Orchid Conservation Project: William Head Road
Date: January 2025
Written by Sasha Kubicek
This spring, I was approached by Canadian Orchid Congress with an orchid restoration micro loan. Sometimes, a nudge is all you need to make positive change happen. I knew of a rare population of Piperia elegans growing on the banks of roadside drainage that routinely got weed-eated throughout the year by neighbours keeping their roadside areas neat and tidy. I struggled for years on how to approach and protect this rare populations of orchids and finally got the nudge I needed to make things happen. I started off by approaching and getting permission from the Municipality who’s property the drainage ditch actually belongs ( Municipality’s own all land along roads- road allowance). Once having their permission, I approached the landowner for which the ditch parallels. I was a bit nervous but turns out they were enthusiastic about having orchids on the property and were even more excited to have them protected. A lot of times we just don’t know. Education and learning about our plant and animal neighbors are so key for future protection of our dwindling biodiversity. Even drainage ditches can be important habitats!
The project began by digging out all invasive species off the bank and clipping back plants that would shade out and overtake the orchids. Once all removed a metal post and fence system was decided on to go around the population of orchids. The cost of the fencing was going to be twice that of my micro loan so I approached a local Foundation (Metchosin Foundation) https://metchosinfoundation.ca/ that does great environmental work in our neighborhood and they generously matched the micro loan so I could pay for the fencing!
Choosing metal was important to not leach chemicals that are found in treated wood into the orchid area and water ditch run off. The height and position of the fence were key as well not to impede the winter water run off and obstruct view for neighbors when turning in and out of the driveway. The area needed some signage, so I approached a great local environmental group Habitat Acquisition Trust (H.A.T.) https://hat.bc.ca/ who kindly donated two key signs to inform the public of the sensitive habitat. With the signage, fence and neighbors now knowing about the orchids, all that had to happen was for the orchids to complete a full lifecycle this year unimpeded.
A wet and cool spring really helped the plants grow and a warm summer ensured a great blooming. Over 30 plants are in this population and Piperia elegans is one of the most striking in the genus here on Vancouver Island. Normally found growing along the coast, this population is more inland making it unique. For the first time since finding the plants almost 10 years ago, the orchids were able to fully bloom, develop seed pods and spread their seeds fully. I can’t wait for spring to try to see if any seeds germinated and a new generation of plants have started. What a successful project, now time to plan 2025’s project : )
Article and photos by Sasha Kubicek
Sasha is an amateur orchid enthusiast, photographer and explorer of wild places. Photos of native orchids photographed by Sasha and tropical orchids he cultivates can be found on his Flickr site: