Nature Vancouver is an ecological organization based in Vancouver, BC. Every summer it runs a camp of interest to outdoor enthusiasts, including hikers, 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 #6, we drove up the Telkwa Microwave Road,
having been shown the way by Jim Pojar.
The WGS84 coordinates of the parking area are 54o 39' 56.4" North,
127o 23' 48.8" West, just past the Microwave Tower.
Please scroll down to see the photos.
Click here
to see wildflowers of other days of the VNHS Summer Camp.
Click here for the Google Earth tour of the
access road and 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 the ridge walk above the Telkwa Microwave Tower.
Photo # Time Plant Name
Reference
#9087 11:03
One-Sided Wintergreen - Orthilia secunda - P. 183
#9089 11:05 Red Pyxie-Cup (British Soldier Lichen)
- Cladonia borealis - P. 333
#9090 11:06
White Mountain-Heather - Cassiope mertensiana - P. 80
#9098 11:21
A bit of mist in the air and mud on the road, but not enough to bother us.
#9099 11:21
The clouds broke a few times to give us views of the Telkwa Mountains to the west.
#9103 11:27
Bird's-Beak Lousewort - Pedicularis ornithorhyncha - P. 191
#9104 11:30
A strange circular pattern in the pond.
#9107 11:33
Arctic Lupine with an interesting colour pattern - Lupinus arcticus - P. 170
#9109 11:44
Partridgefoot - Luetkea pectinata - P. 81
#9112 11:48
The big three - paintbrush, fleabane and lupines.
#9120 12:10
The meadows go on and on.
#9123 12:31
Lunch among the heather.
#9129 13:07
Our guide, Ian. This is as far as we got, as the road turned downhill
a bit (see Waypoint 182 D).
#9133 13:25
Lupines are very good at collecting water!
#9134 13:28
The rest of the ridge, with Hudsons Bay Mountain in the background.
#9135 13:29
Purple fleabane - Erigeron xxx - P. 120
#9140 13:33
Big and little-flowered paintbrush.
#9145 13:53
At last, a bit of sun!
#9146 19:57
David Foreman saying thanks and goodbye to our cooks, Jane and Olida,
and our hostess, Gabi Gust.
Many thanks to XX for checking the identification
of the plants.
If you know of any 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.