Coastal BC Plants: Moss and Lichen are Friends

On the forest floor in Coastal BC you'll find a combination of moss and lichen co-existing. In this small patch there are at least two forms of lichen and three mosses. There may be more that my untrained eye can't see.

Lichen

According to Andy's Northern Ontario Wildflower Page, a lichen is a symbiotic relationship between moss and fungi. The moss part conducts photosynthesis to feed both, and the fungus part provides support and keeps it from drying out.

What caught my eye in this cluster was the lichen that looked like a forest of trees in the middle of a green meadow. I searched pictures online and think it is Cladonia pityrea.

If you look closely, you will find some cup lichen that I think might be False Pixie Cup (Cladonia chlorophaea).

Moss

Andy goes on to describe moss as a plant that has no flowers or roots that grows in carpet-like masses on the ground, rocks or trees.

In the upper left corner is what I think is Low Sphagnum (Sphagnum compactum).

In the upper right corner I think is some Glossy Red Bryum Moss (Bryum miniatum), showing some of its wine red colour.

In the lower right corner is a feathery moss that I believe is another type of sphagnum moss, or maybe Lesser Tamarisk Moss (Thuidium recognitum).

Any moss and lichen experts out there? What do you think I have? -- Margy

Gone Fishin'

Fishing season has opened up the lake. Powell Lake and neighbouring Goat Lake fishing season runs from April 1 through October 31.

The spring rains and melting snow make the rivers run fast and waterfalls full. Perfect habitat for hungry trout. Maybe I'll find Gramps again this year.

You can get your BC freshwater fishing license online. For fishing equipment or information, stop in at Marine Traders or PRO (Powell River Outdoors) in Powell River. Then join us up the lake, Powell Lake that is. - Margy

Best Barn

On our drive out to the Skagit Valley, we turned off Highway 20 onto Best Road. This is the heart of farming and flower producing country. With farms, come barns.

The yellow moss on this barn on Best Road matched the lovely daffodils out back.

Come on out to the Skagit Valley and find lots of old and new barns. -- Margy

Flowers and Seeds

This week Mom and I took a Sunday drive to the Skagit Valley. It's a bit early, but we weren't disappointed. Before the famous tulips, come the yellow daffodils. To be honest, I like the bright yellow flowers even more.

Even with a gray sky above, it looked bright and sunny below.


When we were done flower gazing, Mom and I went to the town of La Conner. I love their quaint streets, and this time of year they can get pretty crowded with tourists. We wanted to get a late lunch/early dinner. I know the parking and restaurants along the waterfront can be tricky, so I went online and found Seeds Pub and Bistro.

They had a great website, so I called about handicapped parking and access. Seeds was a perfect choice. Great atmosphere, great wait staff, and good food. We shared a burger and got a piece of pie to take home when our tummies weren't so full. So if you are thinking about doing the daffodil or tulip tour, stop on by Seeds for a great meal. -- Margy

Spring Planting

My goal last week up at the cabin was to get my spring planting done. I'm two weeks early (my traditional time is Easter week), but with my new schedule helping Mom, I didn't want to wait until my next trip in late April.

A month ago, I dug up the beds and added steer manure. This trip I added peat moss. Together, they will replenish the well used soil in my small plots.

For the second year in a row, I'm planting a minimal garden. I don't want to tie Wayne and John to watering all summer in my absence. I planted a strawberry border all the way around, and filled in a few holes with bare roots in my asparagus patch. Onion sets filled in the remainder of two beds. The other two got seeds for spinach, chard and radishes.

I planted Yukon Gold potatoes in two large pots on the deck. I've switched to them because they last much better during winter storage. Scarlet runner beans and snow peas went into two other large pots. Lastly, I planted garlic in three smaller pots on the transition float. Everything is clustered to make watering and tending easier.

At this time of year, my garden looks pretty bare. But there's a lot of potential. When I return in April I should see lots of sprouts, yellow daffodils, and maybe even a few onions to nibble. Have you started your garden yet? What are you planting this year? -- Margy

Winter's Last Snow

Even though the calendar said it was spring this week, Mother Nature didn't want to give up on winter and brought us a last minute snow storm.

Tuesday, the last day of winter, started with a mix of graupel and rain. What is graupel, you say? I'd never heard of it either, having grown up in Southern California. It's crisp, white ice particles that are precursors to snow. In a way, they look like tiny bits of hail.

Graupel falls with more force than snow, almost like mini-hail. You could see it bounce on the deck, but unlike hail, it's not associated with thunderstorms. As rain falls through colder air near the surface it freezes to form graupel.

Two books you might like to read about weather along the Strait of Georgia region are The Wind Came All Ways and Living with Weather Along the BC Coast, both written by Owen S. Lange. They're both available at Amazon or local bookstores including Coles.

I'm not really complaining. When we lived in Los Angeles, we never got to experience distinct seasons. Now that we live in Coastal BC, we are get all kinds of weather. So bring it on, Mother Nature. -- Margy

Working in All Kinds of Weather

Even under cloudy, rainy skies, the many tugs and fishing boats that moor in the Steveston Harbour head out the mouth of the Fraser River into the Strait of Georgia.

Standing at the end of Garry Point Park, I saw this tug riding the river's flow and outgoing tide at a good clip.

This empty barge might even be picking up a load to deliver to my home town, Powell River. The ocean highway is an efficient (but not speedy) way to transport goods. -- Margy