Here we see how far the invasive plants are moving into the mouth of Tod Creek, Golden willow [Salix alba var. vitellina]on the right. In the summer, when the invasive white waterlilies [Nymphaea odorata] are also here, the mouth of Tod Creek is almost choked.
Feb 24/ 2025
Audrey, Kitty, Mary & Lori contributed to the Pulling Together annual walkabout by Saanich, scheduled for next Monday.
Morning Fishers.One of the Alder trees has fallen, doesn’t appear to be the work of a beaver. Tod Creek at Goward Road.Water gauge reading.Lichen hold symbiotic relationships [a ‘sandwich’] of several different partners: Fungus 1 [thin for sun to photosynthesize] + Alga +/or Cyanobacteria + Fungus 2 [basidiomycete yeast] + Bacteria & ‘Others’ *Latin name: Lobaria pulmonaria Common name: Lungwort *From “Identifying West Coast Forest Lichens: A Reference Notebook” prepared by Brodo, Craig & Rhoades
March 3/ 2025
Katie Turner, our Pulling Together Park Stewardship Coordinator; Audrey Barnes, Lead Steward for Whitehead Park; Kyle Vanderbek, Arborist from Saanich who helped with the Broom Pull in June 20/ 2024; and Rick Hatch, Natural Areas Assistant Supervisor. We are gathered for the annual Restoration Plan, where we provide Saanich with an overview of our project goals or anticipated outcomes; and an overview of what was accomplished in the past year. Rick photographing a bird: Red-breasted Sapsucker [Sphyrapicus ruber].We started our Restoration of Whitehead Park in 2010. For interest, over the years I have always photographed the east-side of the park from this perspective, showing our progress.
March 10/ 2025
Winona showed us this bird carcass, two halves a few feet apart. Not sure what bird it might be. Please feel free to give us your opinion.And here we have “Rose Corner”, which we cleared out only recently. Although native roses, they are nonetheless aggressive. Kitty at the far end of the creekside trail, after cardboard and wood chips laid.
March 24th
Audrey & Kitty worked on cleaning the trails and removing more roses from encroaching onto trails.
March 31st
Prospect Lake as viewed from Whitehead Park, west-side. Water gauge on Tod Creek at Goward Roadwith today’s reading.Glimpses of Skunk cabbage blooming, on the east-side of the Whitehead Park.Audrey & Lori did a short stretch of the trail with cardboard covered with wood chips.High water and muddy trails.Audrey beside our pile of wood chips for the trails, Goward Road.
April 7th
Rainy day, no work party.Goward Road water gauge reading.Skunk cabbage blooming, on the east-side of Whitehead Park.Tod Creek debris approaching the bridge on Goward Road. Looks like a Robin egg, fallen from a tree at the entrance to Whitehead Park, east-side. The “American Robin” [Turdus migratorius] is actually a thrush not a robin [named for the English robin that it resembles]. In southern Canada, the first clutch [set of eggs] is laid late April or early May, commonly followed by a second clutch [even a third]; incubating around 12 days. So this is likely an egg fallen or taken from the nest by a predator. [notes from Hinterland Who’s Who, online]Skunk cabbage [Lysichiton americium]: wherever the leaves of this plant were available, they were used as wax paper by First Nations, for lining berry baskets, berry-drying racks and steaming pits. Rarely used as food, it was mostly a famine food in early spring, and eaten only after streaming or roasting. [notes from Plants of Coastal BC by Pojar & MacKinnon]
April 14/ 2025
The Yellow pond-lily pads [Nuphar polysepalum] are coming up. We lay cardboard along the trails first.And then cover with wood chips. This Skunk cabbage has migrated itself from the east-side of Tod Creek. Our only, so far, Whitehead Park west-side Lysichiton americium.
April 21st, 2025 Easter Monday, so no work today, just a quick visit.
Maybe this fat snake was run over. Someone placed him/ her on one of the wood stumps.
April 28th, 2025
Compared with two weeks ago, the Yellow pond-lily are filling in Tod Creek. Giant horsetail, common name.Equisetum telmateia, scientific name. Western serviceberry aka Saskatoon berry, common names.Amelanchier alnifolia, Latin or scientific name.
May 5th, 2025
Spring moving into summer and the aquatic plants are blooming.As always, our weekly water gauge reading.Fringecup [Tellima grandiflora] is blooming along the trail east-side of Tod Creek. The very fragrant flowers are perennial, growing to 40 to 80 cm tall. Audrey: another beautiful, fragrant flower, is found Mondays on all the trails at Whitehead Park.
May 19th, 2025
May 26th/ 2025
The one lilies, native & introduced, are about to meet in the middle of the creek, as it empties into Tod Creek.Water gauge reading.The plants are also about to meet in the middle of the trails.We trim as much as possible, keeping the trails user friendly.Today’s crew: Kitty & Audrey, Lori as photographer.
June 2nd/ 2025
Water gauge reading.Kitty at the end of an overgrowing trail. Katie, our Pulling Together Coordinator, joined us today. Back at Mary’s for a birthday celebration: Kitty, Michael, Mary and Winona…with Bernie, Audrey and Katie.
June 9th/ 2025
Moses, Saanich worker, stopped by to check out Whitehead Park and the playground. Here with Kitty, Winona and Falon. Red-winged Blackbird [Agelaius phoeniceus] creekside.
