Spring, and the Beauty of "Modest"

Spring is unfolding on the west coast... although sometimes it's hard to tell the change of seasons, because so many gardens have colourful winter-blooming shrubs and plantings. Take heathers, for example. They are just one of many non-native plants which bloom over the winter in Victoria. I included one image in my last post; here's another.

A February image of heather

I could devote this post entirely to the colourful imported plants which spice up Victoria's grey winter months. But, instead, I want to focus on a few native plants which are blooming for spring in a more understated style. 

Here are several native plants, all close to home.

Osoberry in flower (also called Indian plum). The flowers were beginning to bud in late January.

I loved the delicacy of these flowers emerging on the Big Leaf Maple. Photo taken March 31.

Oregon grape, March 27. These blooms take me back to my time in the interior, when these roadside flowers were a sure sign of spring. This patch was most likely planted here as part of landscaping. 

Here's a close-up of Oregon grape from when I lived in Salmon Arm.

Detail of Oregon grape.

The not-so-modest Red-flowering current. This was blooming March 26.

Within a few days I'm sure I will find other "modest" native flowers emerging, such as the delicate fawn lily.

The delicate Fawn lily. I took this photo in early April last year; I look forward to discovering them soon. Notice the closed buds of a camas in the left foreground, ready to open.

A field of Fawn lilies. This photo was also from early April 2024.

Victoria has so much incredible blossom in spring, it is easy to focus on the streets lined with blooming trees, and miss the smaller native plants hugging the ground. This post pays homage to a few native plants that are less flamboyant than the non-native florals.

Around and About

My first post of 2025 pays homage to what can be discovered when walking. As readers know, I enjoy discovering my environment by foot, and the delights that can only be appreciated when I slow down, and take the time to feel the world with all my senses.

Along Dallas Road. Despite the ever-present wind off the ocean, I often see people occupying the chairs.

The photo below is of the Union Club, on Gordon Street.

The pink of the blossom was just emerging when I took this photo. I liked the restraint of the building finishes, and how the blossom complements the colours.

I've featured Capital Park in previous posts, and was intrigued by the complementary colours of the rust, and the blue tones, in the scene below.

This view makes the development look stark, but as the trees leaf out, and continue growing, the ambience softens. And the trees have grown in the few years they've been here! I explored the reddish Corten Steel in a previous post.

I often walk down Parry Street in James Bay, shown in the photo below. It offers a great pedestrian shortcut towards the downtown.

I've been enjoying these winter heathers for what seems like months now! The birch is one of two in front of the building. I hold my breath each spring, wondering how these delicate, water-hungry trees weathered the previous dry summer and fall.

The James Bay United Church is a hub for the community. It operates a thrift store, hosts a Tuesday night jazz concert with amazing artists, has regular sessions like QiGong, and offers other events, both musical and thought-provoking. This intention to connect with the community is reflected in their banner, below.

Banner at the James Bay United Church, with the metaphorical bridge illustrated by the stone bridge at Beacon Hill Park.

Followers of this blog will know that I enjoy the artistry of window displays. The Tuscan Kitchen near the Bay Centre never fails to delight.

Cheerful energy from the Tuscan Kitchen.

The next two scenes did not involve walking anywhere, but I was intrigued at how quickly the sky changes at sunset. 

Photo taken from our apartment at 6:00 pm March 2 (before the switch to DST).

In just a few minutes, the sky changed dramatically:

The sky a few minutes later. 

I'll be continuing my walking adventures, and more photos will soon appear on this site as the days lengthen.

Enjoy spring!

Seasonal Colours

This post was supposed to be dated Christmas Day. But Robbie Burns' phrase about the best-laid plans proved true for me. Somehow a technical glitch (tech-speak for operator error!) led to the loss of my draft post, and it had to be recreated. And then, on Boxing Day, a health issue prevented me from finishing and clicking "Publish". Finally, two days after Boxing Day... here it is!

The traditional colours for this time of year are red and green; Christmas decorations and wrapping paper remind us of this all the time. However, anyone who lives in snow country (which is most of Canada) knows that the colour of this season is white. Snow creates a world of white. When I lived in the interior, even the coniferous forests were often white, or a monochromatic grey-black dusted with white.

Snow is a rarity in Victoria, and red and green are indeed seasonal colours. Here are a few samples of what I've discovered on my ambles in my neighbourhood. 

Lichens and rose hips from the fall decorate an old fence along Dallas Road.

This scene is near the BC Parliament (the correct name for what many of us call the Legislature). The red of the bark and ochre of the brick complement the greens of the ferns, grass and conifers. As a relative newcomer to Victoria, I still am struck by how grass which is dessicated and brown by summer's end begins to green up with the fall rains, and how quickly this happens.

Reds and greens brighten the display of cut flowers outside of the Birdcage Confectionary on Government Street. The bicycle is part of the landscaping; there are flowers in its basket.

This fountain adds to the atmosphere of a block of private residences on the James Bay side of the Inner Harbour.

The Inn at Laurel Point is located near the residences in the previous photo. I like the curved lines of the entranceway, and the chartreuse green of the logo, which complements the ochre of the brick so well.

A closer look at the logo of the Inn at Laurel Point

I've previously featured this house in a post on this blog. It's received a fresh coat of paint, and almost shimmers when a pedestrian walks by.

