Lyngbye’s sedge and herbaceous vegetation Estuary Marsh Red listedThis sedge dominated association grows where there are fluctuations in brackish water on tidal flats and channel margins. Lyngbye’s sedge often occurs in dense pure stands, although some sites have Pacific silver-weed, seacoast bulrush, and Douglas’ aster. Examples are rare on Salt Spring only occuring at the head of Fulford Creek and intermittently along Booth Canal.

American glasswort and sea-milkwort Estuary Marsh Red listedWith the exception of eelgrass, this plant community occurs at the lowest elevation band in estuaries where there is tidal flooding. The only other plants tough enough to share this salty environment, seashore salt-grass and Lyngbye’s sedge, intermix before forming their own dominant communities slightly higher up. Rare on Salt Spring Island at the head of Long Harbour and along Booth Canal.

Seashore saltgrass and herbaceous plants Estuary Marsh Blue listedThis rare estuary marshland is dominated by seashore saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) with few other plants tol-erant of the salinity from frequent tidal floodings. It occurs on Salt Spring Island in shallow lagoons and bays enclosed by sand spits behind Jack Foster Beach and along Booth Canal.

Dune wildrye and beach pea Beach Red listedAlthough this is one of the rarest plant associations found on Salt Spring Island (there is less than four hun-dred square meters), it is also one of the easiest to observe as it occurs along the road edge at the head of Fulford Harbour. Anyone who has searched for a sandy beach on the island will soon realize there are only a couple other small and scattered sites with suitable habitat.

Macoun’s meadow-foam and montia Vernal pools & seeps Red listedCoastal bluff and outcrop seepages form rare openings within our coastal Douglas-fir forests. When they are occupied by Macoun’s meadow-foam, montia, tiny mousetail, and various native clovers, they become even more significant. Found on Salt Spring Island only at Ruckle Provincial Park.

Wallace’s selaginella and reindeer lichens Rock outcrop Blue listedA sparsely vegetated community dominated by mosses and lichens, primarily maritime reindeer (Cladonia portentosa) and restricted to rock outcrops along the coast. It occurs on Salt Spring at Ruckle Park and up-land sites on Mt. Tuam and Maxwell. Growing on a thin layer of soil over rock these lichens are particularly vulnerable to disturbance and require many years to grow back.

Arbutus and hairy manzanita Dry broadleaf forests Red listedThis ridge-crest community is characterized by dense thickets of manzanita with scattered arbutus, lodge-pole pine and Douglas-fir. Its tendency to occur at scenic viewpoints means it often has to compete with real estate development. Luckily many sites are protected in regional and provincial parks. Growing on Salt Spring Island at Mt. Erskine and Mt. Bruce.

Roemer’s fescue and junegrass Grassland Red listedThis rare plant association first described from the Sooke Hills, consists of two native perennial bunchgrass-es: Roemer’s fescue and junegrass. Other characteristic species of these hot, south-facing slopes include Lemmon’s needlegrass, short-stemmed sedge, death camas and California oatgrass. Found on Salt Spring Island in small patches at Mt. Maxwell and Mt. Tuam.

© Hans Roemer

Garry oak and California brome Dry broadleaf forests Red listedThis rare oak community grows on slopes where there are typically deeper soils and the trees are able to reach impressive stature. California brome is found at some of these sites but the more common grasses and sedges include blue wildrye, oatgrass and long-stoloned sedge. Many sites on the island have been degraded by weedy species after a long history of grazing sheep.

Garry oak and arbutus Dry broadleaf forests Red listedAmong the three Garry oak associations classified by the province, this one often occurs along the edges and ridges of oak stands along the transition to Douglas-fir forest. Excellent examples are found on Salt Spring at all the places where contiguous woodlands of Garry oak occur.

© Hans Roemer

Douglas-fir and arbutus Dry coniferous forest Red listedFew other associations define where we live better than the mix of Douglas-fir and arbutus trees that fringe our coastline and upland slopes. The ratio of each species seems to depend on a combination of fire history and soil depth, with arbutus usually a little more tolerant of hotter and drier sites. Residential development has replaced logging as the greatest threat to these ecosystems.

