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Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra formosa)

Victoria is blessed with a number of different environments, one of which is represented by Goldstream Park, seventeen kilometers outside the city. It is classed as old growth temperate rain forest and is an incredibly rich and lush environment with many plants not found in the drier areas closer to the city. I went out there to see what kinds of spring flowers were blooming beneath the towering cedars and firs and was pleased to find these lovely Western Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra formosa). There were also some early Trillium and a few other flowering plants I have yet to identify. Awesome is an overused word these days but after wandering beneath the massive 600 year old trees of this park for a few hours it's the only word that adequately describes the feeling they inspire.

2 comments:

imquilternity said...

Gorgeous photo!!

Dean Lewis said...

Old growth forests are indeed awesome.
The Carmanah-Walbran Valley west of Cowichan Lake has untouched old growth cedars that have grown to twenty feet in diameter and exceed (believe it or not) two-thousands years in age.
Both awesome and daunting !

Equally amazing is that they are not adequately protected as world heritage treasures.