Redwood Sorrel

 

Looking like an oversized clover, the redwood sorrel (oxalis oregana) is one of BC’s loveliest and rarest rainforest plants, found only in a few scattered sites on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.

Because they have adapted to live on the shady forest floor, these plants are actually light-sensitive and will fold their leaves to protect themselves from intense sunlight. When the late afternoon sun creeps into a sorrel colony, the lucky observer will see thousands of leaves folding to ward off the glare.

On Vancouver Island, these exceedingly rare old-growth sorrel gardens reach their most magnificent expression in the Klanawa Valley in Huu-ay-aht territory. In these enchanted groves along the banks of the Klanawa River, delicate carpets of sorrel flowers and fairybell lilies are braided with wildlife trails made by Roosevelt elk, black bears, and coastal wolves, giving the impression of a manicured garden and trails deep in the rainforest. The idyllic forest scenes here are among the most beautiful we have ever encountered.