Learn | Kootenay Native Plant Society

Native Plants for the Pollination Pathway

This fact sheet provides information on the plants that are most important to native bees and butterflies in low-elevation West Kootenay ecosystems. These are the plants selected by pollinators for pollinators. Consider adding these priority flowering herbs and shrubs to help pollinators flourish in your garden and connect your garden to wild populations. Together, we can build a more biodiverse and resilient pathway of native plants and pollinators across our landscapes.

The information provided is based on field research conducted by Dr. Brenda Beckwith, Valerie Huff, Janice Arndt, and Rowan Rampton.

Rare and Climate-Vulnerable Butterflies of the West Kootenay

This brochure showcases twelve butterflies considered vulnerable to climate change in the West Kootenay region of the British Columbia Interior. Host plants that are essential for the survival of these butterflies are listed, where known, based on research conducted by Janice Arndt and Brenda Beckwith for the BC Parks Living Lab Program.

Butterfly Checklist for Beaver Creek, Syringa, and King George VI Provincial Parks

This is a checklist of butterflies found in three BC Parks, based on research conducted by Janice Arndt and Brenda Beckwith for the BC Parks Living Lab Program and the Pollination Pathway Climate Adaptation Initiative.

Interactive Plant-Bee Networks

Understanding how plants and bees interact can help guide conservation efforts. These interactive network diagrams were produced by Rowan Rampton based on his research for the Pollination Pathway where he meticulously documented plant use by bees in West Kootenay camas meadows.

https://kootenaynativeplants.ca/our-work/camas/floral-relations-of-bees-in-camas-meadows/

Pollination Pathway Climate Adaptation Initiative Year In Review

Download our annual newsletter – 2023

Floral Relations of Native Bees in Camas Meadows

COL-F23-W3673

Pollination Pathway Climate Adaptation Initiative – March 2022

Annual newsletter 2022.

Protecting Native Pollinators in the Columbia Basin

This poster describes pollinator groups of the Columbia Basin and describes how landowners can take action to protect them. A full-size version is available for printing on request.

West Kootenay Native Plants of Special Value to Pollinators

This handy guide describes the pollinator and restoration value of native plants for pollinators.

Pollination Pathway Climate Adaptation Initiative

Download our first Annual Newsletter:

PPCAI.Newsletter2022_Final

Kootenay Lake Wildflower Seed Library Collection Manual

Seed Collection Manual download

We all love wildflowers! They trumpet in the summer with bright blues and yellows and reds, and vibrate with life as bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and beetles collect their nectar and pollen. But we often forget about the amazing cycle of life that continues after the blooms fade. Seed collection is an opportunity to connect with the world through a different kind of beauty, quiet and unadorned. It offers another reason to walk or bike or paddle, to get out for the day or just for an hour, to share time with friends or in solitary contemplation, to look closely at things that might otherwise get a passing glance, and to learn new things about the ancient practices of plants and people. If you are intrigued, download the manual to learn how to collect seeds of local wildflowers

KNPS Plant Salvage Guidelines

The Kootenay Native Plant Society endorses and is guided by the Plant Salvage Guidelines of the Native Plant Society of BC, which can be found at http://www.npsbc.ca/pdf/NPSBC_Native_Plant_Salvaging.pdf.

In addition to these guidelines, the Kootenay Native Plant Society adopts the following further salvage guidelines:

that salvaged plants are not to be sold, and
that plants salvaged locally should be replanted locally.

The Kootenay Native Plant Society would like to emphasize that native plant salvage operations should be a last resort for lands slated for disturbance. Conservation of habitat is preferred, and conservation attempts should precede and take precedence over any salvage operations. Furthermore, any salvage operation being considered should include linkages to at least one other society objective, such as education, outreach, restoration or research.