Garry Oak Ecosystem

Garry Oaks in Beacon Hill Park, Victoria

The Garry Oak ecosystem occupies certain drier parts of the Coastal Douglas-fir Zone. With its unique association of plants, it is one of the rarest ecosystems in Canada, with only about one percent still left intact.

In a healthy Garry Oak habitat (and there are a few left) April brings a breathtaking display of wildflowers. White Fawn Lilies (Erythronium oregonum) are among the first to brighten the meadow.

Blue camas (Camassia quamash and C. leichtlinii) was at one time an important food source for First Nations people. Magenta Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon hendersonii) and Chocolate Lilies (Fritillaria lanceolata) add colourful accents. Dozens of other species are found, too, with some of them blooming when all the others have browned in the summer heat.

It is now believed that fire played an important role in the Garry Oak ecosystem. Natural fires scorched the grass and shrub layer, but were not hot enough to kill the trees. The process pushed back the natural succession of the shrubs and Douglas-firs, allowing the meadow plants to thrive. First Nations people used fire, too, as they managed the meadows to maintain a steady supply of the camas bulbs to sustain them through the winters.

Typical bird species found in this habitat include Spotted Towhee (Pipilo sp.) and Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii). The Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) suspends its amazing sock-like nest from a convenient branch of Ocean Spray (Holdiscus discolor). In spring, Black-Throated Gray (Dendroica nigrescens) and Orange-crowned Warblers (Vermivora celata) arrive to breed.

In the summer, the birds are quiet, and the sun dries everything to brown. The plants go dormant again, to wait for the rains of the following winter, and the acorns begin to ripen.