Derrick S Denholm
@derricksdenholm.bsky.social
UltraNerd Author, Artist, Music snob, Nature lover, Athiest, Vegetarian, Leftist, Gardener, Science geek. Nyckelharpa, HurdyGurdy, and Banjo aficionado. Vancouver-born Scots-Swede-Dutch compound.
Sunday drive to Owen Hat, near Mount Nadina, in the burnt over forests above the west end of Francois Lake. An upright protrusion of columnar basalt, this is the most prominent of many in the area. Fairly in the middle of nowhere, we had the place all to ourselves. #Geology #BCWild #Nature
November 3, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Big cottonwood, killed by the Nadina wildfire, a few years back. Out doing surveys on new growth in the aftermath. Northern BC, near Francoise Lake, BC. Oct 2025
October 31, 2025 at 2:50 AM
Big cottonwood, killed by the Nadina wildfire, a few years back. Out doing surveys on new growth in the aftermath. Northern BC, near Francoise Lake, BC. Oct 2025
Quint in the first snow of the autumn, in a wide aspen grove near Bickle Lake, BC, just off the Tatalrose FSR. Northern British Columbia. Oct 30, 2025
October 31, 2025 at 2:41 AM
Quint in the first snow of the autumn, in a wide aspen grove near Bickle Lake, BC, just off the Tatalrose FSR. Northern British Columbia. Oct 30, 2025
Grizzly tracks, on the North Tatalrose FSR, day after the first snow of the fall. For scale, my boot is 12 inches long. A big'n! Rear paw on left, front paw on right, with very long claw marks in the snow ahead of the toe prints. Northern BC, near Francois Lake. October 30, 2025. #grizzly #BCwild
October 31, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Blue chanterelles (Polyozellus atrlazulinus) still frozen from the previous night's frost, from my ulta-secret spot, picked on October 10 2025 Henkel-Nourse FSR, in Northern BC. #BCWild #WildMushroom #Foraging
October 11, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Blue chanterelles (Polyozellus atrlazulinus) still frozen from the previous night's frost, from my ulta-secret spot, picked on October 10 2025 Henkel-Nourse FSR, in Northern BC. #BCWild #WildMushroom #Foraging
I have a secret spot that grows blue chanterelles (Polyozellus atrlazulinus) every fall, in a forest strip between two creeks, thus always wet. Perfect. These were picked Sept 26 2025, near Burns Lake, BC. The third photo is from 2024, showing what they look like without getting rained upon...
October 1, 2025 at 2:26 AM
I have a secret spot that grows blue chanterelles (Polyozellus atrlazulinus) every fall, in a forest strip between two creeks, thus always wet. Perfect. These were picked Sept 26 2025, near Burns Lake, BC. The third photo is from 2024, showing what they look like without getting rained upon...
Sometimes, no matter how badly a tree is planted, it still survives. Squeezed out of its loose hole by frost, this one has sent rootlets far down in the hole. Near Tintagel in northern BC. P.S.: This is not a get off free card for lazy planters, as it is stunted and may not live. #BCtreeplanting
August 18, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Sometimes, no matter how badly a tree is planted, it still survives. Squeezed out of its loose hole by frost, this one has sent rootlets far down in the hole. Near Tintagel in northern BC. P.S.: This is not a get off free card for lazy planters, as it is stunted and may not live. #BCtreeplanting
Pink spirea (Spiraea douglasii) growing in a nice big patch at the forest's edge, in the dry cool sub-boreal spruce zone. They prefer moist seepage areas with particular nutrient-poor soil, where they can dominate, and sometimes grow up to two meres tall. Near Tintagel in northern BC. August 2025.
August 18, 2025 at 2:40 AM
Pink spirea (Spiraea douglasii) growing in a nice big patch at the forest's edge, in the dry cool sub-boreal spruce zone. They prefer moist seepage areas with particular nutrient-poor soil, where they can dominate, and sometimes grow up to two meres tall. Near Tintagel in northern BC. August 2025.
Quint with some black huckleberries high up in the ESSF zone (Engleman spruce, subalpine fir), the first of the season. A few weeks early, really. Near Burns Lake, in Northern BC. #terrier #huckleberries #BCWild
July 26, 2025 at 1:04 AM
Quint with some black huckleberries high up in the ESSF zone (Engleman spruce, subalpine fir), the first of the season. A few weeks early, really. Near Burns Lake, in Northern BC. #terrier #huckleberries #BCWild
Quint, looking for voles in the cotton grass, bog orchids, monkey flowers, and Sitka valerian in a nice seepage zone of a subapline meadow, near Burns Lake, BC, July 2025.
July 21, 2025 at 1:20 AM
Quint, looking for voles in the cotton grass, bog orchids, monkey flowers, and Sitka valerian in a nice seepage zone of a subapline meadow, near Burns Lake, BC, July 2025.
Woodland pine drops [Pterospora andromedea Nutt.] just about halfway grown, now 40-50 cm tall. One of the few plants that grow here that do not photosynthesize and instead are myco-heterotrophs that partner with fungi to break down dead woody debris in the soil. Near Burns Lake, BC, July 2025
July 21, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Woodland pine drops [Pterospora andromedea Nutt.] just about halfway grown, now 40-50 cm tall. One of the few plants that grow here that do not photosynthesize and instead are myco-heterotrophs that partner with fungi to break down dead woody debris in the soil. Near Burns Lake, BC, July 2025
Quint on top of the biggest hill near Davidson Lake, near Burns Lake BC, just before the monsoon-intensity rainfall smashed into us, on Friday morning, about 8:30 A.M.
July 21, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Quint on top of the biggest hill near Davidson Lake, near Burns Lake BC, just before the monsoon-intensity rainfall smashed into us, on Friday morning, about 8:30 A.M.
