NATURESCAPE BRITISH COLUMBIA Caring for Wildlife Habitat at Home
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The Stewardship Series NATURESCAPE BRITISH COLUMBIA Caring for Wildlife Habitat at Home Native Plant and Animal Booklet, Coast and Mountains Naturescape British Columbia IS FUNDED BY For More information, call 1-800-387-9853 National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication Data Main entry under title: Naturescape British Columbia. Native plant and animal booklet, coast & mountains. – [Stewardship series] Consists of 2 v. in 1. Title on v. [2]: Naturescape British Columbia. Resource booklet, coast & mountains. Vol. [2] compiled by Saila Hull. Also available on the Internet. ISBN 0-7726-5179-5 1. Animals - British Columbia. 2. Plants - British Columbia. 3. Biotic communities - British Columbia. 4. Coastal ecology - British Columbia. 5. Nature conservation - Bibliography. 6. Nature conservation - British Columbia – Information resources. 7. Pacific Coast (B.C.) – Environmental conditions. I. MacDonald, Andrew, 1965- II. Hull, Saila. III. Naturescape British Columbia. IV. Title: Naturescape British Columbia. Resource booklet, coast & mountains. QH77.C3 N37 2004 578’.097111 C2004-960069-9 Notice: The information contained in the Naturescape British Columbia Guide and booklets is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantees on the part of the authors and Naturescape British Columbia sponsors. Because the means, materials and procedures followed by home- owners are beyond our control, the authors and Naturescape British Columbia disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this information. Naturescape British Columbia publications are copyright© 1995 by the Government of British Columbia. All rights reserved. Except for use in review, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system is forbidden without the written permission of Naturescape British Columbia and Havitat Conservation Trust Foundation Photo credits: Front Cover Mount Moresby Kimiko von Boetticher Back Cover Tow Hill Wm Merilees Wildlife Tree Aaron Bremner Mushroom Aaron Bremner Boy with Back Pack Aaron Bremner Naturescape British Columbia Swallowfail Butterfly Tammy Keetch Havitat Conservation Trust Foundation Red Columbine Tammy Keetch Suite 107 19 Dallas Road Victoria BC Common Meganser Tammy Keetch V8V 5A6 www.naturescapebc.ca NAT U R E S C A P E BR I T I S H CO L U M B I A Native Plant and Animal Booklet, Coast & Mountains W r itten and compiled by Andrew MacDonald (Project Leader) Shane Ford Matt Fairbarn s C r is Guppy Liz Crocke r Dennis Demarchi G r aphic Design and Electronic A s s e m bly Bobolo Design Group I l l u s t r a t o r Andrew MacDonald About Naturescape British Columbia ABOUT NATURESCAPE BRITISH COLUMBIA Naturescape British Columbia promotes caring for wildlife habitat at home. It is funded by W i l d l i fe Habitat Canada, E nvironment Canada (Canadian W i l d l i fe Serv i c e ) , B r itish Columbia Wa t e r, Land and Air Protection, the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund, and the Real Estate Foundation of BC and the participants who register in the Naturescape Progra m . The support and assistance of the Federation of B r itish Columbia Natura l i s t s , B r itish Columbia Nurs e r y Trades A s s o c i a t i o n , B r itish Columbia Society of Landscape A r c h i t e c t s , and the Urban W i l d l i fe Committee (Va n c o u ver) is greatly appreciated. H O N O U R A RY PAT R O N The Honoura ble John A . F r a s e r, P. C . , O. C . , O. B . C . , Q. C. , L L . B . N ATURESCAPE A DV I S O RY SCIENTIFIC CONTRIBU TO R S C O M M I T T E E AND REVIEWERS Pa t r icia Banning-Love r, Ve r non C. B r i n k , Va n c o u ver WBT Wild Bird Trust of B. C . , West Va n c o u ve r Dennis Demarchi,V i c t o r i a Ve r non C. B r i n k , Va n c o u ver Natural History Society,Va n c o u ve r Susan Campbell,Va n c o u ve r Susan Campbell, G r i f fin Wo r k s , Va n c o u ve r Neil Dawe, Qualicum Beach Gretchen Harl ow, Angela Deeri n g , V i c t o r i a Canadian W i l d l i fe Serv i c e , D e l t a L a u r a Fri i s , V i c t o r i a Theresa Duynstee, Greater Va n c o u ver Regional Distri c t Liz Stanlake,V i c t o r i a Linda Georg e ,Va n c o u ve r Linda Kingston, F e d e r ation of B. C . N a t u r alists and Va n c o u ver Natural History Society, B u r n a by Pa t r icia Leslie,Va n c o u ve r Willie MacGillivray, Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature Sanctuary,V i c t o r i a B a r b a r a Stevenson Nield,Va n c o u ve r Sylvia Pincott, F e d e r ation of B. C . N a t u r a l i s t s , Pender Island Rod Silve r, C h a i r, Naturescape A d v i s o r y Committee,V i c t o r i a Paulus V r i j m o e d , B. C . N u r s e r y Trades A s s o c i a t i o n , L a n g l e y Ta ble of Contents TA B L E O F CO N T E N T S I n t r o d u c t i o n . .2 Ecosystems and Ecosystem Dive r s i t y . .2 H ow Ecosystems are Classified in British Columbia . .5 The Southern Alaska Mountains Ecoprov i n c e . .6 The Coast & Mountains Ecoprov i n c e . .7 Putting It All Together In Your Ya r d . .1 6 S u m m a r y of Plant and Animal Ta bl e s , Coast & Mountains Ta ble 1: Native Plants . .1 9 Ta ble 2: Non-native Plants . .3 9 Ta ble 3: B u t t e r f l i e s , Moths and Other Insects . .4 2 Ta ble 4: Amphibians and Reptiles . .5 0 Ta ble 5: B i r d s . .5 3 Ta ble 6: M a m m a l s . .6 3 P L A N T A N D A N I M A L B O O K L E T , C O A S T & M O U N T A I N S • N a t u r e s c a p e B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a 1 I n t r o d u c t i o n I N T RO D U C T I O N This Native Plant and Animal Booklet explains the The Provincial Guide has give n broader natural environment within which you live, you the basic how - t o and allows you to determine the general types of i n fo r mation for creating wildlife habitat in yo u r w i l d l i fe habitats you might consider when planning ya r d . The next step is to consider the type of N a t u re s c ap e p r o j e c t s . It includes a listing of habitat appropriate to your location in the Coast plants and examples of their uses by wildlife, a n d & Mountains. What plants should you consider? listings of wildlife species with notes on their And what animals can you expect to attract? n a t u r al history. To answer these questions, l e t ’s fi r st venture into E C O S YSTEMS AND ECOSYS T E M the surroundings beyond your home. L e t ’s explore D I V E R S I T Y the concept of ecosystems and the physical area of Ecosystem Defined the Coast & Mountains to take a look at where An ecosystem is a concept. The term applies to a your property sits in this larger scheme of things. set of living organisms and non-living elements, a n d Then we can return to your outdoor space and their interaction with each other in both obv i o u s begin to answer your questions. and subtle way s . To get a better sense of our sustaining You can think of an ecosystem as being any e nv i r o n m e n t , we need a different pers p e c t i ve – segment of the wo r ld that includes all the one that looks beyond the neighbourhoods and o r ganisms and the environment within which they t own sites. While it is still possible in Bri t i s h o c c u r. The entire system must have a pri m a r y Columbia to look over mountains and plateaus e n e r gy source, which is genera l ly the sun.