All things Natural Archives - Allan Brooks Nature Centre

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – May 14th, 2026

Okanagan's Nature Nut banner. A photo of Roseanne Van Ee in a circle frame on the left. The background images are a mix of different tones of green with a nature forest/mountain theme.

May 14th, 2026

Twisted Trees and Gnarly Branches

An exposed life isn’t easy. Some old trees in the Okanagan have twisted to survive environmental stress from strong prevailing winds and uneven sun exposure on steep, dry, or rocky terrain. This spiral growth strengthens the trunk, allowing it to flex rather than snap when high winds blow.

Key Reasons for Twisted Growth:
Wind and Sun: Exposed Okanagan conifers often experience strong winds from the west intensified along slopes or lakefronts. Because the south side of a tree receives more sun exposure (phototropism) over many decades it develops a larger, heavier crown. The westerly winds push against this uneven, heavy canopy encouraging fibres to align diagonally forming a spiral grain, thus forcing the tree to twist as it grows.

Reaction Wood: Some trees growing on steep slopes, rocky outcrops, in unstable soil or having lost a major limb, produce “reaction wood” to rebalance themselves for better resilience resulting in uneven, spiral growth.

Adaptation to Harsh Environments: The Okanagan’s arid climate with hot summers, and dry winters can stress a tree, forcing it to develop these adaptive structural patterns to survive. Along treeline ridges and in upper elevations, constant wind stunts vertical growth and forces a gnarled, twisted “ krummholz ” shape.

Internal Water Distribution and Flexibility: This growth pattern acts as a structural adaptation, strengthening the trunk and improving nutrient distribution. It allows ancient, slow-growing coniferous trees to occasionally survive for centuries. These twisted trunks reveal the tree’s lifetime struggle against harsh environmental factors. It lays down extra wood on one side of the trunk year after year to stay upright. This develops a spiral grain resulting in a gradual twist which acts as a corkscrew, making the tree more flexible and less likely to snap compared to straight-grained trees. Sometimes genetics adds to the effect, or early damage, grazing, or competition for light forces the tree to twist as it reaches upwards. Over decades, that uneven growth creates a twisted trunk rather than a straight column. What looks chaotic is really a series of slow, adaptive growth patterns made over a lifetime. So this dramatic look is actually a sign of resilience and good engineering.

The oldest known native juniper tree in the Okanagan is an iconic, ancient Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus
scopulorum) growing on a remote rocky outcrop in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park. This twisted landmark clings to a rocky hillside overlooking spectacular Kalamalka Lake. It’s cherished for its extreme age (350+ years), resilience, and scenic backdrop. It is a notable landmark for hikers, photographers and artists visiting the park.

Another amazingly bizarre growth strategy seen in Okanagan conifers are the gnarled branches of “porcupine trees”. Porcupines sometimes climb a tree to “girdle” or strip the bark off around its trunk to eat the sweet and nutritious cambium layer. This stops the transfer of water and minerals up the trunk. But one or two of its highest limbs below the strip may grow up as new leader trunks.

Look for these odd trees when hiking and enjoy finding them. Think about what happened and marvel at their survival adaptations.

The ancient Rocky Mountain Juniper tree in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.

-Photo by Amanda Smith.

The gnarliest Ponderosa Pine I’ve ever seen. Porcupines must love it. Plus it grows at the top of a steep slope.

-Photo by Roseanne Van Ee.

Roseanne is a long-time professional naturalist and eco-tour guide who delights in sharing and celebrating our amazing natural environment. Her desire is that you get out to enjoy and understand our fascinating natural world. Roseanne is locally renowned from her many years as a BC Parks naturalist, newspaper columnist, Allan Brooks Nature Centre founder, and environmental & outdoor ed trainer for teachers and leaders and as an ecotour guide. With an extensive background combining Environmental Sciences and Recreation and Education, she shares her wealth of knowledge and skills in helping others to discover our natural world in a fun and informative field trips, summer camps or other public event tours. She is always happy to answer any questions or have a chat about our ecosystems!

