Saturday's walk to Burnaby Lake

This past weekend the weather was so lovely after weeks of dull, overcast skies that I had to get out for a long walk. The walk Saturday took me to Burnaby Lake nestled in central Burnaby between the Trans-Canada Highway to the south and the Lougheed Highway to the north. Further to the north is Burnaby Mountain. Not to be missed are the Coast Mountains seen from various locations. On the way over a bridge over the Trans-Canada Highway, I spotted a red-tailed hawk soaring high above the traffic below. The photo above is of that highway and the image below of the raptor soaring gracefully above everyone.

The image above is of a map of Burnaby Lake. Below is a view looking east-southeast toward the lake. Here Still Creek is flowing slowly toward Burnaby lake. Shades of blue and green predominate the scene.

That is white fluff floating in the air and water from tree sheading their seed. The bridge over the creek is a great place to view the nature's activity on the water.

Yellow flag in flower along the water's edge. You'll see some yellows in the landscape as well as the blues and greens.

Here is a view of the trail found along the west end of the lake. There is a sports complex behind the trees (populars) on the right. Then below you'll see a peaceful view of the lake looking toward the east-southeast. It was an awesome day for a hike in nature. There were swallows flitting above the water and the odd mallard duck could also be seen.

Ferns, moss and other plants are growing on this log pictured above and then there is a photo of a skunk cabbage soon to go into flower below.

Signs along the south trail above and buttercups in bloom near the lake are shown in the image below.

Here is another view of the south trail above and then I happened to see a pair of cedar waxwings (birds) and captured one of them in the photo below. I hadn't seen them in years and when they are seen, they are usually in flocks.

A trail on the eastern end of the lake allows horses as can been seen by the manure left behind in the photo below. Here hoof marks were seen everywhere along that trail. The trails are built on to of a bog, so here and there the ground is a bit springy. Hope you enjoy the photos! Comment if you wish. - Volker

English Bay Beach and that sub-tropical feel...

Northern latitudes and their associated climates can be deceiving. Take British Columbia's lower mainland as an example. Being north of the 49th parallel you would associate this area more with conifers and a boreal forest than tropical and sub-tropical plants. Well, with climatic zones between a 7 and a 9 this area can (and do) support such sub-tropical plants as palms and banana plants, though these are of the hardy and cold-tolerant variety. The photo above is a prime example of this deception. Pictured are fan palms, the Windmill Palm, or Trachycarpus fortunei in Latin. English Bay Beach (Main) is a prime location for these palms and other sub-tropical plants such as banana plants (Musa ssp.). Below is a planting along a street opposite the beach. Not what you would associate with a northern climate, is it? I hope you enjoy these photos.

The flowers are yellow (male) and greenish (female) followed by greenish fruit that turns yellow to blue-black in mid-autumn. The fruit are kidney-shaped at 10-12 mm long. The photo above and below show them as they look in August.

Above is a photo of a planting of fan palms, banana plants, annual flowers and various other interesting plants in a small park opposite the Starbucks at Denman and Davie Streets in Vancouver's West End. Below is a close-up of a banana plant (Musa ssp.) in flower with fruit. Interesting, eh? Perhaps you have learned something whether you live in the Vancouver area or elsewhere.