The Friends of Uplands Park Society is inviting folks from across Greater Victoria to celebrate the beauty and ecological importance of Uplands Park's camas meadows.
The annual Camas Day celebration will take place on Sunday, May 4, from noon to 3 p.m. in the grassy field beside the entrance to Cattle Point on Beach Drive.
Botanists will take attendees on hour-long plant walks in Uplands Park, where locals can see camas meadows and learn about the purple plants, starting at 12:30 p.m.
Seventeen partner community associations that work in various aspects of environmental conservation will join the event with displays to share the importance of their work and educate visitors. They include Friends of Bowker Creek, the Native Bee Society of British Columbia and the Friends of Victoria Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.
“They provide a lot of information to ordinary people about what is in the natural world,” said Friends of Uplands Park Society president Margaret Lidkea. “A lot of people don't get that connection early in their life, and it's really, really an important connection because people are ... part of the natural ecosystems in our country.”
Local band the Bald Eagles is set to perform, and Oak Bay mayor and council will welcome attendees at the start of the event.
Thrifty's will provide free sandwiches, while Oak Bay Starbucks serves coffee and the Friends of Uplands Park Society doles out tasty treats.
Everyone can enter a free prize draw to win native plants, which the Friends of Uplands Park Society hope people will plant in their gardens.
"We are encouraging people to plant native plants in their private gardens to ‘mix it up’ and provide indigenous food to the indigenous insects and birds so their populations increase,” the event’s organizers said in a news release.
Parking is available at Cattle Point and along Beach Drive, but organizers are asking that attendees park on the road.
"Camas Day is a big celebration of this wonderful ecosystem with all the beautiful camas meadows and all the work that volunteers have done in the park for over 33 years," said Lidkea.
Last year, over 400 people attended the event.
With files from Christine van Reeuwyk.
