Camas 2

Yesterday photo of Camas is not a bad close-up but their real beauty for me is in their profusion and the photo above gives a better sense of that. I was up in Highrock Park again today and the Camas are really peaking.

The Hands of Time 12 - Digging Camas Bulbs

Here's another in the "Hands of Time" sculpture series. This one is mounted on a large boulder in a garden on the summit of Beacon Hill. The location is very appropriate since it overlooks a large meadow that sweeps down the hillside to the ocean. In the spring this meadow is a sea of Camas flowers and it is known that the First Nations people used to harvest the bulbs here. Some were eaten fresh (boiled) and others were dried and ground into a kind of flour that would keep. The sculpture installation consists of the hand holding a few bulbs, a woven basket and a digging stick used in harvesting the bulbs. All twelve of the small bronze sculptures in the Hands of Time series are by local sculptor Crystal Przybille.

Christmas Hill

Though Fern and I have lived in Victoria for many years we still find that there are new places to discover. The photo above is from our first visit to Christmas Hill earlier this week. Christmas Hill is part of the nature reserve of Swan Lake, which is visible in the foreground of the above photo. It offers splendid views of the city in every direction and has a wealth of wonderfully made paths and trails through a Garry Oak woodland that was carpeted on this day with rich blue-purple Camas flowers (visible on the bottom of the above photo). It's a real gem of a park with the best views of the city.

Garry Oak Ecosystem

Highrock Cairn Park in Victoria West - our small local example of the Garry Oak Ecosystem - My favorite park at my favorite time of year.

Summit Park

This park is one of Victoria's hidden gems. From the corner of Quadra and Hillside, just 5 or 6 blocks north east, lies this lovely garry oak meadow. At this time of year the whole place is a sea of purple camas flowers and yellow buttercups. Quite a sight! - Fern