American Brooklime Veronica beccabunga in Gooch Creek Estuary

In the Metchosin Bioblitz I came across a plant which I had not seen before called American Brooklime, Veronica beccabunga.

This plant grows as an edible herbaceous perennial in a 1 Meter square patch in amongst the grasses in the estuary lagoon .  The area is only flooded  with sea water in the winter at an extreme high tide with a strong east wind blowing. Close up, it has very striking flowers. The plant was in bloom on May 24, 2014.

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American brooklime

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American Brooklime- [plant form]

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Veronica
Species: V. americana

 

Update on the Kinder Morgan TMX National Energy Board Hearings

Our coastline in Metchosin is highly exposed to the potential risks from the increase in tanker traffic that will come if the Kinder Morgan/ Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion s allowed to proceed. (400 Aframax size tankers per year) In order to provide access to the Information requests from the over 400 intervenors which are available on the NEB website, the following link is provided. The Board of the Friends of Ecological Reserves has posted their first set of Information Requests to the National Energy Board and Kinder Morgan as Intervenors in the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion Project . Their concerns focus on the Ecological reserves of Southern Vancouver Island such as Race Rocks . See this link with a further link to all intervenors Information requests. kmstudyarea-1