Species Gallery

We are creating an online catalogue of species that can be found in Esquimalt Gorge Park. To find more information on an individual species, its habitat, and identification tips, click on any image below.

Trees

Bigleaf Maple
(Acer macrophyllum)
Pacific Arbutus
(Arbutus menziesii)
Coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Garry Oak
(Quercus Garryana)
Pacific Willow
(Salix lucida)
Western Red Cedar
(Thuja plicata)
Shore Pine
(Pinus contorta var. contorta).
Western (Pacific) Yew
(Taxus brevifolia).
Red Alder (Alnus rubra).

Shrubs

Salal
(Gaultheria shallon)
Oceanspray
(Holodiscus discolor)
Pacific Ninebark
(Physocarpus capitatus)
Nootka Rose
(Rosa nutkana)
Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
Hardhack
(Spiraea douglasii)
Common Snowberry
(Symphoricarpos albus)
Red-Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera).

Herbaceous plants

Bracken Fern
(Pteridium aquilinum)
Canada Thistle
(Cirsium arvense)
Salt Marsh Dodder
(Cuscuta salina)
Sweet-Scented Bedstraw
(Galium triflorum)
Entire-leaved
Gumweed
(Grindelia integrifolia)
English Ivy
(Hedera helix)
Sword Fern
(Polystichum munitum)
Purple salsify
(Tragopogon porrifolius)
Crocus
(Crocus spp.)
White Stonecrop (Sedum album)
Queen Anne’s Lace/ Wild Carrot (Daucus carrot)

Birds

Songbirds

Anna’s Hummingbird
(Calypte anna)
Brown Creeper
(Certhia americana)
Bushtit
(Psaltriparus minimus)
Golden-crowned Kinglet
(Regulus satrapa)
Pacific Wren
(Troglodytes pacificus)
Red-breasted Nuthatch
(Sitta canadensis)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
(Regulus calendula)
Spotted Towhee
(Pipilo maculatus)

Water Birds

Bufflehead
(Bucephala albeola)
Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)
Hooded Merganser
(Lophodytes cucullatus)
Pied-billed Grebe
(Podilymbus podiceps)

Woodpeckers

Northern Flicker
(Colaptes auratus)
Downy Woodpecker
(Dryobates pubescens)
Red-breasted Sapsucker
(Sphyrapicus ruber)

Birds of Prey

Barred owl
(Stix varia)

Terrestrial Invertebrates

Lorquin’s Admiral
(Limenitis lorquini)
European Paper Wasp
(Polistes dominula)
Crane Fly
(Family Tipulidae)
Hoverfly
(Family Syrphidae)
Common Striped Woodlouse
(Philoscia muscorum)
Skipper Butterfly
(Family Hesperiidae)
Leafcutter Bee
(Family Megachilidae)

Fungi

Red Belted Conk
(Fomitopsis pinicola)
Witches’ Butter
(Tremella mesenterica)
False Turkey Tail
(Stereum hirsutum)
Western Elfin Saddle
(Helvella vespertina)

Marine

Invertebrates

Mossy chiton
(Mopalia muscosa)
Graceful Decorator Crab
(Oregonia gracilis)
Pacific Blood Star (Henricia leviuscula)
California Sea Cucumber
(Parastichopus californicus)
Short Plumose Anemone (Metridium senile)
Hermit Crabs (Superfamily Paguroidea)

Vertebrates

Tidepool Sculpin
(Oligocottus maculosus)
Bay Pipefish
(Syngnathus leptorhynchus)

Plants

Eelgrass
(Zostera marina)
Sea Asparagus
(Salicornia virginica)

We will be adding to the gallery over time, as we take photos of more species in the park. If you have photos of species that are not in the gallery, we would love to add them! Please email photos to gorgewaterway@gmail.com.