In The Woods

We went out to Saanich for a hike up Bear Hill and it was lovely, as usual. So much so that the only way to cope with the incredible exuberance of spring was to switch to black and white. In this way you can zero in on the little details of what make this time of year magical. - Fern

Jack Frost Nipping At Your Fronds

Here is another example of the interesting things one can find in the backyard with a some poking around and a little help from the weather. - Fern

Victoria's Second Spring

I went out the Thetis Lake on the weekend to see if the recent rains had encouraged any mushrooms to pop up. And indeed, there were a few but all I saw were very tiny ones like those above. However, while strolling through the forest I was reminded of Victoria's particular weather pattern that gives us a second "spring" in the autumn. This area tends to dry out seriously during July and August and everything turns brown and crackles underfoot. The rains of September and October, though they cannot stop the leaves turning, nevertheless bring back the green to lawns and undergrowth, especially the mosses and ferns that inhabit the lower reaches of the forest. All this fresh new green always makes me think of spring and the mushrooms that will be coming soon are like spring flowers.

A Second Spring

Victoria usually dries out during the latter part of summer and when the rains return in autumn it is almost like a second springtime. Mosses, lichens and ferns cover the forest floor with vibrant greens. These ferns were springing up yesterday in Thetis Lake Regional Park.

Oops!

Hello. My name is Fern and I will be taking over for Benjamin while he is away. I thought I was organized but ran into a few technical difficulties today - hopefully it goes more smoothly from here on in!
This is a photo I took on one of my Dad and I's forays into the woods. I've played with the color but you hardly need to; Fern's being so photogenic. Honestly, no pun intended.

The West Coast

A few hours drive along the coast west and north of Victoria brings one to the true west coast, where the rollers sweep in from the Pacific with only thousands of miles of ocean between here and Japan. It's an incredibly rich, green environment that provides views such as these around every corner of the trail. Tomorrow I'll show you what it's like when you come out of the forest onto the beach.

Babies' Toes

Fanfare

In spring in the forest, the ferns play fanfares you can hear with your eyes.