Another James Bay house, with a nice choice of brick red and a sage green to complement. I didn't notice the dinosaur until my beta reader Ken pointed it out!

One more James Bay house. As well as the wonderful red of the gate, I love the attention to detail in its construction.

This is the window of a floral store in James Bay. I always enjoy the artistry of the window displays the designer creates.

One of the many trees at the Bay Centre's Festival of Trees. Unfortunately I didn't note the name of the business which sponsored this unusual, funky tree.

When I first saw this display on Niagara Street, I thought of the peace symbol when I saw the train's wheels, and thought "what a good wish for 2025". But it's a car logo, not the peace symbol.

Here is the peace symbol, for reference. It was developed in the early 1950's from the semaphore symbols for N and D, standing for Nuclear Disarmament. I learned about it as a child, with both of my parents' involvement in the peace movement. (Semaphore was a system of communication through holding flags in different angles, standing for letters.) 

A decorative snowflake at the Royal BC Museum, hanging in front of a unique wall with a motif of trees. The trees reminded me of the monochromatic tones I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Another image from the Royal BC Museum. This stylized Garry Oak leaf is the logo for its Learning Centre.

The bright green of moss at this time of year.

Detail of this brilliant green

There are a number of huge reddish Giant Sequoias like this one tucked around the older parts of Victoria, waiting to be discovered by the passer-by. This one is on Beacon Avenue.

This time of year is also a time of lights, celebrating the beginning of the gradual return of light as days lengthen. I'll conclude the post with an image to celebrate the light.

A tree on the Inner Harbour, decorated with hundreds of LED lights

May 2025 be a year of light for us all -- and for the planet.

After the Leaves have Fallen

I love trees, and forest trails. And I also love colour. With autumn leaves no longer on the trees, I look elsewhere for cheery sights on my walks.

With the short days, it's easier to catch sunrises and enjoy a new dawn sky each day. A walk at 7 am is more do-able than searching for sunrise at 5 am! Here is a morning sky full of pastel shades.

Store windows often intrigue me with their attractive and colourful designs. I enjoyed the Ditch Records window downtown on Fort Street, especially the variety of hues of the vinyl records.

Although mostly tones of one colour, I found the window which follows attractive.

The gold of this window seasonal display stood out for me.

Stores can also contribute to a colourful sidewalk experience for what they have in front of their stores. Here is an example.

A colourful display outside Zingaros, a perfume shop on Courtney Street. 

Banners provide a year-round source of art and colour. These are outside Christ Church Cathedral.

Simple chairs and a canopy add colour to the streetscape of Fort Street -- as do the historic purple tiles inlaid into the sidewalk. 

Janis Ringuette has documented much of Victoria's history on her website "Beacon Hill Park History". There's a piece about the purple prism tiles at the following:  https://www.beaconhillparkhistory.org/streetscapes/topics/prisms.htm

The prisms had a function: to let light in to basements of downtown buildings, which extended under sidewalks. Their purple colour indicates they were made before 1915, according to Ringuette.

Here is a close-up of the glass tiles in the sidewalk. As the photo shows, they are incredibly beautiful in themselves.

One of the examples of glass tiles still in place in downtown Victoria sidewalks.

An attractive and colourful space I recently found on Douglas Street, near Beacon Hill Park and the Victoria Conference Centre.

Close-up of the two murals which gives the space its ambience. A plaque nearby speaks to the role of the space in fostering community. The artists are Jesse Campbell and Temoseng Chazz Elliott.

I don't need to walk downtown to find colour; there is much near my apartment in James Bay, even after leaves have fallen.

Decorated power pole near the Montreal Street tennis courts. I am guessing -- though don't know -- that these tiles were a project from the nearby James Bay Community School. If I were to do a follow-up to my "Funky James Bay" post from several months ago, this power pole would make the cut!

Detail from one of the tiles on the power pole.

A second tile from the power pole

One more tile from the power pole. I love the idea of portal -- and the great keyhole.

I've done many posts on the colourful buildings in James Bay. The image which follows is from a portable building that has escaped my previous posts.

This portable building is on wheels, behind Floyd's Diner on Menzies Street.

The mural can only be enjoyed by patrons who use the patio at the back of the restaurant (or curious passers-by who venture off the sidewalk).

For Good Measure, on Niagara Street. The colour is provided by a number of subtle details: the array of vegetables outside the store, the writing on the window and the welcoming sandwich board, and the decorative lights contrasting with the dark grey paint.

The James Bay United Church provides pleasant outdoor space -- and colour. Here are two photos.

Sitting area for the community in front of the church.

Detail from the banner in the previous photo.

Although Halloween was almost a month ago, I could not resist including this imaginative -- and colourful -- idea from the James Bay Inn.

The front of the James Bay Inn. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that its pub and restaurant are one of our favorite "go-to" places in the neighbourhood. It's a treat to be able to walk to it!

A different view of the Ogden Point Breakwater, showing the art by Butch Dick of the Songhees Nation in the background, with two red Search and Rescue vessels, and a yellow pilot boat in the foreground.

I will close this tribute to colour with two more photos of nature's colourful skies.

Morning sky over Juan de Fuca Strait.

Golden sunset in the Juan de Fuca strait.

 As November draws to a close, and the days continue to shorten, may you find colour in this "greyish" season!