Metchosin in Spring

Yesterday I went for a walk on the section of the Galloping Goose Trail that runs through Metchosin, close to Matheson Lake. It was one of those spring days where it rained a little and then the sun came out and within an hour did it all again. I love when the new growth is so very green and sparkles in the clean air of April. Good time to be alive. - Fern

Skunk Cabbage

Another harbinger of spring, the odoriferous, but oh so beautiful skunk cabbage. - Fern Long

Western Skunk Cabbage

Like a candle lit to end the winter darkness, the Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus) seems to burn against last year's decayed leaves. This aromatic plant, indigenous to boggy areas in the Pacific Northwest, is one of the first to bloom in the spring. Another similarity to candles is that these plants generate heat - sufficient to melt snow if there's any around them when they decide to bloom. I stumbled on these yesterday in the forest near Hatley Park.