ABNC’s Grassland Blog Series

The Awakening of our Grasslands

Written by Harold Sellers

With the arrival of Spring, the grasslands of British Columbia undergo a dramatic transformation.

Colour — other than the white of snow or the brown of dormant vegetation — returns to the land. First it is green and before long we see yellows, whites and blues, as various plants flower.

The yellow of the Arrow-leaved Balsamroot will be the first that our eyes take note of. Soon that will be followed by the white blossoms of Saskatoon bushes. Then in May we’ll see the blue flowers of lupine added to the mix.

Sound and movement also return to the grasslands.

Here in the North Okanagan we will hear the songs of many species of birds that have returned from their winter retreats. Meadowlarks, Savannah Sparrows, orioles, Lazuli Buntings, and many others.

Moving about at ground level will be insects and reptiles that make their homes in our grasslands. Maybe we’ll be fortunate enough to see the Yellow-bellied Racer or the Great Basin Gopher Snake.

Once awakened by Spring the grasslands will remain alive and full of fascinating discoveries for several months to come.

Don’t pass up any opportunity to look…pause for a while and enjoy.

It has been said that Harold Sellers is the bedrock of numerous environmental societies throughout the city.

“He is always inspiring, committed, patient, caring and humble,” said Roseanne Van Ee. “A common refrain from people who meet Harold is ‘how does he have time to do all of these things!’”

Sellers, who is presently retired, lends his expertise to the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society (chairman and the former general manager), North Okanagan Naturalist Club (executive and president), B.C. Nature (vice president), Ribbons of Green Trails Society (president and executive) and Friends of Kal Park (president and director). In addition, Sellers is a director and editor for the B.C. Bluebird Society, where he monitors a bluebird box trail near Predator Ridge and is a director of the North American Bluebird Society.

Harold is an outstanding asset to Vernon and beyond.