I would like to acknowledge and express my deepest gratitude to the lək̓ʷəŋən speaking peoples and the esquimalt and songhees nations for caring for the land on which we learn, grow, and flourish. The care and stewardship they have and continue to dedicate towards the land is not only essential for the preservation of our natural ecosystems, but an amazing role model for us to learn from so we can move forward with respect and unity with the land and wildlife around us.

Throughout our time visiting Swan Lake, we read the book “Braiding sweetgrass for young adults” by Robin Wall Kimmerer, and responded with our own thoughts to various sections. Below is one of my responses.

Braiding Sweetgrass

I grew up with a large Garry oak tree towering

over me and greeting me from out my window,

and Garry oaks lined up around my

neighbourhood. I remember the feeling of

jumping into a pile of wet leaves speckled in dirt,

the leaves getting caught in my hair and the hood

of my jacket, getting into my sleeves and slipping

into my boots. I remember the abundance of

acorns on the ground, collecting them and

leaving them in a pile for squirrels that neglected

it and gathered the scattered nuts from the

ground. The old oak tree in my front yard has

always been one of my favourite things about

where I live, it's scent on crisp autumn mornings

my favourite thing to smell. I'd be worried when

lightning came and think it's branches would

come down and blow into my house, destroying

the wall and causing thousands of dollars of

damage. Of course, it never actually happened,

and isn't very likely to. It's gnarly branches and

sweet leaves were a key part of my childhood,

and continue to remind me of home. I imagine

the oak as a grandparent, its rough bark like

wrinkled skin, and its autumn scent like warm

cinnamon apple pie. They would be a sweet old

person who bakes for you and spoils you more

than you deserve, spending time with you by

roasting nuts over a fire and knitting

unfortunately itchy sweaters for you like the

annoyingly wet and messy leaves that surround

you as you jump into the newly raked pile. But I

would still wear the sweater proudly until it's too

scratchy to keep on, because the sweet old

grandparent who made it filled it with more love

than any hug could hold.

These are some highlights of what I learned:

• Two main invasive species that we removed and learned about were daphne and English ivy. English ivy is a type of I’ve that climbs up trees and even buildings, leaching off of the sunlight and nutrients, the ivy slowly destroys whatever it latches onto—even causing damage to man made structures like buildings. It is extremely fast spreading and can grow roots from cut off branches, so it should be bagged when being removed. Unfortunately it latches onto trees extremely well, causing bark to be ripped off if not removed carefully enough. Sometimes a better approach is to simply cut the ivy as close as you can get to the roots to try and cut off the nutrition source, in order to not damage the tree while trying to remove the ivy all together. As for daphne, this plant can be more complicated to remove as its sap and flower nectar is poisonous to humans and various animals. As a result, safe removal of daphne requires gloves to be worn to avoid contact with any sap or nectar. Similar to English ivy, daphne must also be bagged when removed from an area.

• Pollination is an essential part of the growth and life of plants. When we think of pollination, often our minds go to bees. Bees are great pollinators and extremely important for the continuation of consistent pollination amongst plants. With that said, there are many other animals that are also important pollinators. Different flowers have different features to attract certain pollinators—for example, different colours can attract different species as well as shape and size. Similarly, different pollinator species have different features to access different plants, such as hummingbirds having long, thin beaks to access the nectar of flowers such as trumpet honeysuckle and larkspur. Some key pollinators other than the widely known bee include bats, various types of flies, wasps, moths, butterflies, hummingbirds, and some varieties of ants and beetles.

• Some species that we studied in ethnobotany include snowberries, Indian plum, and Garry oaks. Snowberries are native to BC, and are abundant throughout Vancouver Island. These bushes have rounded green leaves most of the year, losing their leaves and baring small white fruit in the winter. Although poisonous snowberries are used in multiple ways—medicine for burns, rashes, stomach problems, tuberculosis and eczema and used as soap and shampoo. Another plant we learned about is the Indian plum. These small trees are indicators of the changing of seasons, as it’s one of the first plants to flower in the spring. As well as season indicators, the fruit of Indian plums are completely suitable for consumption and the bark has various medicinal uses such as a tuberculosis remedy and a mild laxative. Garry oaks are another important species that is native to BC, and extremely endangered. Habitat loss due to urbanization and diseases causing trees to wither have wiped out the abundant Garry oak ecosystems in North America and have caused these trees to be extremely important to protect. Uses of the Gary oak includes roasting the acorns to eat, and using sticks as fuel for fires.

Braiding Sweetgrass

Stories have been good medicine to me

throughout my life. From teaching me new words,

to teaching me about the importance of nature,

every story has a meaning. You would think the

story that has had the most impact on me would

be one I read as a child, however this story was

discovered through a video game. The game had

a collaboration with the story

"Le Petite Prince"

or "The Little Prince". The season lasted around 2

months and provided adventures to go on with

the prince, relating to the original story. Each

adventure holds a special place in my heart,

bringing warmth and light to my heart in a time of

darkness for me. Each adventure left with a

bittersweet ending, and some tears when the last

adventure ended, and the prince joined the stars

to discover new planets and adventures. The

adventures with the little prince, to me, were a

safe haven of warmth, playing hide and seek,

watching the sunset on a mountain as we

contemplated life and the importance of

simplicity, occasionally playing a tune on the

guitar. And by the end of it, I felt a peace and

tranquility inside of myself, that settled into me

and connected to the character of the little

prince. From then on, the story held a special

place in my heart, from the adventures and times

I had with my

"friend" the little prince.

Braiding Sweetgrass

The leaves fell down from above, their maple

syrup-like scent filling the air. A girl lost in the

woods wandered around, the trees her only

friend as night fell and the world went dark. She

soon took refuge in the hollow base of a Garry

Oak tree. Cold and tired, she made a fire out of

the sticks and twigs that had fallen on the

ground. She roasted the acorns from the tree

over the fire, taking off their caps and shells to

eat the nuts inside. Throughout the night, she

used the twigs and leaves for kindling and

collected as many acorn as possible for roasting

When the night took her energy away, she made

a bed of leaves to lay on and keep her warm as

she peacefully dozed off, ready to go home in

the morning.