Sydney Cannings and Richard Cannings explore in depth the physical and natural diversity of B.C’s freshwater habitats. Because of British Columbia’s mountainous terrain, much of the water in the province moves down-hill, tumbling and turning towards the sea. Moving water contains a variety of life from the larval stone-flies, mayflies and caddis flies that cling to rocks to the Harlequin Ducks that court and nest along fast-moving mountain streams. There are over sixteen thousand lakes in the province.

On an imaginary canoe trip around a lake, the authors introduce us to cattails and bulrushes, Spotted Frogs and Western Toads, and, of course, the rich bounty of insect life, including jewel-like dragonflies. Last, but not least, there are the bogs and fens of the province, filled with mosses and other plants, and the hot springs scattered through-out the mountains of British Columbia.