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – February 11, 2026

February 11th, 2026

Love Medicines

Valentines Day is just around the corner.
Historically, the Okanagan Indian/First Nations People concocted an interesting variety of “love medicines” from local native plants. These medicines fell into three categories:
1 medicines to gain love
2 medicines for loving
3 medicines for regaining love

***warning: do not try preparing or ingesting any of the following:

Arnica (A. cordifolia & A. latifolia) M
Men would mix the roots of Arnica with a Robin’s (or swallow’s) heart and tongue and ochre paint (a rock mineral). This mixture was dried and powdered. A “charming” man would walk into water (a creek or lake) facing East and recite certain words including the name of his desired woman while marking his face with the powdered mixture.

Mountain Valerian (possibly – Valeriana sitchensis) M & F
The Valerian stalk was pounded up with a hummingbird’s heart to make a strong love potion for men and women.

A Milkweed-like plant (unknown) M or F
This kept newlyweds together. Two leaves were placed together, parched and powdered. Typically the wife (or occasionally the husband) kept the powder in a small pouch. Elders interviewed for this research said, “ Usually, it was the women who had to look out for these things.”

Rosy Pussytoes (Antennaria rosea) M
Leaves of the lowland variety were chewed and swallowed to increase male virility.

Spreading Dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium) M & F
This was a strong aphrodisiac. The leaves were chewed and the juice and pulp swallowed. It acts within half an hour and is highly effective! Or, the leaves were dried to a crisp, crushed then smoked directly, making it even more potent!

Bedstraw (Galvin aparine) M & F
People wouldn’t play around with bedstraw. If so, brothers and sisters would keep on dying and they would have to marry their spouses (as was the custom).

Pineapple Weed (Matricaria matricarioides) M & F
This kept loved ones (including relatives) from going away. Flower heads were mixed with a combination of one’s own hair and the loved one(s) and buried on the “charmer’s” property.

Three-flowered Avens (Geum triflorum) F
These roots were steeped in hot water and drunk by women as a love potion to win back the affections of a man who no longer cared for her.

A Wild Morning Glory-like Plant (unknown) F
This was gathered by women, whose husband had just taken another wife, to break up the second union (if unwanted) and retain his love and affection for herself. She would take one of the new wife’s possessions (ie. Something she chewed, wore or had contact with), sprinkle with powder prepared from a single plant which has been parched, powdered and mixed with vermillion (ochre?) and placed in a buckskin bag. The possession was burned with the powder, bags and even the grinding rocks, or it was all set adrift in a stream. If followed correctly, the husband would soon break up with his second wife.

The same plant dug along its entire root complex and prepared differently would hold a family together and prevent dissension.

Information for this article was gathered from the Ethnobotany of the Okanagan-Colville Indians of British Columbia and Washington by Nancy Turner, Randy Bouchard and Dorothy Kennedy. 1980 Publisher: BC Provincial Museum Many of our modern pharmaceuticals originated or are still sourced from plants and fungi.

Yellow flowers bloom on the Arnica plant.

-Roseanne Van Ee photo

Pink & white star-shaped flowers bloom on the Milkweed plant.

-Roseanne Van Ee photo.

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – January 23rd, 2026

January 23rd, 2026

The Subnivean Wilderness

A whole new temporary ecosystem develops every winter wherever snow piles deeply enough to cover plants. It’s the subnivean (under snow) environment. High hills, subalpine mountain environments and northern BC reestablish subnivean worlds every November to April, and sometimes longer. In some places that’s half a year or more.

As snow falls and settles, it bends over grasses, shrubs and even young trees, and piles up on top creating a tunnelled network on the ground. The Earth is always giving off enough warmth to keep the ground air temperature above freezing. Imagine!; it could be -20C or colder outside, but remain a consistent +5C on the ground under the blanket of snow.

