A Fairy Fen

Having lived on Bowen Island for quite some time now, I've heard a lot about the Fairy Fen but never knew what it was or where. My friend Elisabeth had promised to show me where it was, so yesterday she led me through a semi-rugged trail in a dense dry forest to show me the Fen.

Most of the trail looked like this forest, yet I was told that the Fairy Fen has been described by biologists as one of the most undisturbed, biologically diverse, and ecologically rare fens in southern British Columbia (a fen is a wetland fed by ground or surface water and is neutral or alkaline in its chemistry, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal species). The Fairy Fen on Bowen protects unique plants, such as Labrador Tea, bog St. John’s-wort, bog cranberry, and a wide variety of sedges and mosses. Western Bluebirds use Fairy Fen as part of their migration route, Pileated Woodpeckers are often heard in the trees, and Bald Eagles frequent the skies above. Needless to say, I couldn't imagine how there could be such a wetland in the midst of all this dry forest. But eventually we came upon a variety of what I would call "sink-holes" full of water, like these 2 below. These holes were full of water, despite the fact that we have not had any rain to speak of this summer.

The ground around these holes, and there were many of them, felt like a springboard. Perhaps a lot of peat? I was a little nervous thinking that we might be walking along and a new hole might open up. That's just how odd the ground felt as we walked. Still in the forest, we took a few more steps, and voila! The Fen was right before out eyes:

I understand wetlands and bogs, and the differences between them and a Fen, but what I found so odd, is how the dense dry forest could conceal such a unique treasure. Very cool!