant per plant identification in the Plant Identification area.

 

I find that little book so handy - and over a few seasons - you’ll get to know your tall neighbors

I think focus on the introduction where it discusses making « yes/no» type decisions (if yes, then .... further details to narrow down your identification possibilities)

I will look fwd to learning if you have larch up in your neck of the woods — a unique « needle tree »

ÉDIT - yes the big leafy tree in the lake - black cottonwood - it’s in the book you read (Link below) - around page 170 of the PDF (168 of the paper version). The huge cottonwoods grow on to Okanagan lake like this too

Remember the white fluff you had a few weeks ago on your lawn - here’s one of the sources.

Thé cottonwood has a unique scent when burned — and in a woodstove, it makes a LOT of fine papery ash (burns quickly)

I have attached your pix Keith in order to connect with your enquiry

https://www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfd/library/documents/treebook/treebook.pdf

 

Yes indeed — some guides call it « mahonia » —- earlier this year it flowered yellow - then you’ll see green berries that turn a dark blue for winter bird snacks

The other photo (next to cotinius - smokebush ) is sumac - I think you photographed sumac on one of the first days of this thread

That’s a nice combination of burgundy and bright green - and the scale works too.

I have attached a couple of your photos Keith to connect to your original post

 

This is the question about the small purple flower on a vine

(I posted a copy of your pix below Keith)

Have a look at « vetch » (vicia americana) ... it grows at coast too

Sometimes you’ll see a purple pea-like flower up in Okanagan - and it’s self-volunteering alfalfa hay that has escaped from a trailer or on someone’s fur etc

I note some « snowberry » leaves in same photo too

Look up « symphoricarpos albus »
You would have seen this similar plant growing on eastern Vanc Island too — often alongside country roads where the pasture fence meets the road shoulder

Oh - I almost forgot - I think in same pix there is a licorice fern - that’s exciting!

 

It's not Berberis / Mahonia nervosa, as it doesn't have radiating veins. See Take a walk on the wild side.....

Upright habit suggests Berberis / Mahonia aquifolium over its more low-growing relative Berberis / Mahonia repens.

 

You know @Georgia Strait, when you get ancient like me, you know that you have seen some of these plants before, but the name just won't register.

This vetch was only in one spot which I can easily find again. At least when I was looking on the recent trip the two plants were side by side. I should be able to visit again next week sometime, so the flowers should be more advanced. Plus I will have more time available next week to see if I can do a more thorough job.

Looked up the symphoricarpos albus and yes the leaves do indeed look similar, so again, I will know what to look for.

As for the Licorice Fern, Polypodium glycyrrhiza, again, I will take a much closer look. After checking on it as a potential new fern to place at home here, I have my doubts that it would do well. Perhaps if I manufacture some better shade it might be OK. But almost everything is now wide open and gets a good roasting from the sun. Possibly behind the shed where all those Douglas maple seedlings are growing. Photos of the underside of that fern next time as well.

I'm definitely starting to dislike all the terracing we had to do in order to make the upper property usable. It has made a very hot microclimate when the sun is shining. For example, the weather network claims it is 23ºC here now, yet we are showing 33.8º and that is in the shade. I am quite sure that under the canopy at the neighbours, it's very likely 23ºC. The big rock retaining walls here absorb a huge amount of heat and they get VERY warm.

 

Especially hard to recall when out of your previous context —- normally on Vanc Island you would have notice snowberry in the winter when the fence thickets were bare of summer leaves

I wonder if some native Douglas maple would be easy care - not too big - and offer shade so you could have some « understory » plants

A great gardener we know - grew up Brit and came out here 50 plus years ago - flew back each yr for « Chelsea » and knew some of the celebrity gardeners - anyway - they always said it takes 5 yrs to get the garden settled — my impatient self has to be reminded!

I cannot imagine all the work you and Mrs E have undertaken AND completed

 

My last garden was on Ruxton, as you know. And it is just recently that I have come to appreciate what an ideal location I had to grow almost any kind of plant. The opposite of what we have here. So we will just have to get used to this new climate and make sure that what we pick will grow nicely. It's a new experience for us. As for the five years, I suspect that may be a little shy, I would guess more.

As for the Douglas maples, I have an unlimited supply available right behind the big shed. They are in an ideal spot it would seem, as the big trees have not been touched there, giving plenty of shade. Although there are still two birches with broken tops that need to be removed before they collapse on their own. I will need to check and see if there are any larger Douglas maples in the immediate vicinity that I could pirate.

I did notice some maples on the south lot, that's the impossibly steep one, but I think they are at least 15 feet tall and possibly even more. They have reached that height since I cleared that property about 5 years ago. Now practically the whole thing is overgrown again, and it's going to stay that way!

As for the work, quite honestly, had we known it was going to be this much effort, we probably would have tackled something less than half the size!

 

Here is one more weed growing on our south lot. It's about 25 feet down the bank, essentially rendering it impossible for me to get close to it. My best guess is Common Comfrey, Symphytum officinale, as I can't find any other plant which more or less matches both the leaves and the flowers. I haven't noticed this plant before, so I suspect that the flowers have only just come out.

 

Looks like a Cornus to me Keith. Red Twig dogwood ??

 

Good morning D, 5:41 a.m. as I write!

Yes indeed, @Georgia Strait says the same. I must admit that I didn't even notice the red stems last time I was down at the park. Hopefully, my observations will improve over the coming weeks and months.

 

Good morning Keith — I have attached a couple of your photos to relate this reply back to your question

I suggest that you look up « borage » ... there are several options in the field guides so you may wish to narrow it down

It’s in the aforementioned wild plant book but I think it’s a nuisance - I would not plant it intentionally

ALERT - if later in summer you notice tiny egg-shape prickly seeds that cling to everything - it is « hounds tongue » and you do NOT want it ... pull and burn it

It is often spread on the fur of pet dogs out for a walk — also on deer, trail horses, range cattle, and hikers’ socks (truly) etc.
Hound's Tongue - Invasive Species Council of British Columbia

E-Flora BC Mobile Photo Gallery

 

Not sure what this is, but it isn't Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus, formerly Rosmarinus officinalis)

 

The young pine in pics 1-3 is probably Western White Pine (Pinus monticola), but can't rule out a self-sown naturalised specimen of some other white pine, if it is close to habitation.

The tree in pics 4-9 is a planted Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).

 

Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa); cultivated.

 

@Michael F - i have a few questions about Ponderosa pine

1. The one in Keith Elliott’s photo shows a more black color bark

Some of our Ponderosa (nr Penticton BC) have similar black bark —- yet they seem as happy as neighboring Ponderosa with the typical rust-orange color bark.

I am certain our black bark is not due to fire

I don’t have photo of black bark tho have a pic other day of our ranch’s ponderosa orange bark — and in background, some black bark trees (and a doe watching over her fawns)

QUESTION 2.
In your response above - you type « cultivated » .... I don’t understand the term ... as far as my experience suggests, Ponderosa is a native species born and raised (ie not brought from elsewhere then escaped then naturalized, so to speak)

Yes I agree, it can self-plant on roadsides and country parking lots built of gravel. Prime example - along old KVR rail trail

I’ve been told it needs a fire to make the seeds open then germinate How Trees Survive and Thrive After A Fire - National Forest Foundation

Thank you in advance