Mushroom Walkabout with John Field

In Early November, the Bowen Nature Club hosted an autumn mushroom walkabout with mushroom expert John Field. People of all ages came out to explore, and over a couple of kilometers we found an amazingly diverse assortment of different mushrooms, including edible, poisonous, rare, common, and very surprising!

Photos by Cherie Westmoreland and Lisa Marie Bhattachary.

Shaggy Parasol - LMB

Turkey Tails - LMB

Variant Turkey Tails - CW

 

CW

John Field describing identification methods - CW

Red Juice Milk Cap - CW

John Field with White Amanitas - CW

The prize!! Cauliflower Mushroom - LMB

The cauliflower mushroom was enormous! - CW

Nature Club (F)unschool out on a rainy day in the woods:

A Geologic Tour of Howe Sound

Bob Turner held us spellbound by the drama of the geologic story of Howe Sound, as we motored from Bowen Island up to Brittania Mine. On the way we paused to view the many seals at Pam Rocks, the raucous sea birds at the sanctuary of Christie Islet and circled the cliffs and coast of Halkett Bay, the Defence Islands and Anvil Island, at each pause considering what forces of nature created and shaped the landscape before us. Beautiful Camp Potlatch and Potlatch Creek provided a welcome landlubber picnic spot before we motored home to Snug Cove.

Great thanks to Bob Turner for his genial and expert guidance.

Thanks also to Cherie Westmoreland for these wonderful photographs from the tour:

Cormorants on Christie Islet.

White granite cliffs, smoothed by glaciers, stained rusty by iron minerals leaching through the fissures in the rock.

Notice the aquamarine of the ocean, so coloured by the glacial silt transported by the outflow of the Squamish River.

A view of Howe Sound from Camp Potlatch.

(F)unschool at Clipper Beach

We had a lovely time at Clipper Beach today!

We saw some geese fighting (those are presumably the wives looking on)...

And we saw a terrestrial garter snake with freshly-swallowed prey! (click to zoom in; the snake is in the foreground)

The snake looked very uncomfortable for a long time, with the prey lodged in its throat.

Then suddenly it regurgitated a still-wriggling sculpin!

...and swallowed it again - this time head-first.

Then it slithered away, stretched...

...and relocated its jaw.

Ah. Good meal.

Wild Whales Presentation and Bowen Nature Club Membership Renewal Time

Nature Club (F)unschool participant exploring seaweed beds at low tide.

It's time once again for our annual AGM, and a presentation we hope will inspire our coming year of outings and events!

It's also the Bowen Nature Club's membership time. Register now or at the AGM to keep informed of all our events and outings.

Membership

Print and fill in both sides of the membership form (available in the column on the right) and write a cheque for
$18(individual) or
$22(family)
to Bowen Nature Club.

Bring your form and cheque (or cash) to the AGM or email us at bowennatureclub@gmail.com for the mailing address.

AGM and Potluck

Saturday, Feb. 22, 5:30 - 9PM

Email us at bowennatureclub@gmail.com for location.

Carpooling is a great idea, if you can!

5:30PM: potluck dinner

7:00PM: Wild Whales Presentation

Wild Whales Presentation
If you’ve seen the misty blow of a whale or the fin of a dolphin recently, find out why the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network wants to know! Discover the whales, dolphins, porpoises, and sea turtles that inhabit B.C. waters during a presentation by Tessa Danelesko sponsored by the Vancouver Aquarium Cetacean Research Program. Find out which species are commonly seen around Howe Sound and the Strait of Georgia, their unique histories, the threats they face and how to help. Learn how coastal citizens become citizen scientists by participating in marine conservancy and research through the Sightings Network. Get ready to be informed and inspired!

This event, sponsored by the Vancouver Aquarium and Cetacean Sightings Network, will be presented by Tessa Danelesko, Coordinator of the B.C. Cetacean Sightings Network, a project that collects opportunistic sightings of whales, dolphins, porpoises and sea turtles from the coast of British Columbia.