Arbutus

The wind died down today and it didn't seem so cold so I went out for a walk along the Westsong Walkway to see how the new luxury yacht mooring is progressing. We'll have a look at that tomorrow but for now here is a photo of a tree that caught my eye this afternoon. The bright orange-red wood of the Arbutus turns this lovely silvery color when the tree dies.

Arbutus Extinction?

I've noticed recently that there seem to be a lot of dead or dying Arbutus trees. These are a native tree here and I have often photographed them over the last 8 years. There seems to be a popular belief that many more are dying than is normal but there is no consensus as to the reason or even as to whether this is true. Some scientific opinion is that the trees are dying due to a variety of fungus diseases. Others think that these diseases are more common now because of environmental changes such as global warming and fire control. It may also be that those I see along the walkway are all more or less the same age and are leftovers from when the area had more wild bush. I quite like that the city is not rushing to remove the dead trees since they are like silvery tree sculptures but I hope that there will be young replacement Arbutus trees visible soon.

Westsong Walkway

Always changing, always beautiful. - Fern

Fall Colors

We have lots of Arbutus trees (Arbutus menziesii) here and while their leaves don't change color or fall off during autumn, they do produce rich clusters of bright red berries at this time of year to participate in the season's colors.

Arbutus Berries

The leaves of Arbutus Trees (Arbutus menziesii) don't change color or drop in the autumn but the some of the trees salute the season by bearing generous clusters of bright red berries. These provide a colorful setting for an American Robin (above) and a European Starling (below).

Landscape 3 - Arbutus

Garry Oaks are probably the most distinctive tree in our local landscape but the wonderfully colored Arbutus are also very characteristic and often found in the same environment as the oaks. Arbutus don't lose their leaves seasonally. Instead they shed their bark so that their living trunks are this wonderful shade of red. This landscape is the view from the summit of Pkols (aka Mount Douglas) looking southeast.

Memories of Summer

Ahhh...snoozing under this Arbutus tree....

Arbutus Moon

Simple

Sometimes on these short winter days it seems the only warm colour we see is around sunset.

---

I'm continuing to shoot with these old manual lenses. This photo was taken using the Super Takumar 1:1.8 55mm. prime lens.

Autumn Equinox

I once lived for several years in an African village close to the equator. I always think of that time when we pass the equinoxes here since they mark the times of the year when the days and nights are nearly the same length. On the equator this is the case all the time with 12 hours of daylight every day. The daylight hours were very important in that village because there was no electricity and very little light after the sun went down. Our relationship to the sun in our urban environments is not so intimate but even here we are affected by the shortening of the days as we move into winter's darkness. Time to get out the Vitamin D!

The above photo was taken on the Westsong Walkway looking towards Westbay Marina in Esquimalt. It is nearly the same shot as THIS.

Dead Arbutus

Even in death these gnarly arbutus trees are beautiful.

Arbutus

More snow last night and a busy day trying to fit some Christmas shopping in with work so here's another shot taken a few days ago from the Westsong Walkway, looking towards Westbay Marina in Esquimalt.

More Westsong Walkway

While the Westsong Walkway skirts urban residential areas throughout its route, it nevertheless offers glimpses of what the shoreline must have been like before it became urbanized. Above, evergreen arbutus and ivy and the rusty red arbutus bark make a nice contrast against the snow. Below, a picnic table waits for spring.

Dockside Green Arbutus

Further to my post of Wednesday, here's a little more Dockside Green. I noticed some time ago that the construction crews are very carefully preserving the only large tree that was growing on the site before construction started. It is the large Arbutus tree in the center of the photo, behind the blue and white cement truck. I think the preservation of this tree is another good sign that this project is serious about their commitment to the environment.

This will make an interesting historical photo since the buildings are going up all around this tree and in six months I expect this scene to have changed totally except, I hope, for the tree.

Arbutus

Arbutus trees are the only native non-deciduous trees in Canada and they are found only on Vancouver Island and adjacent coastal areas of British Columbia. They don't shed their leaves but old bark peels off regularly. The new bark is a light green at first and then turns this lovely shade of red. They can be seen all round Victoria clinging to rocky outcrops, particularly near the ocean.