Download bog laurel - Strathcona Park Lodge

BOG LAUREL
SUNDEW
Look
This shrub grows all over the bog. It is difficult to
identify this shrub because it looks like a different
shrub that also grows in the bog.
Look
This plant is very little. Look for it beside the
boardwalk and at the end of the bog. Get down on
your hands and knees to find this plant.
It’s Cool
Bog Laurel is very poisonous. It contains the poison
andromedotoxin, which lowers blood pressure and
causes breathing problems, dizziness, cramps,
vomiting, and diarrhea. The first nations would drink
a tea of these leaves to commit suicide.
It’s Cool
This plant traps and eats insects!! Each leaf had
modified hairs tipped with drops of sticky fluid.
Unsuspecting insects become trapped in the glue.
The leaf folds around the struggling insect, then
digestive enzymes dissolve the insect, giving the
plant the nutrients it needs to survive.
Check it out
1. The leaves grow in which direction?
2. Describe the leaves.
3. Describe the underside of the leaves.
4. Do the leaves smell?
5. Are there flowers? What colour are the
flowers?
Check it out
1. What colour are the “hairs” on the leaves?
2. How big are the leaves?
3. How many “hairs” are on one leaf?
4. Can you find a leaf that is digesting an
insect?
LABRADOR TEA
SPHAGNUM MOSS
Look
This is the most abundant shrub in the whole bog.
Find your instructor to make sure you have identified
the plant correctly.
Look
An incredible carpet of sphagnum moss covers the
entire bog. Bacteria cannot decay the dead moss,
thus there are many layers of dead moss, or peat
moss, below the layers of living moss. Watch out for
BOG MUMMIES!
It’s Cool
Labrador tea leaves contain high concentrations of
vitamin C. The leaves, used by First Nations peoples
and settlers, can be brewed to make a pleasant tea. Be
careful not to confuse this plant with bog laurel,
which is poisonous.
Check it out
1. Does it have flowers?
2. Describe the leaves.
3. Describe the underside of the leaves.
4. Do the leaves smell good?
5. How do the leaves taste?
It’s Cool
Sphagnum moss is incredibly absorbent and is
considered sterile. The First Nations people used
sphagnum moss in diapers, and during the First
World War it was used as an absorbent dressing for
wounded soldiers. It is also believed to have
antibiotic properties. Sphagnum moss grows layer
upon layer to form a giant floating carpet that
creates the foundation for the rest of the bog’s plant
life.
Check it out
1. Can you fid some exposed sphagnum moss?
2. How does the moss taste?
3. How many colours of moss can you see?
4. How much water comes out of a handful of
squeezed sphagnum moss?
OREGON GRAPE
Look
Bend over and look for this evergreen shrub on the
forest floor. Look for dark green “holly-like” leaves.
It’s Cool
The tart, purple berries of Oregon Grape can be eaten.
They are often mixed with sweeter berries to make
jams, jellies, and even wine. The shredded bark of the
stems and roots can be used to make a bright yellow
dye. The bark and berries can be used medicinally for
liver, gall-bladder and eye problems.
Check it out
1. What colour are the flowers?
2. What do the leaves feel like?
3. Is there a difference between the leaves in the
spring and the leaves in the fall?
4. How do the berries taste?
ALDER
Look
These sun-loving, deciduous trees have smooth, thin,
grey bark, which is often covered with white patches
of lichens.
It’s Cool
Alders have a symbiotic relationship with
actinimycete bacteria, which takes nitrogen from the
air and “fixes” it in a form useful for plants. In our
region, nitrogen is usually the nutrient most limiting
plant growth, alder stands can contribute up to
320kg/ha of nitrogen per year. Alder wood is also
considered to be the best possible fuel for smoking
salmon. A solution of the bark was used against
tuberculosis and other respiratory ailments.
Check it out
1. What to the leaves feel like?
2. How big are the cones?
3. Do they change throughout the seasons?
4. Where are alders most often found on the bog
walk?