Mice and other small mammals live under this downy quilt of snow that shelters them from the cold above. The critters run around through their tunnelled habitat subsisting on lichens, seeds, fungi, plants, and some on stored food. Hawks can’t find the critters, so they migrate, but owls stay and listen. They can hear mice under half a metre of snow and dive down talons first to catch their prey. Coyotes can catch the scent of subnivean rodents. With a fierce pounce they dive into the snow muzzle first.

Snow weasels/ermine enter the subnivean network through holes beside shrubs and tree trunks to catch rodents. Spruce Grouse and Ptarmigans will dive into subnivean air pockets to keep warm, especially at night. By mid February the CO2 levels get high in these passageways and pockets, and the little critters come up and out occasionally for a breath of fresh air. Wouldn’t you know it; that’s just when male owls get busy supplying their ladies with food and furs.

Black Bears cozily hibernate under snow-covered fallen logs or against tree trunks with large, limber snow-covered branches that eventually close off the den once snow piles up.

Snowshoeing is a marvellous way to encounter this wild winter wonderland. Next time you’re out snowshoeing, see if you can identify the wildlife tracks. Look for subnivean world entry holes beside tree trunks or near bent over, snow-covered shrubs which look like bumps on the undulating snowy landscape. And realize there’s a whole busy community thriving under your trail.

If it’s warm enough, stay still for a few minutes. You may be lucky enough to catch some subnivean comings and goings. Bundle up and enjoy playing winter detective. Kids love this.

A female Spruce Grouse peeks out from a subnivean shelter on Silver Star.

-Roseanne Van Ee photo

A Black Bear is snuggled under snow covered logs on Silver Star.

-Roseanne Van Ee photo.

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – December 15th, 2025

December 15th, 2025

Our Native Christmas Tree

If you’re already familiar with Douglas-fir trees, then pass this on. It’s surprising how few people know our local native trees and plants, or even the wildlife that requires them.

Everyone living here should know this tree. Why? Because it’s the major species in our Okanagan/Shuswap forests and landscapes. And dead or alive, they’re important to our native wildlife. The Douglas-fir is economically valuable as the timber producing king of western North America. It’s also our typical, uncultivated, naturally fragrant Christmas tree. Do you have one?

You can often see it growing in a variety of forest types throughout BC. Here it grows from valley bottom up to the subalpine. Our mature Interior Douglas-fir trees grow 20–50 metres (70–150’) tall. Its leaves are flat, soft, individual needles 2-4cm (~1”) long, that completely encircle the branches. New spring growth on the branch tips stands out brightly. And as the trees grow they lose their lower branches.

The young trees’ bark is thin, smooth and grey with numerous resin blisters. On mature trees, usually exceeding 80 years, its thick and corky bark has distinctive vertical fissures caused by the growing tree’s gradual expansion. This thick bark makes the Douglas-fir quite fire-resistant. The female cones hang downwith scales overlapping distinctive long, three-pointed bracts which resemble the back half of a mouse with two feet and a tail. Take a look at one.

It’s Latin name Pseudotsuga menziezii means “false hemlock” in honour of Scottish naturalist-surgeon, Dr. Archibald Menzies, who accompanied Captain George Vancouver in 1791. Its common name honours another Scott, explorer-botanist, Sir David Douglas, from the 1890s. Our original native Okanagan people called it tsk’ilhp’s.

They ate its rare white crystalline sugar raw or mixed with black tree lichen or wild sunflower/Arrow-leaf Balsam Root seeds. The wood made teepee/lean-to poles and spear shafts. The boughs made roofing, bedding and flooring material. Today our homes are mostly framed with fir lumber and plywood.

Squirrels, mice and birds love the Douglas-fir seeds. Woodpeckers and other insectivores feast on spruce budworm, bark beetles and other insects attracted to these trees. Huge dead and dying Douglas-fir snags make fabulous Wildlife Tree habitats providing food, shelter, storage and cavity nesting. They also make awesome lookout perches and nesting trees for hawks, eagles, owls and osprey.

