Rhododendron Lake Parksville British Columbia Canada
Rhododendron Lake lies in the Englishman River drainage about 20 kilometres (12 miles) west of Nanaimo at an elevation of 460 metres (1500 feet). Click here for Google Earth Placemark. The main feature of the area is a small grove of Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), a rare plant in British Columbia. This small grove of about 2 hectares (5 acres) is one of only two localities on Vancouver Island (there is another even smaller grove south of Nanaimo near Weeks Lake between Shawnigan and Port Renfrew). On the mainland of British Columbia, the Pacific Rhododendron is most prevalent in the Skagit Valley on the western slope of the Cascade Mountain Range and is readily seen from the highway near the western entrance to Manning Park. Recently, another small grove has been discovered on the slopes of Mt. Elphinstone on the Sechelt peninsula. The Pacific Rhododendron is much more common in the State of Washington where it was adopted as the state flower. It is most prevalent in the State of Oregon and occurs in several locations in California (see maps and descriptions in the Western North American Species Project). Rhododendron Lake is located on forest land owned by Island Timberlands LP (formerly MacMillan Bloedel) and access is gained from their Northwest Bay road network. From the parking lot, there are trails into the rhododendrons with interpretative signs. The peak flowering season is in early June. Other wildflowers of interest include bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), bog kalmia (Kalmia polifolia) and Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum). The Englishman River watershed is part of the Mount Arrowsmith Biopshere Reserve that was designated in November 2000 by the Man and Biosphere Program of the United Nations’ Education, Science, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Pacific Rhododendron has a vigorous root system and is more drought tolerant than many of the hybrids available from commercial nurseries
Size: 3408px × 5131px
Location: Rhododendron Lake Parksville British Columbia Canada
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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