One of the latest blooming native shrubs on the farm is the Ocean Spray. These bushes can be up to 10 metres in height.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Rosales
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Holodiscus
Species: H. discolor[1]
Holodiscus discolor (Pursh) Maxim.
With the four waterlilies, one of them is usually in bloom these days. This particular one seems to be the most profuse.
Several small clumps of Mock orange survive in the roundabout in the laneway. It was transplanted here from Hornby Island.
Kingdom Plantae –
Subkingdom Viridiplantae
Infrakingdom Streptophyta – land plants
Superdivision Embryophyta
Division Tracheophyta – vascular plants,
Subdivision Spermatophytina
Class Magnoliopsida
Superorder Asteranae
Order Cornales
Family Hydrangeaceae –
Genus Philadelphus L. –, mock orange
Species Philadelphus lewisii Pursh – Lewis’ mock orange
Every week at this time of year brings a new set of the native plants on the farm into bloom.
Each year I find some branches of the younger Garry Oak trees that I have planted on the farm to have these small brown pillbox-like galls of an insect parasite . Usually the branch will die in the following year. I am attempting to get it identified. Also the branches of the trees these are found on often have deep scratches as if a bird was trying to get under the bark?? I think that leads to the weakening of the branch. I have saved one top leader of a Garry Oak tree like this by coating the damaged section with grafting paste.
Margot Moser of Nanoose bay, suggested that these galls are likely made by the Honey gall wasp Disholcaspis eldoradensis. A light colored, cylindrical (8mm in diameter), flat-topped gall caused by a cynipid gall wasp.
I am not so sure and a look at the reference on California Oak Galls by Joyce Gross made me think it may even be Disholcaspis chrysolepidis
Phylum Arthropoda – Arthropods
Subphylum Hexapoda – Hexapods
Class Insecta – Insects
Order Hymenoptera – Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Superfamily Cynipoidea
Family Cynipidae – Gall Wasps
Tribe Cynipini
Genus Disholcaspis
Species ?? Gall Wasp
Often mistaken for a wasp, this is a good case of mimicry, however the hover fly is incapable of stinging and it performs useful ecological functions.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Diptera
Suborder: Brachycera
Section: Aschiza
Superfamily: Syrphoidea
Family: Syrphidae
possibly Genus and species Syrphus ribesii
Latreille, 1802
A dead fir tree on the south side of the property had broken off and fallen during the winter. Removal of a piece of bark turned up a horde of termites doing a great job of returning the tree to the earth.
Zootermopsis angusticollis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Isoptera
Family: Termopsidae
Genus: Zootermopsis
Species: Z. angusticollis
Zootermopsis angusticollis Hagen, 1858
This one showed up on our deck window this morning. Caution: These wasps are very aggressive when defending their paper-house nest.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Vespidae
Genus: Dolichovespula
Species: D. maculata
Dolichovespula maculata (Linnaeus, 1763)
Today’s new bloomers on the farm:
This past week brought the emergence of flowering on several more of the native plants we have on the farm.