In moist forests, downed Douglas-firs become attractive nursing logs resembling fairytale woods for elves with mosses, lichens, mushrooms and tree sprouts. And you can often find large fir stumps in our forests; some with new trees growing up from them.

If you have a Douglas-fir tree in your yard – enjoy it and take care of it. They attract birds, add to your property value and can live for a few hundred years. Why not decorate your fir tree for Christmas instead of chopping one down. Or buy one from a local community group that trims under powerlines or on utility access areas for fundraising.

Now go outside and see if you can find a Douglas-fir tree. Can you see the mice hiding under the cone scales?

Can you see the mice hind legs and tails?

C

Save a tree by decorating a live Douglas-fir in your yard.

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – November 13th, 2025

Cloud Watching

Ever since working at the Allan Brooks Nature Centre long ago, I’ve been slowly learning about clouds. That knoll offers the most remarkable cloud watching opportunities I’ve ever seen. The site is really tantamount to weather experiencing opportunities. You can hear the rolling of a summer thunderstorm in one darkened, cloud-filled valley and turn to see the sun streaming down another clear valley. You can watch storms and cloud masses move around the whole Okanagan; in fact often all around the centre, but sometimes not over it. This is the “donut” phenomenon where the sun keeps on shining at the centre. Other days you could almost be blown off the knoll. You can close your eyes while standing there and feel the still air change to a breeze and back again in minutes while experiencing the air masses move by.

As a child, my brothers and I found funny, familiar animal shapes in clouds, usually giraffes, elephants and the like. I even distinctly saw an enormous bat shape once. I’ve matured now; I want to understand clouds. I want to know the processes that produce them. Clouds aren’t fluffy, solid masses. They’re masses of dense water vapour molecules in the sky seen from a distance. On land we see them as fog. They’re condensation where warm and cold air meet. But to really know clouds, you need to understand weather. Understanding weather means appreciating the dynamics of air movement (AKA air pressure) and temperature. Ask any pilot; they know this well. Cloud watching opens a whole new window to nature appreciation.

November’s a funny month for outdoor adventures. You have to move fast outside or stay cozy inside. The weather’s unreliable from day to day; it can always get cold and rainy or dump slushy snow. That’s what makes it a good time to study clouds. They’re full of rain or snow, or just passing overhead and you can appreciate their dynamic nature through a window. Sunrises and sunsets can get quite bold now, too, if not fogged in. Evening light accents clouds pink and gold as the sunset begins, then melds into an orange lustre as the sun sets.

Even on gloomy, gray days the clouds can be dynamic. Air pressure forms the clouds, sometimes into dark, heavy snow or rain-laden puffs. The air temperature will dictate whether these clouds decompose as rain or snow. Air masses push the clouds along. Nights that are capped with clouds keep us warm, like a giant cover. Classifying objects (or organisms) helps us to simplify what we see. I’m so glad Luke Howard, an English pharmacist/naturalist, developed a system to classify clouds in 1803. He noticed that all clouds belong to one of three basic groups. You’ve probably heard their names: Cumulus which means “heap” or “pile” in Latin, Cirrus meaning “curl” in Latin and Stratus which means “stretched out”. But, Howard realized that the three categories only described the primary clouds, so he combined the names with others relating them to their levels in the atmosphere to create 10 cloud classifications. These have names such as: Cirrostratus, Cumulonimbus, Altocumulus and more. This is where the study begins!

I used to think November was a gloomy month. I wished the sun-kissed, wildly coloured warm Octobers would linger till snow covered the mountains. This November, I’m going to curl up with weather books starting off with Exploring the Sky By Day, by Terence Dickinson to rereading a marvellous book called Heaven’s Breath; A Natural History of the Wind, by Lyall Watson. There’s only one catch; Heaven’s Breath is now unavailable, so I need to find someone who can lend me a copy.

