DeMamiel Creek Covenant: Mint, Mushrooms and Maples

TLC’s DeMamiel Creek Covenant, located off of Otter Point Road in Sooke. Photo Credit Torrey Archer.

One of the most beautiful covenants visited this summer was DeMamiel Creek, located off of Otter Point Road in Sooke. Multiple covenants along the creek comprise approximately 8 hectares in total, which covers portions of both DeMamiel and Rocky creeks.

TLC staff member Torrey Archer and volunteer Sophia Mayen spent a beautiful, hot, sunny day walking the creek beds in search of invasive species or evidence of ecosystem degradation. Due to this year’s dry summer, much of the creek bed was dry. However, there were many sections that still had up to 4 feet of water for the countless salmon fry to survive in.

Among the salmon fry were many caddis fly larvae, which build themselves portable shelters much like hermit crabs. They can be seen clinging to the rocks and debris within the creek and resemble walking twigs. Other interesting fauna seen included: a dead, dry, mostly hollow, wingless dragonfly, somehow stuck to the side of a dry rock; a dead garter snake; a brown slug, and a few Northern red-legged frogs (Rana aurora) which are blue-listed in BC as a Special Concern species.

Northern red-legged frogs have declined in some parts of their range due to habitat degradation, agriculture, urban development and forestry. Competition from introduced green frogs, bullfrogs and predatory fish has also been a factor. Northern red-legged frogs are nationally listed as Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and they are on the provincial Blue List. Due to this, it is wonderful to have spotted them at De Mamiel Creek! You can read more about the red-legged frog on the B.C. Frogwatch Program website.

Along the drier portions of the creek, Torrey and Sophia found at least two different species of mint growing thickly together with hedge nettle. Hedge nettle, as previously reported, is a cousin to stinging nettle, but thankfully it doesn’t boast the trichomes, or stinging hairs, that give stinging nettle it’s name and reputation! Torrey and Sophia dodged a bullet that day as they had both chosen to wear shorts to beat the heat. It would have been a different day altogether if that hedge nettle were stinging nettle! One of the mint species was identified as watermint (Mentha aquatica), which as its name suggests is found along the shallow margins and channels of streams, rivers, wet meadows, and marshes. All parts of the plant have a characteristic “minty” smell, and the leaves can be dried and used as a medicinal tea. Watermint also hybridizes with spearmint (Mentha spicata) to produce the sterile hybrid peppermint (Mentha x piperita).

TLC’s Covenant Coordinator Torrey at DeMamiel Creek Covenant. Photo Credit Sophia Mayen.

After revelling in the wonderful scent of so much wild mint, the two monitors continued along the stream. Multiple old-growth stumps were visible from the creek bed, as were veteran logs that had toppled over across the creek long ago, and now hosted trees of their own! One especially large fallen tree was subject to many photos, but they just don’t do it justice.

Due to the moisture present near the creek, a few different types of mushrooms were seen fruiting. These included bracket fungi (aka conks), oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus), and turkey tails (Trametes versicolor) which all grow on dead wood. Turkey tails have shown to be medicinally active, with numerous in vitro and in vivo studies showing enhancement of immune functions, antiviral effects, and cholesterol-regulating effects, among others.

As always, Sophia and Torrey kept a close eye out for garbage but they didn’t see any at De Mamiel Creek aside from a rusty old hand saw that had been jammed into the rocks of the creek. Sophia posed as a logger before stowing the saw in a backpack and the two moved on.

At the end of the day Torrey and Sophia couldn’t resist trying out two swings that had been attached to a log which had fallen across the creek – since their feet were already wet from traversing the creek, why not enjoy the swings! It was a beautiful way to end a magical monitoring day.

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