The Next Hike

The next hike will be on Saturday, 30th July.

We meet at the Ballpark in Gillies Bay at 10:00am

Last week we drove a short distance up the airport road and parked at the small sandpit on the left. From there we started our regular circular hike that takes us down to the beach below the airport then along that to the Sandbanks and back through the various forest roads and trail to the parking place. The tide was going out, the wind quite light and visibility very good, but we saw no Harbour Porpoise this time although we usually do, especially in summer.  

My photo this week shows the fairly common mistletoe that grows as a parasite on our native Jack or Shore Pine.  At any time of the year you can see the swellings on the younger branches that indicate the presence of the parasite inside the tree and then in the summer the flower stems appear from the bark and first the clusters of small yellowish flowers followed by the pale green seed pods. The name of the genus is Arceuthobium, but I'm not too sure which species this is and there at least three found in BC.

JD.

Mistletoe [Arceuthobium sp.] flowering from branches of Jack Pine in which it lives as a parasite.