Happy cloud watching everyone!

Winter Below the Surface: The Surprising Survival Skills of Painted Turtles

A nature blog by Calista Foisy, BSc

Have you ever seen a painted turtle laying on a rock in the sunshine? They are basking – using the heat from the sun to warm their bodies and keep their metabolism running. So, how do turtles survive our winters in BC when our ponds freeze and it is too cold for them to bask? The answer depends on if they are a hatchling (younger than a year old) or older.

That first year of life is extremely important to painted turtles. It is the most dangerous time for these turtles. When they survive their first year, they will likely live a happy, long life. Painted turtle hatchlings will stay in their nest all winter, which their mother has carefully dug away from the water. The nest will be insulated by snow and keep the hatchlings warmer than if they were in the pond. Hatchlings are naturally freeze tolerant. This means that if the temperature of their nest is -4°C or warmer, they are not going to freeze and are perfectly comfortable. If it is colder than -4°C, hatchlings will use “supercooling”. Supercooling means that the water inside the hatchling (and its cells) is colder than the freezing point. Naturally, this should mean that the hatchling freezes. However, they are able to keep ice crystals from forming. It is when ice crystals form (when the water goes from a liquid to a solid) that would be harmful to the hatchling. Using supercooling, hatchlings are able to survive in their nest all winter, and are perfectly healthy when the temperature begins to warm in the spring. This is when they will emerge from their nests for the first time.

After their first winter, painted turtles will spend their winter in the shallow waters of a pond or lake. They will dig themselves into the mud at the bottom of the lake, where the water does not freeze. This is where they will brumate (sleep). This way, they can conserve their energy. They do not eat or move much, only relying on their stored fats and nutrients to do the most necessary functions to survive. They will even limit their “breathing”. There is not much oxygen under the water where they are staying, and they absorb a small amount of oxygen through their skin. Have your muscles ever burned after a run? This is because when we do not get enough oxygen, lactic acid builds up in our muscles which causes them to be sore. Too much lactic acid build up is bad for your body. Since painted turtles are not getting a lot of oxygen during the winter, they will get a buildup of lactic acid. They will borrow calcium and magnesium from their shell, and use it to buffer (fight off) the lactic acid. This keeps the lactic acid in their body safe for them all winter, and they will get rid of it once the spring comes and they have fresh air to breathe.

This blog was written for Nature Kids BC, a wonderful nature discovery and environmental action organization that helps children form meaningful and enduring connections with nature alongside their families. Check them out at the link below!

https://naturekidsbc.ca/

Norah’s Pond Construction update – Oct 27th, 2025

Norah’s Pond Construction Update – Pond Liner Stage
What we are learning as we dig

As we’ve excavated, we’ve seen exactly what the valley is known for: a mix of tighter silts and clays, pockets of sand and gravel, and shallow rock in places. Each of those layers pulls water in a different direction. Even a thin sandy seam can drain a surprising amount over a few weeks.

So, while our site is a brilliant place to teach about local landscapes, it is not a guarantee of summer water, therefore a lined pond lets us work with the land rather than fight it.

We’re lining the new pond – just like we did with the old one

A pond liner is essentially a promise. It says the water will still be here when the summer heat kicks in. That promise matters for three reasons.

Reliable water for wildlife
With a liner, we can keep a steady water level through July and August as the pond is topped up with recycled water throughout the summer. This gives salamanders time to grow from babies, keeps dragonflies and mayflies hunting, and lets birds drink and bathe when the landscape is at its driest.
A living classroom all summer
The pond supports plants like sedges and rushes, plus insects, birds, and the occasional mammal. Visitors can see and learn from a thriving wetland throughout the summer.
Better habitat management
A liner ensures that the deepest part of the pond remains at a depth that discourages plants such as cattails from growing there, unlike our past pond where cattails were left to slowly fill the open water. A liner also makes it easier to shape shelves, manage plants, and keep a healthy balance between cover and open water.

