Plants of the North Shuswap.

Definitely not wild, but apparently planted in the somewhat raised bed alongside the parking area. These are two of the three such plants there. Quite attractive.

 

Several of these extremely low growing junipers in the same spot, not more than 3" tall, but the spread is at least 4' on all of them.

 

This tree is the reason I was prompted to stop at the Celista hall this morning. It looks quite nice as you drive by.

 

And as you exit the parking lot, this plant was growing part way down a bank. I only spotted just the one.

 

a sumac?
maybe like this Tiger Eyes Sumac - Okanagan Xeriscape Association

 

Not sure about that. There are quite a few much bigger Sumac's up this way, and I think that there might even be some right here in Anglemont. But to be perfectly honest, I didn't even know that there was such a small version of the Sumac! Later in the year when the leaves have a chance to grow bigger, I will stop and take another look.

 

This very low growing ground cover was right alongside the road and just maybe 10 feet from the lake. I pulled a piece up out of the ground and it has a runner which goes about an inch or so below the surface. The ground there was very sandy, probably from the sand that is deposited there in winter by the highways people for traction. It actually looks quite nice and perhaps could be used to cover that bank in the future J garden? Until something better comes along, that is.

 

What an exciting journey you are embarked upon to learn the identities of plants native to your area as well as those introduced!

This has been a preoccupation of mine for over 40 years and has contributed so much to my appreciation of plants that have been growing here for eons.

 

I was going to show Acerholic a few photos of the clear cuts up this way. Anyone who has done any driving in this province has seen these clear cuts I'm sure.

This one has just been completed - at least I'm assuming that to be the case - as we haven't seen any more loaded logging trucks come by for the last week or more. This is on the side of our mountain.



They would only be interested in using the Douglas Fir, as anything else wouldn't be any good for the sawmills. Any pines that may be there are usually lower down and the birch is used for firewood locally.

This photo is on the far side of the lake from us, and when I arrived here about 7 years ago that cut area was still brown.



Same area, but if you look higher, right to the top of the mountain, there's another clear cut, but this one has much taller trees growing there, so it's likely at least 20 years old.



At least two more clear cuts here, one in the middle of the photo and the other off to the right. At least they have learned to do smaller areas now, rather than wipe out the entire hillside. Early morning photo to the west of the previous two photos.

 

Margot, I am certain that is why you are such a fountain of knowledge on the subject. Quite honestly, I never noticed most of these plants until just a few weeks ago. I have missed getting photos of the lilacs in full bloom, as they are all now finished. And, of course, this silly road out to the highway doesn't have anywhere to park to stop for pictures.

There is one spot where the First Nations guys set up their fish counting station every year that has lots of interest...and I can park close by. I do remember in the earlier spring seeing hundreds, if not thousands, of tall, thin red stalks there. Of course that has all turned green now taking away some of the interest. But that is one section where I should be able to get some interesting photos. The creek is pretty high right now and it will be awhile before the fish count takes place. But there's always next year and now I routinely take my camera everywhere I go.

 

This fern, growing near the roses close to Celista, appears to be different from the Bracken. It seems the Bracken grows slightly different when comparing the two. First photo of my unknown fern. Second photo of Bracken taken at our place.

 

How is your hand today? That groundcover is poison ivy. I am itching looking at it.

 

Oh dear. Thank you for that. But no effect whatsoever on my hand.

 

Lucky you! Sandy ground with disturbance in southern interior BC near a lake or river is prime habitat for poison ivy (habitat can be different elsewhere in Canada, but the sandy soil is pretty consistently a factor)

 

You know, the dumbest thing about that, is that our immediate neighbour on Ruxton Island imported just a single plant of English Ivy all the way from Cincinnati. The plant spread for several hundred feet over the course of 30+ years, covering dozens of trees and running over everything in its' path. I should have recognized that this was at least somewhat similar, although the colour is much brighter than the English Ivy and the leaves aren't really the same shape. Although the ground was very different on Ruxton, not sandy at all. Next time I run across something similar, I will do a little more thinking first. Thank you again.

 

Keep in mind that Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron rydbergii ) is not in the same genus as English Ivy (Hedera helix). Besides that, they aren't even in the same family . . . Poison Ivy is in the Sumac family (Anacardiaceae) while English Ivy is in the Ginseng family (Araliaceae). Their similarities are coincidental.

