In search of flowers new...

I've noticed that so far I haven't actually managed to write about any of the conservation work I've been up to. So I'll give you an overview of one of the projects that I'm leading! The Vancouver Island Beggartick ( B. amplissima ) is a plant of the Aster or sunflower family (it even looks kind of like a mini sunflower!). It is found only in small populations around coastal BC and part of Washington State so it's recognized as a species of global importance and is catergorised as a Species of Special Concern under the federal Species at Risk Act (Pretty lofty titles for a little yellow flower huh?). A survey was taken in 2008 of some likely or historic habitats to record it's distribution and we're seeking to survey more sites in order to build up a more detailed understanding and perhaps seek to protect sites where it has been newly found. Great, sounds easy right? The trouble is it that at the end of the season, (i.e. now) when it starts to lose its petals it can look pretty identical to B. tripartita and already looks rather like B. cernua. Oh and did we mention that the leaves can be triple or single lobed, the seed head is concave (or is it convex?) and that it lives exactly where B. cernua and B. tripartita do too? Good good. 

My most serious beggartick identification face!

So we set forth boldly and searched far and wide and found some yellow flowers and some plants with no petals and got thoroughly confused.  

Is that a beggartick?

Searching far and wide...

But it turns out that traipsing around staring at plants is a great way to get closer to some of Canada's wildlife and get access to some beautiful areas. We've stumbled across signs of beaver activity, beaver footprints, and even two beaver lodges; we've spotted blue herons, heard the pacific chorus frog, and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the lake-side areas we've traversed. Plus I've started to learn the names of many Canadian plant and animal species, invasive or otherwise!

We were distracted from our search by these trees... who did this!?

Perhaps the creature that built this lodge?

Aha! We found the culprit's tracks!!

At long last after much valiant searching (and many very serious beggartick identification faces), when all hope and glory seemed lost forever, we triumphed!! We discovered the Vancouver Island Beggartick in two of our locations, one of which has never previously been documented as a location for this rare species! The season for beggarticks is now at an end and it's unlikely that we'll survey any more areas. But the work that we've done will be very helpful both for ensuring sufficient protection of the current known Vancouver Island Beggartick locations and for aiding successful surveying this time next year. Keep an eye out for my new book: The Bryant Pocket Guide to Successful Beggartick Identification...

The elusive Vancouver Island Beggartick!

Well I suppose it's quite pretty really...