Bringing it home

Seasonal, vernal or ephemeral ponds are part of the Okanagan’s natural cycle. They fill in spring and are often dry by summer. They are valuable and we want to honour that rhythm. At the same time, dependable open water is scarce when wildlife needs it most – especially when human development causes habitat loss and fragmentation (when building structures like roads and fences can break large, continuous habitats into smaller, isolated patches, creating barriers that wildlife cannot cross).

Our Norah Foord Pond has always been an ephemeral pond. It drains and mostly dries up before fall. With our revitalization project, our new pond will be classified as a permanent pond. The water level will fluctuate naturally with the seasons, but the centre of the pond will never be empty of water. That is why our new (and larger) lined pond at ABNC is vital. It complements seasonal wetlands by providing a reliable refuge through the hottest months. It supports tadpoles becoming salamanders, toads and frogs, keeps insect life buzzing, gives birds and pollinators safe access to water. Plus let’s not forget our nighttime visitors – deer and coyotes. Then there is you, our visitors – you’ll get a clear view into wetland life all summer long when everything else looks parched.

In short, the ground beneath us is a beautiful patchwork, but it is not built to hold water for long. A liner gives nature a hand, turning a short spring season into a full summer of life.

A large pond being constructed in the grasslands. Black pond liner has been laid down over the dirt. Okie, the marmot mascot, stands in the middle to show the large size and depth of the pond. Okie looks tiny in comparison, and he is 6 feet tall.

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – October 27th, 2025

October 27th, 2025

Look Up: The Disappearing Night Sky

Head outside tonight and gaze at the sky. Can you see thousands of stars? The Milky Way? A shooting star? Do you remember seeing them as a child? If you still can, you’re among a lucky minority. I was captivated by the night sky growing up in Edmonton during the 1960s-’70s, and later from my acreage on Silver Star Road. But as the resort and city of Vernon grew, the stars slowly disappeared.

For most of human history, our ancestors could look up and see the Milky Way — a brilliant band of light stretching across the heavens. Today, light pollution has erased that view for much of the world. In fact, 80% of Canadians have never seen the Milky Way at all. Since the spread of electric lighting in the 1870s, outdoor illumination has grown at an accelerating pace. Astronomers first raised alarms in the 1970s, when skyglow began interfering with telescopic research.

Since the 1990s, excess artificial light has been increasing by about 10% every year. While truly dark skies can still be found in remote regions, even those places are threatened. In a typical Canadian suburb, only a few hundred stars are visible out of the roughly 2,500 that should be seen. In cities, more than 95% of stars vanish under the glow of artificial lights.

What Is Light Pollution?

Light pollution occurs when artificial lighting is excessive, misdirected, or unnecessary. Light that shines upward scatters in the atmosphere, creating a haze known as skyglow. Other sources include glaring streetlights, illuminated billboards, office towers, and over-lit residential areas. Communities often believe brighter lights mean safer streets, but research does not support this. In fact, excessive glare can reduce night vision, obscure hazards, and lower overall safety for drivers and pedestrians.

Impacts on Humans and Wildlife

Preserving the night sky isn’t just an aesthetic issue — it’s essential to the health of ecosystems and people alike. Beyond obscuring the stars, it disrupts the biological clocks of all life on Earth which evolved in balance with the natural day-night cycles of light and darkness. Artificial light disrupts human sleep patterns and contributes to health problems linked to circadian rhythm disturbance. For wildlife, the impacts are profound:

Birds: Millions of migrating birds die each year after becoming disoriented by city lights. They circle illuminated areas until exhausted or collide with buildings. I witnessed this in Oregon, where dozens of birds lay dead beneath a lighthouse one morning — a startling reminder of light’s deadly impact.
Bats: Artificial lighting alters their feeding and flight patterns, sometimes dramatically reducing their activity.
Insects: Moths, fireflies, and countless other insects are drawn to lamps where they become easy prey. Light interferes with moth reproduction, reduces caterpillar abundance (a vital food source for young birds), and disrupts fireflies’ bioluminescent mating signals.
Fish: Juvenile salmon are lured into lit areas where predators await, and adults may even rely on star/moonlight for navigation to spawning grounds.
Turtles: Adult females avoid bright beaches, leaving eggs unlaid. Hatchlings often crawl inland toward artificial lights instead of the water, with fatal results.
Plants: Artificial light alters plant growth cycles, triggering early budding or flowering. This creates mismatches with the animals that depend on them, disrupting entire ecosystems.

Light pollution can even function as a form of habitat loss. Many animals simply avoid brightly lit areas, shrinking the spaces they can safely inhabit.

Environmental and Climate Costs

Beyond ecological harm, light pollution wastes vast amounts of energy and money. When powered by fossil fuels, this waste also worsens climate change. Unlike air or water pollution, however, light pollution is unique: once lights are turned off, their harmful effects vanish quickly.

Simple Solutions

Light pollution removal is fairly easy, straightforward and highly effective:

Responsible Lighting: Choose fixtures designed to minimize glare and light spray. Support manufacturers that prioritize dark-sky–friendly designs.
Shielding: Use downward-facing, shielded lights that illuminate only where needed.
Dimmers, Timers & Motion Sensors: Control lighting so it’s only on when necessary.
Color Temperature: Opt for warm-toned lights (such as amber), which are far less disruptive than harsh blue-white LEDs.
Awareness: Educate others about light pollution and advocate for better lighting practices in your community.

A dark night sky inspires wonder, sustains healthy life and the delicate balances of ecology. Protecting it is not only possible but surprisingly simple: all it takes is less light. Take steps to help out. Saving the Night by Stephen Aitken is an amazing, short but impressive starter book for teens and adults on the importance of night darkness for all life on Earth. Everyone should read this! Our library has it.

Okanagan’s Nature Nut – a nature blog by Roseanne Van Ee – September 24th, 2025

September 24th, 2025

Ah September! Kids are back in school and we prepare our yards and freezers for winter. Okanagan wildlife tend to migrate, estivate or spawn.

Some people think that hummingbirds catch rides on the backs of geese for their migratory trip down south. Truth is; hummingbirds are well on their way to Mexico when the geese are just taking their “practice flights” for migration to the coast or just into the warmer US. Physics gives hummingbirds an advantage with a smaller, light body weight. They just need to refuel all along the way to maintain their energy. That’s why all hummingbird feeders should be taken down by mid-August. If the “hummers” stay too late, they could succumb to freezing. Big Canada Geese, on the other hand, store fat for their trip. That’s why they’ve adopted the energy efficient “V” flight formation.

Our Great Blue Herons (that nest on 24^th St.) have already been dispersing to various open-water lakes for the winter. Some may migrate to the coast to winter on good fishing grounds.

Most birds migrate at night following the stars (like sailors) along migratory pathways (usually air currents of least resistance). Some of our birds migrate all the way down to South America. I love sitting back on mosquito-less, moonlit September and October nights with binoculars in hand to spot flocks passing in the night sky. If you’re in a quiet spot; listen. Could it be the calls of migrating flocks or the rustle of dry leaves in the breeze? You might even see bats migrating to their winter colonies further south. Their “flutter” of wings distinguishes them from birds.

Don’t go to the Allan Brooks Nature Centre looking for the yellow-bellied marmots, now. These large rodents, like the Columbian Ground Squirrels, have gone underground for an early rest to “estivate” while they’re still fat from summer’s seed bounty. They remerge with young in April.

Snakes, frogs and other reptiles and amphibians are moving towards their wintering grounds now, too.

Watch for late emerging Mourning Cloak and Tortoiseshell butterflies in the fall. They’ll overwinter here tucked behind bark or in tree grooves. The large yellow and black butterflies are non-migrating Swallowtails, often mistaken for the orange and black migrating Monarchs.

