Fields of Camas in Uplands Park in Victoria

Another of our feldtrips was to Uplands Park in Victoria to see the gorgeous fields of camas (camassa quamash) in bloom. Camas grow from BC to California and inland to Alberta, Montana, and Wyoming. The bulbs were used as a food source by various native peoples and are well known in the Garry oak meadows of southern Vancouver Island where there is evidence that the First Nations peoples of this region may have managed populations using prescribed vegetation burns to maintain good habitat. Camas are considered a delicacy by various First Nations peoples on Vancouver Island, as well as the Blackfoot and Cree. Bulbs would be steamed or pit cooked for one to three days, then dried out to grind a meal. The meal was then cooked like a pancake or mixed with water and formed into large bricks to cook for storing. The white or death camas (Zigadenus elegans) were planted on the edges to protect the camas fields, with only a few knowing the location of these deadly bulbs.