 

Lady fern?
Here is something fr UBC


————

And further to @Daniel Mosquin question above - yes we have that itching ivy so common in south Okanagan - both sides of THE lake

« Leaves of three, let it be! »

impossible to eradicate - well impossible contains a grain of salt but most people will dedicate unending annual hours to it

It takes over !

Daniel - there will be berries later? I forget without looking it up - color and — it is diff than the « poison ivy » of eastern NAm ?

I think even if one harvests it then burns it - the fumes can be a risk to your lungs etc. I don’t know if a asthma inhaler would help or not - I would rather not test it!

One would need to look this all up. Here is a start

Lots of poison ivy around - Penticton News

 

This photo of fuzzy white puffs looks like several plants we have in south Okanagan too

Obviously a young Douglas fir —

And yarrow - it’s the pale pink behind the really fuzzy white - a compact tight flower head — yes I would probably be ok with it on my property. Defending the much-maligned yarrow

And a typical roadside grass tho I can’t name it

——-
I don’t immediately recognize the foreground white fuzzy flower - I wondered if invasive wild clematis but the leaf doesn’t look right - we do have this nr Penticton in the forest :(
Wild clematis (Clematis vitalba)

It is the distinct leaf in foreground I know I have in penticton area but I can’t think of name

 

It's definitely a good thing that I have all you good folks looking out for me. Heaven knows, I should be pushing up daisies by now if it wasn't for your help and guidance.

So @Margot, once I had heard from Daniel, I looked up poison ivy and discovered it to be in the Sumac family. I think that most of the Sumac shrubs, or small trees up this way are a lot bigger than those in post #26. I did look up Sumac online, and if I remember correctly (which I may not) the local Sumac leaves turn quite a reddish colour in the fall. There are several locally.

@Georgia Strait, After watching the video you posted (Thank you!) it appears to me that the fern I photographed is a Spiny Wood Fern. The reason I say that is because it is far more triangular than sword shaped. Not only that, but when I searched for images, one of them is all but identical to this photo. And a second one of the same fern.

 

It has occurred to me, yet again, that I must take far better photos of my subjects and that would include the back side of the leaf as well. I neglected to do this with just about everything yesterday.

There were a few of these small yellow flowers when I stopped to take photos of the clearcut, growing right alongside the road.

 

I had a similar Clematis to the one in the link you provided, while I was on Ruxton, and we called it a species Clematis. Whether or not that is correct, I don't know. But it grew to at least 30 feet in length very quickly and produced unlimited amounts of small flowers. Birds used to nest in the thick growth. I have been thinking of doing one more thread on the Ruxton garden, but mainly excluding the Japanese style garden which has been reasonably well documented. I should have photos of the aforementioned Clematis.

 

You inspired me to get out my trusty old worn copy of « Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia » by Parish / Coupe / Lloyd (Lone Pine)

The photos of white fuzzy shrub flower posted the other day is from what I can tell - several plants ...

1. I think I see Western snowberry - thé leaf had notches in it (technical term?) — it can also have smooth leaves w NO notches but I know ours nr Penticton have notches .... Symphoricarpos occidentalis


2. Then I look at those notches on leaves again - and might change my mind - I wonder if the fuzzy white plant is a spirea, specifically Birch-leaved spirea (Spirea betulifolia)

And maybe the pink that I earlier thought to be yarrow - might be Spirea densiflora — thé big clue would be yarrow leaves, soft and like ferns

My big excuse is it’s hard to tell from a photo :)

I HIGHLY recommend this book - splurge on the most up-to-date version

I think you’ll enjoy it and take it along on all your adventures. I can’t find it on Lone Pine website but maybe the gift shop at UBC garden has it and can mail it to you

The first 2 jpg attached to this post are your pictures Keith

 

You keep "Wowing" me with all this great info. And once again it just goes to show how I keep missing the boat by not getting better photos. And I should be estimating the height of these various plants as well.

As for your book, I will see what I can come up with, it sounds most useful indeed. Thank you once again!

I will be driving past these plants next time we go to Scotch Creek, which is usually at least once a week, so better pictures it will be.

 

Searching for the book, I found six books that cover this area and they appear to be available at Indigo/Chapters. We will be passing through Kamloops on Saturday so I can drop in and see if they have my first choice in stock. If not, it can be ordered online. The latest version seems to cover the inland northwest and southern interior of British Columbia.

 

Writing about poison ivy makes me itchy -- seriously. The fruit is a white berry-like drupe. Western North America and eastern North America have two similar-looking species (but there are others in the genus, like the rare-in-BC poison oak). And yes, people have been hospitalized for breathing in the fumes from burning it.