Category Archives: Naturalist Posts

Alaska Rein Orchid

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

It is always enjoyable to share a new discovery even if it is a common thing that one should have seen before now. I was doing some recent field work south of Merritt in Douglas Fir forests. I was with botanist Kristi Iverson as I was nosing around in the understory of pinegrass (Calamagrostis rubescens.) I noticed several individual stalks of a tall, slender orchid that was unfamiliar to me, but Kristi quickly identified it as the Alaska rein-orchid (Piperia unalascensis) and introduced me to its delightful scent. You have … Continue reading →

Club Members Pulled Burdock At McArthur Island

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

Submitted by Margaret Graham. Photos by Adele Stapleton and Richard Doucette A group of 10 club members answered the call to pull the common burdock (Arctium minus) around the Nature Walk at McArthur Island. A variety of tools were used to remove the deep-rooted plants and we filled a number of large garbage bags in a couple of hours, finishing just before the rain started. In the holes left by the burdock, Jesse Ritcey planted some little tarragon plants (Artemisia dracunculus) which is the host plant for a type of … Continue reading →

Cottonwood Leaf Beetle

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

I was walking the McArthur Island Golf Course with Jesse Ritcey and Rick Tucker today. In various places, we noticed some well-marked, roundish beetles on deer-browsed shrubs and cottonwood saplings. Some beetles were singles while others were mating. I took some photos which allowed me to identify them as Cottonwood Leaf Beetles (Chrysomela confluens.) A Google search found a few brief notes about them. The colour pattern in my photo is one of two forms, the other being dark, iridescent purple-brown. As you can see, the pronotum is black with … Continue reading →

Featured Post #1

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

The photos on this page were taken by Glenn Dreger and shared with Kamloops Naturalist Club in June 2018.   To see the caption of any image, hover your cursor over the image.   For a full-sized photo, double click it.   Our thanks to Glenn Dreger for his permission to share the images on the KNC website.

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Field Trip to Lac Du Bois and Isobel Lake

Kamloops Naturalist Club Posted on by

Contributed by Ellie Hill & Margaret Graham with photos by Adele Stapleton and plant identification by Jesse Ritcey Cooler weather prevailed as our Naturalist Club group ventured forth on Sunday, June 3 to explore the grasslands of Lac Du Bois, hoping for a day of glorious scenery, vibrant wildflowers, and cooperative birds. As always, the area did not disappoint and as we stopped at roadside ponds and lakes we saw a variety of birds, including common loon, red-necked grebe, lesser scaup, ruddy duck, northern shoveler, American wigeon, gadwall, bufflehead, Barrow’s … Continue reading →