East Kootenay, British Columbia, Canada
Rocky Mountain Naturalists
  • About / Contact
  • Join RMN
  • RMN Calendar
  • RMN Newsletter
  • RMN Blog
  • RMN Projects / Issues
  • Nature Photos by Us
  • RMN Checklists & Products
  • Christmas Bird Counts
  • Nature Education & Quiz
  • Other Websites of Interest

Saw a plant, and didn’t see a bird

14/6/2014

 
Picture
The outskirts of Cranbrook provide many opportunities for a quick evening walk on an early June evening. Marianne and Daryl led naturalists on a mini adventure, a short distance from the north end of Wilks Road.  The first goal was an unusually dense patch of Calypso Bulbosa, (Fairyslipper, Venus-slipper or Calypso).  Although one of our smallest orchids, this is the most exquisite as well as the most elusive.  It’s favourite habitat is in Pine woods where it grows in the damp litter of the forest floor.  This true member of the orchid family, grows from a corm, or tuberous rootstock, which is all that remains after the plant flowers and seeds in early summer.  As with all orchids, this flower grows only in association with a certain type of fungus.  As a result, it is virtually impossible to transplant.  This plant suffers from over-picking by collectors. Picking of this flower will kill the plant, so it is best to remember to leave this, as well as all flowers, to mature unimpaired. Earlier, we counted over 100 orchids in an area of about 1 square meter.  This patch may be successful because of continuous shade, abundant rotting material and it’s secluded location.

Leaving the dense, north facing forest, we walked up a south aspect, grassy slope. The yellow arnica and balsam root were amazing, interspersed with numerous, fragrant, light yellow bitterbrush flowers. These small, rose-like flowers attract night flying moths which provide an important food supply for the Common Poorwill.  A small nightjar of the arid West, this Poorwill is the smallest member of it’s family in North America.  It is one of the few birds known to hibernate in the winter.  It is very well camouflaged, colored in browns, black and grey.  This medium-sized bird is large headed with a tiny bill and very tiny feet.  This bird can slow it’s metabolic rate and drop it’s temperature, going into a hibernation-like state known as torpor.  In periods of cold weather, when insects are inactive, a poorwill may stay in torpor for several weeks.  These birds hide during the day, emerging at dark to feed.  They are very difficult to see, but several were heard during the week of the outing, flying past our house on Wilks Road near midnight.

Submitted by Daryl Calder


Picture

    where we talk about
    - recent field trips,
    - RMN in the news
    - flora and fauna
    - upcoming events

    Archives

    February 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2023
    March 2023
    June 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    December 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    June 2016
    May 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arrival
    BC Hydro
    Bears
    Birding
    Birds
    Calypso
    Checklists
    Christmas Bird Count
    Club Camp
    Collectors
    Columbia Lake
    Common Nighthawk
    Cranbrook
    Cranbrook BC
    Cranbrook Daily Townsman
    Dogs
    Ducks
    Dutch Creek
    Early Morning Birding
    EBird
    Elizabeth Lake
    Feeders
    Fernie
    Field Trip
    Fish And Wildlife Compensation Program
    Flowers
    Kimberley
    Little Big Day
    Mildred White
    Morrissey
    Moyie
    Nesting Boxes
    Orchids
    Pine
    Plants
    Podcast
    Project Feederwatch
    Rocky Mountains
    Snowshoeing
    Spring
    Ta Ta Creek
    The Buttes
    Townsman
    Turtles
    Wasa
    Western Painted Turtle
    Wildlife
    Wildsafe
    Winter
    Wycliffe

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.