- Star Tales - Pyxis (ianridpath.com)
A small southern constellation invented by the Frenchman Nicolas Louis de Lacaille during his survey of the southern skies in 1751–52. Pyxis represents a magnetic compass as used by seamen. It is located near the stern of the ship Argo in the same area as the ship’s mast. Lacaille’s original depiction of it was published in 1756 under the French name la Boussole, and in the notes accompanying the chart he described it as ‘le Compas de mer’. On the second edition of his chart in 1763 Lacaille Latinized its name to Pixis Nautica (sic), which was subsequently shortened, with amended spelling, to just Pyxis.
- Cytisus scoparius has been introduced into several other countries and continents, outside of its native range, and is commonly classified as a noxious invasive species in western North America, mainly in British Columbia (including on Vancouver Island), California, Oregon, Washington (west of the Cascades), the Sierra Nevada range, fragmented areas of North America’s eastern seaboard, as well as Australia (where it is a declared weed), New Zealand, and in India.
- Vancouver Island (Wikipedia)
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is 456 km (283 mi) in length, 100 km (62 mi) in width at its widest point, and 32,100 km2 (12,400 sq mi) in total area, while 31,285 km2 (12,079 sq mi) are of land. The island is the largest by area and the most populous along the west coasts of the Americas.