WESTERN RED CEDAR
Look
Look way up for the recognizable leave and bark of
this Tree of Life! Notice the droopy branches and the
scale-like “needles” that have a distinctive smell.
It’s Cool
Western Red Cedar is BC’s provincial tree, and can
be considered the cornerstone of the northwest coast
First Nations culture. The easily split, rot-resistant
wood could be use to make just about everything:
dugout canoes, house planks, totem poles, baskets,
clothing, and hats! First Nations people could even
harvest bark and boards from standing trees without
harming them.
Check it out
1. Describe the needles and bark of the tree.
2. What does this tree smell like?
3. What else do you know about this Tree of
Life?
WESTERN HEMLOCK
Look
Hemlock trees have graceful, down-sweeping
branches; rough, reddish brown bark; and a
conspicuously drooping top. The needles are short
and flat, irregularly spaces, and of unequal length.
It’s Cool
Western Hemlock will only grow on sites with
significant organic content in the soil. It has the
densest canopy of any tree species in the west, so
few understory plants can grow under it. Its bark has
a high tannin content and can be used for tanning
hides and soaking spruce-root baskets to make them
watertight. Local First Nations people steeped the
bark in urine to make black dye.
Check it out
1. What do the needles taste like?
2. How big are the cones?
3. How many cones can you count on one
western hemlock tree?
DOUGLAS FIR
Look
Douglas Fir trees have thick, rough bark. Look down
at your feet to find Douglas fir cones to help you
identify this huge tree.
It’s Cool
Douglas fir trees can live for over a thousand years!
Many old growth forests contain giant Douglas fir
trees that have survived forest fires because of their
fire resistant bark. Look to old standing dead Douglas
firs as a source for pitch sticks – excellent fire starting
material! The pitch (or sap) can also be used as a
medicinal salve for wounds and skin irritations.
Check it out
1. What do the needles feel like?
2. What do the cones look like?
3. How thick is the bark?
4. How many Douglas Firs can you count along
the bog walk trail?
SWORD FERN
Look
This evergreen fern can grow up to 1.5 m tall, with
large, erect leaves. Look for the shape of a swords
hilt at the base of the leaf near the stem to identify
this plant.
It’s Cool
Sword fern leaves were used by northwest coast
people as a protective layer in traditional pit ovens,
in storage boxes, baskets, and on berry-drying racks.
The leaves were also used for bedding. This fern
grows on a rhizome, which could be cooked and
eaten as a cure for diarrhea.
Check it out
1. What do the leaves look like in the spring?
2. How many shoots grow from each plant?
3. Who can find the tallest sword fern plant on
the bog walk trail?
BRACKEN FERN
SALAL
Look
Bracken fern have large, solitary fronds that can grow
from 3 to 5 m in height. The leaflets grow in 10 or
more opposite pairs, the lowest broadly triangular, the
upper ones progressively smaller and lance-shaped.
Look
Salal is an evergreen with thick, leathery, eggshaped leaves. The flowers are white or pinkish and
turn into reddish-blue to dark-purple berries.
It’s Cool
Bracken fern is the world’s most widespread fern.
Dried, brown bracken fern makes great tinder for
starting fires! The rhizomes of this fern can be roasted
and eaten. If you do eat bracken fern, be careful. Eat it
in small amounts because it has been implicated in
livestock poisoning and stomach cancer.
It’s Cool
Salal is one of the most common forest understory
shrubs in our region. In some areas of the coast it
can form an impenetrable thicket. The dark, juicy
berries were a plentiful and important fruit for the
First Nations people. Salal pickers can earn a lot of
money from florists. Salal is used a decorative
greens in flower arrangements.
Check it out
1. Do you see more dead bracken fern than live
bracken fern?
2. Where on the bog walk trail do you see the
most bracken fern?
Check it out
1. What do the leaves feel like?
2. What to the berries taste like?
3. Would a salal leaf make good natural toilet
paper?
BOG CRANBERRY
Look
This plant is tiny! Look for a trailing plant on the
moss in the bog.