M'Lord Mochi in the top of the tower, as per...
July 7, 2025 at 12:51 AM
M'Lord Mochi in the top of the tower, as per...
Quint and some Nootka lupine [Lupinus nootkatensis] up in the Augier-Ling FSR area of northern BC.
July 7, 2025 at 12:49 AM
Quint and some Nootka lupine [Lupinus nootkatensis] up in the Augier-Ling FSR area of northern BC.
Good view of the east end of Francois Lake, Douglas-fire country, from the north side, while doing forestry work last week, in northern BC. #FrancoisLake #WildBC
July 7, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Good view of the east end of Francois Lake, Douglas-fire country, from the north side, while doing forestry work last week, in northern BC. #FrancoisLake #WildBC
Quint out cooling off in the ponds and bogs that spread out from the north end of Tchesinkut lake, while doing forestry work on Friday in Northern BC. #NorthernBC #Terrier #BCWild
July 7, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Quint out cooling off in the ponds and bogs that spread out from the north end of Tchesinkut lake, while doing forestry work on Friday in Northern BC. #NorthernBC #Terrier #BCWild
Quint and Fragrant white rein orchids (or white bog orchids) [Platanthera dilatata (Pursh) Lindl. ex Beck] growing in their thousands up in a broad seepage lane between Owl and Ling lakes in northern BC. #BCwildflowers #orchid #NorthernBC
July 7, 2025 at 12:40 AM
Quint and Fragrant white rein orchids (or white bog orchids) [Platanthera dilatata (Pursh) Lindl. ex Beck] growing in their thousands up in a broad seepage lane between Owl and Ling lakes in northern BC. #BCwildflowers #orchid #NorthernBC
Quint is very tired after a long day in the bush. Falls asleep during a staff meeting.
June 22, 2025 at 2:02 AM
Quint is very tired after a long day in the bush. Falls asleep during a staff meeting.
Quint knows how to Qeep Qool:
1) Lay down in any body of water on any given transect.
2) Done.
Out doing forestry work and being constantly on the move for seven+ hours is a big ask for a ten year-old terrier.
1) Lay down in any body of water on any given transect.
2) Done.
Out doing forestry work and being constantly on the move for seven+ hours is a big ask for a ten year-old terrier.
June 15, 2025 at 5:01 AM
Quint knows how to Qeep Qool:
1) Lay down in any body of water on any given transect.
2) Done.
Out doing forestry work and being constantly on the move for seven+ hours is a big ask for a ten year-old terrier.
1) Lay down in any body of water on any given transect.
2) Done.
Out doing forestry work and being constantly on the move for seven+ hours is a big ask for a ten year-old terrier.
Another tiny uncommon find in Northern BC. Alaska saxifrage [Micranthes ferruginea]. Up on the McKenzie FSR 13km, June 10 2025.
June 15, 2025 at 4:16 AM
Another tiny uncommon find in Northern BC. Alaska saxifrage [Micranthes ferruginea]. Up on the McKenzie FSR 13km, June 10 2025.
Pink fairyslippers [Calypso bulbosa] grow in young lodgepole pine fire stands in great profusion. Hundreds of clusters of hundreds of plants per hectare. A beautiful, impressive spring display, everywhere underfoot. 20 May 2025 Fisher FSR 20km, Northern BC, Canada #fairyslipper #wildflowers
June 15, 2025 at 3:50 AM
Pink fairyslippers [Calypso bulbosa] grow in young lodgepole pine fire stands in great profusion. Hundreds of clusters of hundreds of plants per hectare. A beautiful, impressive spring display, everywhere underfoot. 20 May 2025 Fisher FSR 20km, Northern BC, Canada #fairyslipper #wildflowers
Lesser yellowlegs [Tringa flavipes] eggs in it's ground nest. Walking across a conifer plantation, and the bird blasted off right in front of me. Wouldn't have found the pair's nest otherwise. Then the screeching began. Stayed just long enough for a snap. June 2025. Fisher FSR, Northern BC.
June 15, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Lesser yellowlegs [Tringa flavipes] eggs in it's ground nest. Walking across a conifer plantation, and the bird blasted off right in front of me. Wouldn't have found the pair's nest otherwise. Then the screeching began. Stayed just long enough for a snap. June 2025. Fisher FSR, Northern BC.
While doing forestry work, I found these showy jacob's ladder [Polemonium pulcherrimum] in violet and white variants. There was also a darker blue one, but I was trying to stay on task and not get too distracted. 10 June 2025. McKenzie FSR 13 km
June 15, 2025 at 3:28 AM
While doing forestry work, I found these showy jacob's ladder [Polemonium pulcherrimum] in violet and white variants. There was also a darker blue one, but I was trying to stay on task and not get too distracted. 10 June 2025. McKenzie FSR 13 km
While picking wild red elderberry [Sambucus racemosa] blossoms for making cordial, I found this nice clutch of oyster mushrooms [Pleurotus ostreatus]. Double score! June 11, Maxan FSR 7km. Northern BC, Canada. #cordial #wildcrafting #BCWild #elderberry #wildfood
![Red elderberry [Sambucus racemosa] blossoms and oyster mushrooms [Pleurotus ostreatus] June 11 6 25, northern BC, Canada.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:oqtztawlzvfgdipccy7nypxi/bafkreidxqbtun5c2yuraahwhly6hd5qsvup43c7cbcrwg5z3lqjjrrjyeu@jpeg)
June 15, 2025 at 3:19 AM
While picking wild red elderberry [Sambucus racemosa] blossoms for making cordial, I found this nice clutch of oyster mushrooms [Pleurotus ostreatus]. Double score! June 11, Maxan FSR 7km. Northern BC, Canada. #cordial #wildcrafting #BCWild #elderberry #wildfood