Bowen Festival of Lights 2019

The Bowen Nature Club is delighted to be a part of this year’s Festival of Trees. Decorated by Jen Lundin Ritchie and Holly Cleator, the theme emphasizes using natural materials that are environmentally-friendly including “edible” decorations such as bird seed ornaments, and peanut and cranberry garlands.

A warm thank you is extended to the Bowen Island Family Place and the Bowen Island Golf Course for donating the tree and lights so that we could participate in this wonderful event and share our club with the community.

Mushroom Walk on October 20, 2019

The Bowen Nature Club was pleased to join with the Bowen Island Garden Club to welcome John Field, who led a mushroom foraging walk on October 20, followed by a presentation on “Foraging for Forest Mushrooms” the next day.

About two dozen brave souls braved the pounding rain to follow John through the forest in search of tasty and treacherous treats. The hike started at Thompson Rd with a brief presentation of mushrooms commonly found in Howe Sound, then quickly proceeded down the trail towards Fairy Fen. Along the way, participants scoured the forest floor and John identified the discovered treasures. It was wonderful to learn how many edible mushrooms are growing on Bowen.

Remember, never eat wild foraged mushrooms unless you are 110% sure what they are!

John is a retired science instructor at Capilano University in Sechelt, a Warden for Ambrose Lake Ecological Reserve, a founding member and former director of the Iris Griffith Interpretive Centre near Ruby Lake, and a naturalist “by inclination.” He has hosted many field trips, especially mushroom forays. 

Bowen Eco Reserve Hike on September 14, 2019

Despite a day of drizzle, fog, and rain, eight stalwart troopers joined Warden Alan Whitehead on a hike to visit the Bowen Island Ecological Reserve. They wandered among the large firs arriving at the secluded Optimist Fen for lunch. 

Nature Club at Bowfest August 2019

This year Bowen Nature Club once again had a booth at Bowfest! We featured multisensory games such as “Can you identify this tree?” and “Whose paw is this anyway?” as well as a full-colour marine animal quiz. The public was invited to examine a number of local animal skulls and encouraged to bring their own artifacts for identification. The table was manned by club members, including naturalists like Bowen’s Ecoreserve Warden Alan Whitehead and entomologist Will Husby, who were challenged to answer all manner of nature-related questions from the public. 

Bowen Nature Club Camping Trip July 2019

Tucked away in the Kane Valley near Merritt, BC, secluded Shea Lake provides recreational opportunities for family camping and nature exploring. This past July 6 & 7, Bowen Nature Club members Jonah, Ezra, DG, Bruce, Lyn, Everhard, Melissa and James spent time discovering the local flora and fauna of the area. All photos by Bruce Steele.

Low Tide Beach Survey at Seymour Bay, June 16th, 2019

48 Bowen Islanders brought their curiosity, sunhats, and pails and explored the low tide beach at Seymour Bay. Our thanks to trip leaders Alan, DG and Sue Ellen and all the people who joined us for a fun and beautiful morning of discovery.

Red-legged Frog Chorus...This Afternoon at a Wetland Near You

The red-legged frogs are croaking or calling out at Grafton Lake and probably Killarney Lake and other deeper marshes elsewhere on Bowen… They were heard yesterday (March 25^th) at about 3:30 pm. The croaking of the red-legged frog is very different from the distinctive “ribbit” of the tree frog: although also made by many individuals at one time, it is much quieter (you really have to  listen for it), lower in pitch, and sounds muffled because it can be entirely underwater. Also, the red-legged frogs are normally heard only during the breeding season, whereas individual tree frogs can be heard almost year round.

From Alan Whitehead

Following a period of dormancy, Bowen Nature Club rises again!

We are looking forward to leading events and activities that connect Bowen Islanders with the nature all around us. Soon we will be hosting our potluck AGM, details to be finalized, which will be a great opportunity to meet other members and renew your membership. We will also be electing our board and we welcome new board members. Roles include: memberships, communications, leading activities or simply being enthusiastic. Don't hesitate to get in touch if you are interested. We will be sharing this year's activity calendar at the meeting. If you would like to join the Nature Club or would like more information, contact us at bowennatureclub(at)gmail(dot)com

In addition we will be submitting a monthly column to the Undercurrent, written by local experts, that highlight nature you may see out and about. This months column about amphibian spawning was written by Alan Whitehead. He explains how to spot spawn and how to tell which Bowen amphibian it belongs to. Read about it here.

Here are some amphibian photos of ours that didn't make it to press, all taken on Bowen Island by Will Husby.

First frog eggs

Frog eggs

Red legged frog eggs

Salamander larva

Red legged frog