Garry oak and oceanspray Dry broadleaf forests Red listedSome of the best examples of this scrub oak community are found on Salt Spring Island at Mt. Maxwell. They form dense thickets in steep rocky gullies where there is almost no soil. The thick layer of oceanspray provides excellent habitat for a wide range of birds that nest and forage within.

Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine, grey rock-moss Dry coniferous forest Red listedLike the arbutus and manzanita association with which it occurs, this community also favours ridge-crests and hilltops where there are expansive views. It’s rare on Salt Spring Island occurring mostly at the summits of Mt. Erskine, Mt. Bruce and Mt. Maxwell.

Douglas-fir and dull oregon-grape Dry coniferous forest Red listedThis Douglas-fir dominated community usually forms at upland sites when the forest canopy begins to shade out most of the salal that usually occupies the understory. Both grand fir and western hemlock are usually present to some degree, interspersed among the Douglas-fir. Growing on Salt Spring Island along the upper forested slopes of Mt. Bruce, Erskine, Tuam and Maxwell.

Douglas-fir and Alaska oniongrass Dry coniferous forest Red listedAn uncommon association that begins to form in open Douglas-fir forests, often in areas where there are Garry oaks nearby. Alaska oniongrass occurs in small patches in the openings along with long-stoloned sedge, occasional camas and a near continuous cover of electrified cat’s tail moss. Known on Salt Spring Island from scattered sites usually at low and middle elevations.

Douglas-fir, western hemlock and salal Dry coniferous forest Blue listedThis densely forested community usually grows along middle slopes and represents the direction that most ecological succession in our area is moving towards. It occurs at many places on Salt Spring Island but there are few places where it forms large intact stands. At most sites, it transitions into a mix of Douglas-fir and arbutus.

© Hans Roemer

Grand fir and dull Oregon-grape Mesic coniferous forest Red listedThis rare forested community usually occurs in small patches on slopes where there are deep nutrient rich soils and has a mostly shaded understory often completely covered with dull Oregon-grape. Douglas-fir, cedar and western hemlock all occur in varying ratios. Compared with these often more dominant tree spe-cies, grand fir has a relatively short lifespan and is more susceptible to disease.

Douglas-fir and sword fern Dry coniferous forest Blue listedWhile salal dominates the understory in most Douglas-fir forests, on sites where there are more nutrients and moisture available, it becomes replaced with sword fern. Along the edges there may also be grand fir, cedar and even bigleaf maple. Although the mix of species is common on Salt Spring, there are only a few places where it forms a dominant and well-defined community.

Western hemlock, Douglas-fir and Oregon beaked-moss Mesic coniferous forest Red listedThis forested community often occurs in valley bottoms and upland terraces where thin soils may limit the development of salal thickets that prevail at other sites. In our area, this was once one of the dominant forest types before its range was diminished by logging. Found at multiple locations on Salt Spring though there are few sites where large mature patches remain.

Grand fir and three-leaved foamflower Moist coniferous forest Red listedWhile more common on the northern Gulf Islands, grand fir and foamflower form a dominant community in shaded valley bottoms where the soils are rich and there is abundant moisture. Cedar, sword fern, west-ern star flower, trillium and vanilla leaf all occur intermixed in these associations that form along streams, creeks and sloughs. Quite rare on Salt Spring Island.

Western redcedar and sword fern Moist coniferous forest Blue listedAlthough neither cedar or sword fern is particularly uncommon on their own, there are only a limited num-ber of sites where the two grow together in any abundance. Notable examples of these moist forests can be found on Salt Spring at Manzanita ridge, Burgoyne Bay and the McFadden Creek Nature Sanctuary.

Western redcedar and slough sedge Coniferous swamp forest Blue listedThis striking sedge dominated association usually exists somewhere between a true wetland and a wet for-est. The dense cover of slough sedge provides excellent habitat for a wide range of insects, snails and even red-legged frogs. While scattered pockets exist on Salt Spring Island, a large expanse is protected in Ruckle Provincial Park where Merganser Pond drains down to the coast.

