Tag Archives: native

BBY012 :: Malus fusca

Pacific crabapple. Check out these little pomes! I wish I had captured these a bit later in the season with ripe fruit to add some extra colour. This is my first digital art piece in this project. Although I was able to more or less trace my reference photo, I added some of my ownContinue reading “BBY012 :: Malus fusca”

BBY011 :: Melospiza lincolnii

Lincoln’s Sparrow. When I saw this bird along the trail ahead of me, I excitedly snapped a couple blurry shots before getting one clear-ish one. This is the first animal in my series, a step forward in showcasing the diversity of this park! The one clear picture I took lacked a lot of detail inContinue reading “BBY011 :: Melospiza lincolnii”

BBY007 :: Lonicera involucrata

I have recently identified this species since drawing it. This is twinberry honeysuckle. Unfortunately only one berry is visible here! Specimen recorded July 24, 2020, 18:14 across the trail from the willow tree (006). Art by Nelson Spies, November 25, 2020. Pencil crayon on medium texture coloured pencil paper.

BBY006 :: Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra

Pacific willow, shining willow, whiplash willow. My first attempt at guessing the species of this tree was black willow. Native to eastern North America, I thought it was unlikely to be that exact species, although I know a lot a migration of introduced species has happened. Looking at “Native Trees of Canada,” a 1956 handbookContinue reading “BBY006 :: Salix lucida ssp. lasiandra”

BBY005 :: Athyrium filix-femina

Lady fern. Ferns are so beautiful and complex, but the simplicity of my art reflects my knowledge of these plants. I had no idea where to start in identifying this one. I still don’t understand exactly what “pinnatifid” means but it’s a start! The leaf structure is bipinnate-pinnatifid if anyone was wondering. Another clue wasContinue reading “BBY005 :: Athyrium filix-femina”

BBY004 :: Alnus rubra

Called red alder, Oregon alder, or western alder, A. rubra is part of the Betulaceae family (the birches). The tree grows female cones and male catkins on the same branch. The bark is often marked by small to large white patches of lichen that thrive on certain trees. Specimen recorded July 24, 2020, 18:04 atContinue reading “BBY004 :: Alnus rubra”

BBY003 :: Betula papyrifera var. commutata

Paper birch, western white birch. As we will see in next week’s post and still more to come, the first day’s expedition to track the species at Burnaby Lake was a bit naïve and ambitious. I correctly distinguished that entries 003 and 004 were different trees while out in the field; however, after reviewing myContinue reading “BBY003 :: Betula papyrifera var. commutata”

BBY002 :: Spiræa douglasii

Rose spirea, hardhack, Douglas spirea, steeplebush. Another member of the rose family (see 001 last week), this native bush produces beautiful fuzzy flowers all around the lake for much of the summer. I’ve seen red-winged blackbirds sitting in the dried upper branches eating the seeds. While native, bountiful, and beautiful in North America, this speciesContinue reading “BBY002 :: Spiræa douglasii”