Nature Vancouver is an ecological organization based in Vancouver, BC. Every summer it runs a camp of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including botanists and birders. In 2008, the camp was held in Smithers, BC, about 1200 km north of Vancouver. This web page shows some of the scenery and wildflowers we saw in the mountains and meadows around Smithers.
In the morning of Day #1, we were led to the ski hills just south of Smithers by Rosamund Pojar, a local naturalist who had contributed to the well-known flower book listed at the bottom. We were able to drive quite high, to the bottom of the ski lifts, so we did not have to hike far to get to the flowers. Indeed, the flowers started only a few minutes away, and the tree line was reached in less than a half hour -- a gentle ramble through the wildflowers. The WGS84 coordinates of the parking area are 54o 46' 5" North, 127o 16' 48" West.
Please scroll down to see the photos.
Click here
to see wildflowers of other days of the VNHS Summer Camp.
Click here for Google Earth tour of the hike
Open the .kmz file with Google Earth (a free program).
Highlight the .kmz file under "Temporary Places" near the bottom of the
left-hand "Places" panel.
Then press Ctrl-Alt-P to play the tour or click the right arrow just underneath.
Google Earth image of Smithers, showing the ski hills and Crater Lake above.
The Driftwood Lodge, our home for the week, with Hudsons Bay mountain behind.
Photo # Time Plant Name
#8365 10:45
Purple Fleabane - Erigeron peregrinus - P. 120
#8381 10:45
Small-flowered Paintbrush - Castilleja parviflora - P. 187
#8384 10:45
Rosamund leading her flock of wildflower enthusiasts up the Smithers Ski Hill.
#8385 10:45
Telkwa Mountains to the south.
#8390 10:45
Alpine Speedwell - Veronica wormskjoldii - P. 195
#8391 10:40
Inky Gentian - Gentiana glauca - P. 216
#8414 10:45
On the plateau looking up to the south peak of Hudsons Bay mountain.
#8418 10:45
Mountain Harebell - Campanula lasiocarpa - P. 222
#8429 10:45
Roseroot - Sedum integrifolium - P. 207
#8444 10:45
Crater Lake at the end of the plateau on Hudsons Bay mountain.
#8460 10:58
Marsh Marigold - Caltha leptosepala - P. 150
#8467 10:58
Mountain Forget-me-not - Myosotis alpestris - P. 218
#8469 10:58
Yellow Mountain-Heather - Cassiope ??? - P. 80
#8482 10:58
Mountain Monkshood - Aconitum delphiniifolium- P. 154
#8478 11:10
Looking east over the Bulkley Valley and the Babine Mountains.
#8521 10:54
Purple Fleabane - Erigeron peregrinus - P. 120
#8525 10:54
Wendy Hutcheon relaxing after the hike.
Many thanks to RP for checking the identification
of the plants.
If you know of any other mislabeled plants, please let me know
(please refer to the number above each photo).
Reference pages are taken from:
"Plants of Northern British Columbia", Second edition,
by Mackinnon, Pojar and Coupe.
Lone Pine Publishing, Vancouver, BC, 1999.