It’s Cool
This delicate bog plant has existed for several million
years! The cranberries grow on the end and taste tart.
Cooking and sweetening help. Besides providing food
for birds, bears, and humans, cranberries are also a
natural red dye.
Check it out
1. What is the longest stem you can find?
2. Are there any berries? Any old berries from
last year?
3. Are there flowers? What colour?
4. What colour are the leaves?
5. Which way do the leaf edges roll?
NURSERY LOG
Look
Nursery logs are rotting fallen down trees that make
a nutritious nursery for young saplings, shrubs,
ferns, and fungi. Look for moss covered tree trunks
on the forest floor.
It’s Cool
As a fallen log decays its nutrients “leak” into the
surrounding soil. As other plants start growing on it
the fallen log becomes the perfect seedbed for the
big conifers in the temperate rainforest. As the log
rots away the root systems of the new trees create
cool looking archways and even more habitat for
plants and animals in the forest.
Check it out
1. Can you find any nurse logs along the bog
walk trail?
2. Can you find any standing trees that may
have at one time been nursed by another
tree?
BIGLEAF MAPLE
BIGLEAF MAPLE
Look
It has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 1530 cm across. Its greyish-brown bark becomes
shallowly grooved when older often draped in moss,
as the bark is rich in calcium and moisture.
Look
It has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 1530 cm across. Its greyish-brown bark becomes
shallowly grooved when older often draped in moss,
as the bark is rich in calcium and moisture.
It’s Cool
Coastal peoples used Bigleaf Maple wood to make
dishes, pipes and hooks for clothing. Many groups
who made paddles out of the wood called it the
paddle tree. They used the inner bark to make baskets
and rope. Because of its close grain and moderate
hardness, maple wood is used commercially for
furniture, interior finishing, and musical instruments.
The sap has low sugar content, requiring a large
quantity of sap to make a small amount of syrup.
It’s Cool
Coastal peoples used Bigleaf Maple wood to make
dishes, pipes and hooks for clothing. Many groups
who made paddles out of the wood called it the
paddle tree. They used the inner bark to make baskets
and rope. Because of its close grain and moderate
hardness, maple wood is used commercially for
furniture, interior finishing, and musical instruments.
The sap has low sugar content, requiring a large
quantity of sap to make a small amount of syrup.
Check it out
1. Where have you seen the leaves before?
2. Do they change throughout the year?
3. Where are the Maples found on the walk?
Check it out
1. Where have you seen the leaves before?
2. Do they change throughout the year?
3. Where are the Maples found on the walk?
BIGLEAF MAPLE
BIGLEAF MAPLE
Look
It has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 1530 cm across. Its greyish-brown bark becomes
shallowly grooved when older often draped in moss,
as the bark is rich in calcium and moisture.
Look
It has the largest leaves of any maple, typically 1530 cm across. Its greyish-brown bark becomes
shallowly grooved when older often draped in moss,
as the bark is rich in calcium and moisture.
It’s Cool
Coastal peoples used Bigleaf Maple wood to make
dishes, pipes and hooks for clothing. Many groups
who made paddles out of the wood called it the
paddle tree. They used the inner bark to make baskets
and rope. Because of its close grain and moderate
hardness, maple wood is used commercially for
furniture, interior finishing, and musical instruments.
The sap has low sugar content, requiring a large
quantity of sap to make a small amount of syrup.
It’s Cool
Coastal peoples used Bigleaf Maple wood to make
dishes, pipes and hooks for clothing. Many groups
who made paddles out of the wood called it the
paddle tree. They used the inner bark to make baskets
and rope. Because of its close grain and moderate
hardness, maple wood is used commercially for
furniture, interior finishing, and musical instruments.
The sap has low sugar content, requiring a large
quantity of sap to make a small amount of syrup.
Check it out
1. Where have you seen the leaves before?
2. Do they change throughout the year?
3. Where are the Maples found on the walk?
Check it out
1. Where have you seen the leaves before?
2. Do they change throughout the year?
3. Where are the Maples found on the walk?