Western redcedar, Douglas-fir and Oregon beaked-moss Moist coniferous forest Red listedMoist forests with cedar and Douglas-fir occur at scattered sites all around Salt Spring but there are only a few patches with mature trees and a well-developed moss layer. With two highly valued trees, the majority of these forest have been reduced by a long history of timber harvest. There are still excellent examples protected at Ruckle Park, Mt. Maxwell and the ecological reserve on Mt. Tuam.

Western redcedar and vanilla-leaf Moist coniferous forest Red listedThis ecological community occurs on nutrient rich flats along rivers and in humid valley bottoms. Often both grand fir and bigleaf maple occur intermixed and nearby. Because this association usually grows on rela-tively level ground with rich soil and abundant moisture, much of this habitat was converted to farmland by early settlers.

Western redcedar and indian-plum Moist coniferous forest Red listedThis ecological community occupies valley bottoms along creeks and rivers. Usually there’s a closed forest canopy with western redcedar, bigleaf maple, and occasional grand fir. The shrub layer is dominated by Indi-an-plum and to a lesser extent snowberry or salmonberry, depending on how wet it is. Found on Salt Spring along Fulford and Maxwell Creeks.

Western redcedar and salmonberry Moist coniferous forest Red listedSalmonberry thickets usually grow along creeks and wetland fringes where there is enough light filtering through to sustain them. Cedar trees may grow along the edges, along with stands of alder and the oc-casional grand fir. In the wettest spots there is often skunk cabbage. Known from scattered sites on Salt Spring, they provide excellent habitat for a wide range of species.

Western redcedar and snowberry Moist mixed forest Red listedAlthough traditionally thought of as a floodplain community, the cedar and snowberry association can occur along creeks with nutrient rich soils and a seasonally fluctuating water table. Grand-fir, indian plum, alder, and maple all often grow variously intermixed and along the edges. Growing on Salt Spring only along Ful-ford and Maxwell Creeks and below Peter Arnell Park.

Western redcedar and three-leaved foamflower Moist coniferous forest Blue listedThis valley bottom association forms on soils that are thick and rich, where moisture is abundant. Scattered grand fir occur along with sword fern, western starflower and vanilla leaf. A near closed canopy shades out most of the shrub layer and leads to a diverse assemblage of plant species.

Red alder and skunk cabbage Wetland swamp Red listedMost times, you’ll smell these skunk cabbage swamps well before seeing them. Many examples exist around the island but some of the best ones are along the road between Fulford and Ganges. They provide excel-lent habitat for all manner of invertebrates, amphibians and even small mammals.

Western redcedar, sword fern and skunk cabbage Wet coniferous forest Blue listedSlighty drier and more densely forested that the alder association, skunk cabbage also grows with cedar and sword fern in what is frequently a more mature wet forest community. On Salt Spring this is actually the more uncommon of the two. There are some excellent examples along Mountain Road, including within the Mt. Tuam Ecological Reserve.

Black cottonwood, red alder and salmonberry Wetland forest Blue listedIn wetter sites, the slough sedge and alder association transitions to a community with more cottonwoods and more salmonberry. Found on Salt Spring Island at the McFadden Nature Reserve and at the south end of St. Mary’s lake. These cottonwood stands provide important foraging and nesting habitat to a wide vari-ety of birds, including great blue herons.

Red alder, slough sedge and cottonwood Wetland swamp Red listedThis shaded sedge dominated community forms on the edge of cottonwood stands where there are often mature alders. Sword fern, salmonberry, grand fir and cedar all usually fringe these associations in varying degrees. Currently reported on Salt Spring only from the McFadden Nature Reserve.

Common cattail marsh Wetland Marsh Blue listedThese cattail dominated wetlands provide an important habitat resource to many species of birds, mam-mals, insects, amphibians and even fish. On Salt Spring, they form a partial fringe along the lakes and occur less commonly in roadside ditches and wet meadows with standing water. In many places, they have be-come invaded by non-native species like reed canary grass and yellow-flag iris.

Labrador-tea, western bog-laurel and peat-mosses Wetland Bog Blue listedThis is probably the most unusual ecological community on Salt Spring Island and is one of only a few bogs that occur on the Southern Gulf Islands. Since being converted to a reservoir, Rosemurgy’s Lake now fea-tures floating Sphagnum islands and partially submerged logs that provide habitat for all manner of sedges and specialized bog plants including round-leaved sundews.