Trial Islands Ecological Reserve
Encyclopedia
The Trial Islands Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve on the Trial Islands
in the British Columbia
province of Canada
just off the southern tip of Oak Bay
in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
. The twenty-three-hectare ecological reserve was established in 1990 to protect two elongated rocky islands and associated islets. It protects the greatest number of endangered and vulnerable species in a single ecological reserve in British Columbia.
and stands of wind-adapted Garry oaks
that cover the island. Endangered or threatened plants include the white-top aster, paintbrush owl-clover
, golden paintbrush
, creeping wild rye
, rosy owl-clover
, California buttercup
, snake-root sanicle, purple sanicle, and Scouler's campion
. This is the most northern limit of their range for many of these species.
Nine plant communities have been described, including the red-listed Garry oak-California brome association.
The Trial Islands provide roosting sites for cormorants, black oystercatchers
, diving duck
s, gulls, eagle
s, raptors
, and shorebirds, as well as haul-out sites for sea lions and seals
.
Trial Islands, British Columbia
The Trial Islands are a group of islands located off the south-eastern tip of Vancouver Island off Victoria, part of the municipality of Oak Bay...
in the British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
province of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
just off the southern tip of Oak Bay
Oak Bay, British Columbia
Oak Bay is a municipality located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the Canadian Province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Capital Regional District, it is a community east of and adjacent to the City of Victoria...
in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
. The twenty-three-hectare ecological reserve was established in 1990 to protect two elongated rocky islands and associated islets. It protects the greatest number of endangered and vulnerable species in a single ecological reserve in British Columbia.
Flora and fauna
Flora on the reserve include great and common camasCamassia
Camassia is a genus of six species native to western North America, from southern British Columbia to northern California, and east to Utah, Wyoming and Montana...
and stands of wind-adapted Garry oaks
Garry Oak
Quercus garryana, the Garry Oak, Oregon White Oak or Oregon Oak, has a range from southern California to extreme southwestern British Columbia, particularly southeastern Vancouver Island and the adjacent Gulf Islands. It grows from sea level to 210 m altitude in the northern part of its range, and...
that cover the island. Endangered or threatened plants include the white-top aster, paintbrush owl-clover
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
, golden paintbrush
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
, creeping wild rye
Wild rye
Wild rye is a term used for several grasses. They are natively found in parts of North America and are valuable in the control of exotic invasive plants and as a rotation crop."Wild ryes" belong to either of two genera:...
, rosy owl-clover
Scrophulariaceae
Scrophulariaceae, the figwort family, are a family of flowering plants. The plants are annual or perennial herbs with flowers with bilateral or rarely radial symmetry. Members of the Scrophulariaceae have a cosmopolitan distribution, with the majority found in temperate areas, including...
, California buttercup
California buttercup
Ranunculus californicus, the California buttercup, is a flowering plant of the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. It is a native of California, where it is common in many chaparral and woodlands and other habitats. Its distribution extends from Southern California north into Oregon and south into Baja...
, snake-root sanicle, purple sanicle, and Scouler's campion
Caryophyllaceae
The Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae and Polygonaceae...
. This is the most northern limit of their range for many of these species.
Nine plant communities have been described, including the red-listed Garry oak-California brome association.
The Trial Islands provide roosting sites for cormorants, black oystercatchers
American Black Oystercatcher
The Black Oystercatcher, Haematopus bachmani, is a conspicuous black bird found on the shoreline of western North America. It ranges from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the coast of the Baja California peninsula....
, diving duck
Diving duck
The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of the diverse and very large Anatidae family that includes ducks, geese, and swans....
s, gulls, eagle
Eagle
Eagles are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several genera which are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than 60 species occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just two species can be found in the United States and Canada, nine more in...
s, raptors
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
, and shorebirds, as well as haul-out sites for sea lions and seals
Pinniped
Pinnipeds or fin-footed mammals are a widely distributed and diverse group of semiaquatic marine mammals comprising the families Odobenidae , Otariidae , and Phocidae .-Overview: Pinnipeds are typically sleek-bodied and barrel-shaped...
.