Nova Scotia Wild Flora Society

Photo François Rochette

Jeremy Lundholm will be leading a nature hike to West Head on Saturday June 28. We will meet at the parking lot at the end of the road at 10:30AM. Location on Google Maps is 43.662407, -65.128822.

There will be the opportunity to car pool from the Museum of Natural History parking lot, leaving at 8:00AM. Other people are also informally arranging rides. If you are able to offer a lift or need a lift, please let us know.

We will explore the barrens and shoreline plant communities at West Head, south of Lockeport, newly acquired by the Nature Conservancy. There are several types of shrubland barrens vegetation, as well as some dwarf heath (black crowberry), coastal meadow and cobble shoreline communities. We will conduct an inventory and see if we can add some species to the plant list. We are likely to see orchids in flower (no guarantees!), including Grass Pink, Rose Pogonia, Club Spur Orchid, Small Purple Fringed Orchid and Ragged Fringed Orchid. One of our members, Joanne Cormier, has mentioned that we shouldn’t be surprised to see Storm Petrel wing tips. Owls hang out there for a petrel party, when the Leach’s Storm Petrels are coming off the sea en route to Bon Portage.

It’s approximately a 1 km hike to the tip of the headland. Trail conditions are somewhat rugged and could be wet. Bring lunch and water, and be prepared for ticks!

Please contact us at novascotiawildflora@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

NCC West Head Plant List

Lyonia ligustrina   Photo: Jennifer Clifford – iNaturalist

Coreopsis rosea    Photo: Bob Kennedy

Lyonia ligustrina is commonly known as Maleberry or, on iNaturalist as He-Huckleberry. It is related to blueberries and huckleberries, but is extremely rare in Canada. In fact there is only one know site which is about 40 minutes outside Yarmouth. Several members have been to see the plant, but not when it has been in bloom – so this is a field trip to the known site to try to find it in bloom. We will start the hike at 10:00am on Saturday July 19 at a location to be announced near the site. It is suggested that people travelling a distance stay overnight at the Comfort Inn in Yarmouth on July 18 (or another place of your choosing).

A second trip is also planned in August to Wilson’s Lake and other nearby sites to view some of the Coastal Plains Flora unique to southwest Nova Scotia. Many of these should be in full bloom – including the very rare Rose Coreopsis. Because of requests to do it on a weekend, it has been moved to Aug 15-17. If you wish to participate in either trip, please contact us at novascotiawildflora@gmail.com for more details

These are some pictures taken on the hike by Steven McGrath :

Near Uisge Bàn Falls Provincial Park there is a large colony (over 400 plants) of Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus). No one knows how it got there, though I heard one credible tale that a Swiss couple living in the remote region over 100 years ago may have introduced it  as a garden plant. The next nearest natural occurence on iNaturalist is in Montana, nearly 4700km away – although there is one occurence escaped from cultivation near Economy, NS and a couple in the Northeast US.

NSWFS Jeff White and Bethsheila Kent will be leading a hike to see these plants in the afternoon of Friday May 9. The location is outside of Baddeck, Cape Breton. If you wish to participate in this hike, please contact Bethsheila Kent directly mombird48@gmail.com. She can recommend accommodation in the area if you wish to stay overnight. Check with Bethsheila first, but I believe it is a fairly easy walk to the site.