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The Garden Campus - Garry Oak, Cottonwood, Crabapple, Willow, and Swordfern Communities

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passed on June 20, 2024 at 11:12
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Filename: AR283_1995_034_04L_GordonHead_01.tif
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  • 1 panel ; 122 x 81 cm
Transcript
  • The Garry Oak Community. Hans Roemer. Photographer. The Garry Oak Parkland type occurs in the driest pats of the region where soils are relatively deep but dry in summer. Oak parklands with a ground cover of grasses have abundant, brightly coloured spring flowers. One of the most common flowers in this community is the blue camas. The root was harvested by the Songhees as a dietary source of starch. The uniqueness and scarcity of oak parklands, even in their semi-natural state, recommends special efforts to conserve remaining stands. Cottonwood-Crapapple-Willow Community. Hans Roemer. Photographer. Bottomlands composed of a variety of shrubs and heavy clay soils which flood in winter are called the Black Cottonwood-Crabapple-Willow Community. Red osier dogwood, crabapple, cascara, black twinberry and willows are some of the shrubs that form dense thickets in young stands. Herbaceous plants include lily of the valley, hedgenettle, fringe-cup and sedge. Tall, black cottonwood trees along Gordon Head and Cedar Hill Cross Roads indicate the places where this plant community used to occur. In their original form, the temporary winter ponds and dense undergrowth provided a rich and diverse habitat for waterfowl and wildlife. The Swordfern Community. Hans Roemer. Photographer. Swordfern is the most common and conspicuous groundcover plant in fertile soils which remains throughout the growing season. Conifers such as Douglas fir, western red cedar and grand fir thrive in swordfern communities. Salmonberry and red elderberry are the most common shrubs. Trillium, coolwort, bedstraw and other delicate herbaceous plants occur between swordfern clumps. Although the swordfern community was the predominate vegetation on Vancouver Island, logging, farm clearing and urban development have greatly reduced the acreage of old growth stands. Mystic Vale, recently acquired by the university for preservation, is one of the best examples of a swordfern community of southern Vancouver Island. The Garden Campus. Soil deposited by receding glaciers provided a base for the establishment of a rich native plant community. A wide variety of human cultivating activities developed from camas gathering to farming. The university has endeavoured to preserve the garden atmosphere through maintaining and enhancing the natural landscape.
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