Forest Treasures for Rainy Days

Ask anyone--this summer has been less glorious than we had hoped. Here in Victoria, not once did the thermostats break 30 degrees, not once did we need our fans. Our camping trips were plagued with rain and the sweaters we reluctantly brought along we used each day, sometimes all day.

But along with the cool wet summer came some unexpected beauty in the forest. Instead of lolling lakeside, reading magazines and eating chips as we normally would, this summer we spent more time than usual in the forest, and my kids with their keen eyes spotted all kinds of treasures. We had a lot of fun and hardly missed the beach on those rainy days.

I am continually amazed at the deep and intricate beauty of the west coast forest, impossible to create by hand in ones own garden, and so easily gone unnoticed by most of us.

Here are a few of my favourite plants and mushrooms that this cool and cloudy summer brought to our attention as we hiked along.

This is a Jellied False Coral that we spotted beside a tiny forest path in Morton Lake Provincial Park. It is edible and appears from July-November.


A Scaly Vase Chanterelle on the West Coast Trail near Pachena Bay. This too is edible but not recommended.







A Gnome Plant (Hemitomes congestum) that the kids spotted in Morton Park.







This nodding beauty is called Pinesap (Hypopitys monotropa), and we discovered it in Morton Lake Park as well. It grows under pine trees and actually saps their juices to grow.


The overall favourite discovery of the summer is the tiny Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia). It is mightier than it appears, as it is the area's only carniverous plant. It lives at the edges of ponds, bogs, fens and wet meadows, catching mosquitoes, midges and gnats that fly into its sticky traps. We found it at a few different small lakes this summer, and its discovery has led my eldest to begin his own collection of carniverous plants.

The Round-leaved Sundew was called 'Many Hearts' by the Haida people, and was taken along on fishing excursions for good luck. It was also used to remove warts, cure cheeses, as an antibiotic, and to treat tuberculosis, asthma, bronchitis and coughs. Some plant!