April22_2008

Botanical Glossary - Home - References Cited

Photos - L-R - Beautiful spring blossoms in Hastings Park, East Vancouver. Narcissus Spp (Doffodil hybrid) The hybrids are mostly of complex heritage, generally taller and with much showier flowers than the wild relatives. These are amongst my favorite spring flowers (ranking top notch with crocus and snow drops) and are very hardy. The leaves are generally strap-shaped and grayish-green from the ground.

Ribes Hudsonianum (Northern Black Current) This is an erect or ascending, deciduous shrub with drooping clusters of white flowers and maple-leaf-like, alternate with 3 to five lobed leaves. The branches are not armed with prickles and the purple-black berries are covered in whitish bloom.

Ribes Sanguineum (Red-flowering Current) We are looking at a seven foot tall shrub which is a bit taller than the norm. Usually this shrub is only about 5 foot tall, deciduous leaves with deep lobes and toothed edges, and having long showy pink flower clusters in January - March. Native to canyons and coast ranges this fruit bearing shrub likes shade to part shade, but can also be found in moderately moist sites in the interior of BC and is very drought tolerant in coastal gardens. The fruit from this plant is edible and quite tasty.

Photos - L-R - Sunny day photos of the Agrodome. The Agrodome opened in 1960, a domed exhibition hall at the PNE. The fair's original proposal was for an 8,000-seat combined facility: a livestock arena that could be converted to an ice rink. Vancouver city council balked, and what was built was a 3,500-seat arena with a 230x100 foot ring, covered by a 50-foot-high domed roof. “Though they professed to be an agricultural fair,” say the authors of the 1982 book Vancouver's Fair, “and stated repeatedly that the arena was needed primarily as an exhibition showcase, the PNE really wanted a home for their hockey team. They were being deliberately deceptive.

Sturnus Vulgaris (European Starling) Perched together in a pleasing composition. A short-tailed black bird with the shape of a meadow hawk. Introduced from Eurasia and naturalized in North America. The heavily speckled body changes to iridescent in spring, as well, the dark bill turns yellow in spring.

The Pacific Coliseum was built in the 1968 (In the shape of a hockey Puck) as home of the new NHL expansion franchise "The Vancouver Canucks Hockey Team, " and is now home to the Vancouver Giants Minor League team. The Pacific Coliseum is the largest building within the Hastings Park complex and provides a magnificent setting for events as diverse as ice shows, boxing, basketball, hockey, concerts, circuses, large assemblies, and trade & consumer shows. The Pacific Coliseum accommodates 15,713 in permanent seating, with provision for 2,000 temporary seats on the floor for concerts and spectator sports. For large trade shows, the building offers 80,000 gross square feet of exhibition area on the floor and 47,000 gross square feet on the concourse area, with a 14-foot wide ramp connecting the two levels. Ceiling clearance from the floor is a sweeping 68 feet. Dressing rooms, office space, press working areas, exhibitors lounge and full ticket facilities are available within the building. For sporting and other public events, the seating capacities in the Pacific Coliseum arena range from 4,200 in mini concert stage to 17,000 in the round full concert or sports seating.

Photos - Frames left and right: The Hastings Park Racecourse Grandstands standing in the asphalt beside the track looking south at the grandstands front.

Center frame: The main entrance and East side of grand stands at the Hastings Park Race Track - the Racetrack has occupied this portion of the Hastings Park grounds since 1892 (the front Facade of the racetrack was built in 1929, however most of the stands and gambling facilities were built in the 60's, 70's and 80's as the needs required.

Click here for more photos of Hastings Park in East Vancouver for this day.