Every Tuesday morning I join an eclectic bunch of energetic volunteers who are dedicated to rescuing/restoring/maintaining the habitats that make up Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary. Varying from freshwater lake through soggy wetland to bare hilltop rocks and boulders, the sanctuary is just a 25 minute walk from my Saanich home.
Yesterday “The Tuesday Crew” were tasked with searching out and removing invasive Scotch Broom scattered across the rocky slopes of Christmas Hill. As I wandered across the steep, lumpy hillside, occasionally pouncing on an errant Broom plant, I was able to pause and look closely at some of the microhabitats that are the basis of life on these seemingly inhospitable slopes. My knowledge only extends to just about telling the difference between this area’s incredible variety of mosses, lichens, liverworts and fungi, with little hope of identifying species, but I am nevertheless obsessed with the complexity, variety and beauty of tiny life.
Here are some iPhone photographs I captured. Next time I’ll take my “proper” camera, although I am worried that I might be tempted to spend more time photographing small stuff than attacking invasive plants!







