HAREWOOD PLAINS

Harewood is the name of a lake and a plain located 4 kilometers South of Nanaimo on the East Coast of Vancouver Island. The name has been in use since 1913 when Harewood was referred to a small mining village in the area which is no longer in existence. The mine was owned in part by the 7th son of the 3rd son of The Earl of Harewood. Today the name Harewood is still in use to refer to a neighbourhood in South Nanaimo. It is also used as a street name and as a name for some other community amenities. The area is now affectionately called the University area due to its proximity to the Vancouver Island University. Every year around the early part of spring,  spectacular and majestic-looking  wildflowers show their grandeur for just a few short weeks or so. There are several kinds of moss,lichens and wildflowers most notably the Lotus Pinnatus, a very unique and beautiful plant that is native to Western North America from California into the Pacific North West, its distribution extending into British Columbia most notably in Nanaimo,nearby Gabriola Island and another lovely community of Ladysmith. Lotus Pinnatus has a bright yellow banner or upper petal and white lower petals. It is a hairless perennial herb lined with leaves each made up of green oval leaflets measuring about 1-2.5 centimeters in length. The inflorescence is an array of up to 10 pea-like flowers that measure between 1-2 centimeters in length. According to the the biologists and other wildlife experts, Nanaimo has 80% of all the Lotus Pinnatus found in all of Canada, growing within the City limits. It is also known as bog's bird's-foot trefoil and likes to sprawl near the ground on a stem up to 60 centimeters long. There are roughly 1,500 of the plants that grow in the Harewood Plains within the three-kilometer square section that stretches from White Rapids Road in the North to Mckeown Way to the South bordered by the Nanaimo Parkway to the West. The B.C. Hydro right of way on the Island Timberland's property goes through the Southern edge of the plains. The plant likes to grow in thin soil and thrives in this area's moderate climate.Lotus Pinnatus is now the Official Flower of Nanaimo. Please help us protect and maintain the pastoral beauty  of the rugged and yet beautiful Harewood Plains!