Monitoring Mt. Work: Garter Snakes and Downy Rattlesnake Plantain

Tiny orchid in the Kinghorn covenant area.
Photo credit Torrey Archer.

TLC returned to the Mt. Work region this week, covering both the Kinghorn and Mt. Work-Thetis Connector covenants. The crew hiked through classic Douglas-fir forest, riddled with arbutus trees and towers of oceanspray in full bloom. Along the way they found copious amounts of fertilized coralroot orchid, including the largest and oldest one seen yet! Each one of the pods contains millions of seeds. When they’re ready to disperse they explode, being carried on the wind to hopefully even greener pastures.

TLC staff and volunteers also found numerous downy rattlesnake plantain (Goodyera pubescens), which are members of the orchid family and are indicative of an undisturbed, healthy forest. Identifying species like these in the covenants is a very good sign! Not to be outdone by the rattlesnake plantain, we also spotted a tiny garter snake sunning itself on the path. It appeared to be really enjoying its spot, and was quite reluctant to move, providing us with a good photo op.

After reaching a summit in the Kinghorn covenant, the crew backtracked and went across the road to check out the Mt. Work-Thetis Connector parcel. While this region lies between houses, it is still a beautiful forest without many trails and therefore few disturbances. The only indicator of people having been there were the numerous horse droppings along the path – in some places, that’s all the path was! We refrained from taking a picture of that, so you’ll just have to take our word for it.

You can help TLC continue to protect important ecosystems across BC by supporting the monitoring and enforcement of our covenants. Please complete our online donation form to show your support today!