Don’t miss watching the Kokanee spawn on Coldstream Creek in late September to early October. The best spawning beds for viewing are in Creekside and Coldstream Parks (behind Coldstream School). These Sockeye Salmon descendants became “land-locked” as the glacial-produced massive waterways, which once connected to the Pacific, drained and evaporated into separate lakes.

For thousands of years Kokanee annually spawned to lay eggs in gravel creek beds and shorelines. Until the early 1900’s, almost every major creek flowing into Okanagan Lake supported thousands of spawning Kokanee each fall. I’ve seen a sharp decline in spawning numbers in the last 25 years. Get out there with your children and friends to enjoy this miraculous phenomena before it dies out (or can we save the Kokanee?). Leave your pets at home!

Fall’s a great time to observe nature. Thankfully Vernon has many opportunities to enjoy it:

Visit the Allan Brooks Nature Centre. www.abnc.ca

The North Okanagan Naturalist Club welcomes anyone interested to join their free Saturday morning nature hikes. www.nonc.ca

Join the Vernon Outdoors Club for a variety of great fall hikes and cycles.

There are many hiking groups on Facebook.

Fortunately, we’re surrounded by spectacular provincial parks: Camp and/or hike Kalamalka Lake, Ellison, Kekuli Bay, Sovereign Lake, Mabel Lake, Fintry and Bear Creek. Fall is a marvelous time to hike and camp in them as the crowds have disappeared.

2025 Norah’s Pond Revitalization Project

Starting mid-August this year, Norah Foord’s Pond will be undergoing a revitalization. This is a major project for us at the Nature Centre and it is an important one.

Oases in a Dry Land: Why Man-Made Ponds Matter for Okanagan Wildlife

In the Okanagan Valley’s sunbaked summer, water is life. Natural wetlands and vernal (seasonal) ponds—those shallow, temporary pools that appear in spring and vanish by midsummer—have always been vital to our region’s wildlife. Yet, as these habitats shrink and disappear, man-made ponds are stepping up as critical lifelines for countless species.

Vernal ponds are small, seasonal wetlands that fill with rain and snowmelt in spring, then dry up as the weather warms. While they may look like little more than muddy puddles, their ecological value is immense. Because these pools don’t last year-round, they remain free of fish, giving amphibians like the Spadefoot Toad, frogs, and salamanders a safe place to breed and lay eggs without fear of their young being eaten. Invertebrates—think dragonfly nymphs, water beetles, and aquatic insects—also thrive here, forming the foundation of a food web that supports birds and mammals.

But vernal ponds are unpredictable. In dry years, they may not form at all, or they might dry up before tadpoles and larvae have time to mature. In the Okanagan, where wetlands are already rare—making up less than 1% of the landscape—the loss of even a single seasonal pool can have ripple effects throughout the ecosystem.

That’s where man-made ponds like our Norah Foord’s Pond come in. Designed to mimic natural wetlands, these constructed oases provide reliable water, shelter, and breeding grounds for wildlife—especially during the parched summer months when natural wetlands have dried up. In the Okanagan’s hot, dry climate, our man-made pond act as magnets, drawing in everything from thirsty deer to dragonflies, songbirds, deer, coyote, and amphibians.

At the Allan Brooks Nature Centre, we’ve seen firsthand how our existing pond teems with life, even during the hottest months. That’s why we’re excited to announce that this August, we’ll begin a major project to enlarge our pond—making it three times its current size. This expansion will create even more habitat for local wildlife, support greater biodiversity, and provide new opportunities for education and stewardship.

This summer, as you visit the Centre, take a moment to watch the pond’s edge. Notice the dragonflies hovering, and the Cattails taking over. Both are a reminder of how, with a little help, nature can flourish—even in the driest of places.

Stay tuned for updates on our pond expansion and thank you for supporting wildlife stewardship in the Okanagan!