Ring-spotted Doris

Every tide pool walk is exciting because there is always something different to discover. Today’s highlight was the Ring-spotted Doris. Found in the lower intertidal zone and subtidal waters on rocky shores and crevices, the Ring-spotted Doris is a Nudibranch (pronounced NEWD-i-brank) belongs to the Mollusks group, and the class Gastropod.

The Ring- spotted Doris (Discodoris Sandiegensis) varies in appearance from Alaska to Southern California. In our Salish Sea waters this nudibranch is marked with many spots and rings on a creamy to tan coloured base compared to the to the ones in San Francisco that are almost white with fewer markings.

They are carnivorous and eat anemones, bryozoans and there favorite food are purple sponges. It is both male & female. Following mating with another individual they lay a curly ribbon of white eggs in protected nooks and crannies. They only live a maximum of one year

RHODODENDRON LAKE

It’s a place people have heard about but many people have never seen the Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), a rare plant in British Columbia. Its BC range is restricted to a few localities in and near Manning Park and two locations on Vancouver Island. Our stand of these wild, beautiful rhododendrons are believed by botanists to belong to a strain that survived the last Ice Age.

Around 1912, George Tranfield, grandson of the first colonial settler and sheep farmer on Lasqueti Island told naturalists about his discovery of Rhododenron Lake.

The 2 hectare (5 acre) grove of Pink or Large –leaved Rhododendron is located east of the South Englishman River via the Northwest Bay logging road on forestland owned by Island Timberlands (formerly MacMillan Bloedel). Permission must be acquired from the gate keeper at the entrance to the logging division. There is a day use fee for this area, payable at the entrance.

Formerly known as Kalmia Lake it was officially renamed in 1978 on the MacMillan Bloedel Recreation Map.

The peak flowering season is in early June.

Sea Lions

Of particular interest this time of year are the migratory bachelor male California Sea Lions and Stellar Sea Lions who gather around Vancouver Island during winter and spring to feed on late salmon and herring runs.
California Sea Lions weighing up to 900 pounds and are identified by the large bump on their foreheads and their dark brown colour. They come from California and Alaska, following the paths of their ancestors to this traditional spring feeding ground.
The Stellar Sea Lions weighing up to 2000 pounds are the largest and are distinguished by their reddish brown coat and growls and grunts rather than the bark of the California Sea Lion.
Marine mammal regulations stipulate that boaters must not approach or exhibit behaviours that disturb marine mammals. “Disturb” is construed as anything that causes the animals to change their natural behaviour.

Vancouver Island Black Bear

Most years the first black bear sightings happen in April but this year a few Island Black Bears are out of hibernation in early March. Forests are Black Bears natural habitat where they hibernate during the winter months, going as long as 100 days without eating drinking, urinating or defecating.
In the spring Black Bear feed on grasses and new shoots to sustain themselves until summer when they have a chance to fatten up on berries, insects and whatever else they can forage, including small animals and fish.
Female black bear give birth to 1-4 cubs every second year depending on the abundance of food. Birthing takes place during hibernation from early winter to April.
Vancouver Island Black Bears larger than the BC mainland Black Bear and have been discovered to be a separate sub-species of Black Bear, now known as the Island Bear.

Black Brant (Branta bernicla)

A small sea goose which breeds in the Artic and primarily winters in Baja California, Mexico. Each spring thousands of Brant fly non-stop from Mexico to the Strait of Georgia where they have a short time to feed on eelgrass, green algae and herring roe in order to regain their weight and strength before making another non-stop flight to the Alaska Peninsula and then to their nesting grounds in Alaska, the Canadian Artic, and beyond.
One can easily observe Brant as they feed among the local bays and sheltered beaches but watch for and obey regulatory signs restricting walking your dog on the beach and even restricting people from walking near feeding Black Brant. The restrictions are important because humans in close proximity cause the Brant to take flight, preventing them from feeding or resting.

Red Flowering Currant

Certainly one of the most beloved and showy of native shrubs, the Red Flowering Currant a certain sign of spring welcomes giant bumble bees and the arrival of the migrating rufus hummingbirds. The pendant flower clusters of beautiful red to pink flowers, blooming March-June provide a nectar source for hummingbirds and butterflies.
The berries were eaten fresh, but not dried by the Saanich and Cowichan of the Coast Salish Nation. Robins, towhees, thrushes, waxwings, sparrows, jays, and woodpeckers enjoy the black fruits.
It is commonly found in west coast forests and open woodlands, and will tolerate sun or shade and moderate water.

The Scotch Broom Invasion

Scotch broom Cytisus scoparius, is native to the Mediterranean areas of Europe. Captain Walter Colquhoun Grant who planted broom at his homestead in Sooke, Vancouver Island intentionally introduced it to B.C. in 1850. Scotch broom can be spotted in spring with its brilliant yellow flowers in open areas such as roadsides, power lines, and natural meadows.
This weed is a strong competitor with various native plants including those within declining Garry oak ecosystems as well as newly planted coniferous forests. . Broom has been so successful over much of its range that it has endangered much of our regions distinctive rainshadow flora.
Scotch broom competes with native species for available light, moisture and nutrients, especially on disturbed sites. So far there are no known natural predators for this weed, therefore allowing it to spread throughout southern B.C. and other parts of North America. It does particularly well in recently disturbed areas, and for this reason it continues to increase in areas of Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland where land development is intensive.
Broom has also been introduced to Chile, India, Iran, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. In Oregon and Washington, where it is listed as a Class B noxious weed, complete Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii plantation failures due to Scotch broom have been documented. In California, Scotch broom has infested over a 250,000 ha of rangeland. Scotch broom may be threatening endangered ecosystems such as Garry oak, Quercus garryana, woodlands in southwestern British Columbia.
Broom contains several toxic alkaloids that can depress the heart and nervous system. Children may be poisoned from eating the pods and seeds.
The Scotch broom invasion was largely ignored until broom buster volunteers started cutting in the Oceanside area in 2006.