PIW - Botanical Beach Pt.6 - Through the Woods Home

Places I've Wandered - Botanical Beach June 2011 Pt.6 - Through the Woods Home

Leaving behind the sea, into the woods we went


past skunk cabbage along boardwalk


over gullies by fallen wood


down steps by ferny banks


down steps between ferny banks


beneath fallen burgeoning ecosystems and over puddles of brown


we were careful not to startle the wooded oliphant


as we darted from the foresty safety across the open shoreline and creek


beneath a guiding tree


and up


and up


to pass between giants feet


and offer a moment's Atlas Jr. support


before moving on


plank after plank


step after step


stand after stand


by hidden waters revelation


within close proximity of the sea


yet sheltered still


in safety's grove


but to move on and on we must


barring no obstacle


wise guides welcome


spread out before us


adorned in life and grandeur of time


upward and again the tedious ages of wonder


steps in a time and a place to never be again but always to be remembered.. past passed


routes rooted and shifting


shadows and light the boundaries of life


corners turned to turn again






his/hers along the return to civilization




Farewell new salmon berry growth


Farewell Botanical Beach



of course it was still only early afternoon on our two day Inaugural Shorts and Gaiters adventure.. so we rested up at the parking lot before seeing what the back route to Lake Cowichan had in store... you're welcome to come along for the ride ;)

Plants I've Encountered - Devil's Club

Devil's Club aka Oplopanax horridus

That name, be it the common or the scientific, indicates that this is a nasty customer and it owes that name to the many spikes that grow along the stem and like to implant themselves into the flesh of both unwary travellers and those who have to work in the woods. Once stuck in they can be very painful to remove.

Usually they grow 3 to 4 feet tall but (according to wikipedia) they've been discovered reaching as high as 16 feet tall. The ones I encountered the other day with my buddy Theo were over 6 feet tall.

But like many things in life.. it's not all bite and bad news.

The plant has been used traditionally by the indigenous populations to treat a variety of ailments including adult-diabetes. There are even investigations into, and rumours about, the use of the plant as a mind enhancer.

I myself have encountered Devil's Club often in the woods. The giant broad leaves, pokey stalks, and bunching of red drupes are eye catching and evocative of Dinosaur-land. A few summers ago some friends and I harvested and drank the tea made from it a bunch of times. It has a spicey unique flavour that still comes to mind and palate.

All in all I think it's a fabulous plant and a great inhabitant of this coastal temperate rainforest that I get to wander about in. If you're ever wandering about and see it, I recommend you investigate, muse about how threatening packaging and "bad" things can often contain answers and cures, and allow a bit more of the world's wonder envelop you.

Just don't get too close ;)