Serious Business

From this photo of the newly emerging leaves of the beautiful plant Devil's Club (Oplopanax horridus) you can understand where the name comes from.  The plants are growing rapidly this time of year, over a month period they go from the bud stage to leaves that are in some cases 30 or more centimeters across.  In some rich sites with lots of moisture the Devil's Club form quite dense patches in the Bella Coola Valley and the tributary valleys.  They are a beautiful plant as long as you don't hang onto them.  Grizzly