" ...a frank, sensibly written and slightly political guide... "
Tom Zillich The Westender
Sidebar
Dwarf Dogwood
Since the Dogwood is the provincial flower in British Columbia, "bunch berry," is a protected species. Following pollination and fruiting, dwarf dogwood produces a bunch of bright red berries, hence the name. Bunch berry berries are edible either raw or cooked though they are not particulary tasty. They have further been used both internally and externally to counteract natural toxins from mushrooms, poison ivy and even bee stings. Dwarf dogwood is a perennial and a perennial favourite with hikers as this low ground cover will be found along most forested footpaths on the coast. The white petal-like mane surrounding the central flower are actually specialized leaves called bracts.
Illustration by Manami Kimura
Stumble Me Silly
If you like the FREE content here at BC Car-Free give it a Thumbs Up at StumbleUpon
About the Author: Brian Grover
(5 - user rating)
Written by Brian Grover
Monday, 19 February 2007 11:56
Born in the Maine backwoods and raised on both sides of the border in Oregon and British Columbia, the author kicked around the B.C. coast for a number of years after fleeing high school. Doing time in forestry, warehouses, sawmills, plywood mills and Canada Post convinced the youth that perhaps education was indeed all they said it was. While attending Malaspina College a quirk of fate landed the aspiring writer in the editor's chair of the student newspaper.
Between bouts of higher education Grover worked variously as a fishing guide, a cycling guide, a newspaper reporter and a graphic artist, training which eventually landed him a job handling communications for the Outdoor Recreation Council of British Columbia. A degree in English literature and a qualification in language teaching led the author away from his beloved West Coast to four years of teaching in Japanese universities. A further year of bohemian Parisian lifestyle left him pining for the fjords of British Columbia.
Upon returning Grover founded Explore Canada Outdoor Adventures, an adventure in itself aimed at marketing British Columbia's renewable recreation resources to overseas, principally Japanese and American, visitors. Teaching, freelance writing, photography, web design and mucking about in the British Columbia outback all figure prominently in Grover's present way of life.
