Every year I go up to kayak on Sullivan Lake by going up the Knouff Lake Road. I paddle the lake, then on the way back, I turn down the Sullivan Valley Road which is a good gravel road all the way down to Highway 5A N. The upper area is mixed forests with some wet areas, some plantations, and … Continue reading →
On a warm mid-June day the nature hike was a combination of trails on the west side of Kenna Cartwright Park – out west on the Ponderosa Trail and back on Big Pine Trail, and some connector trails for a loop route. Spring wildflowers and flowering shrubs bordered the trails and birds and pollinators were active in the open forests … Continue reading →
At the start of June I journeyed up the Wells Gray Corridor towards Clearwater Lake. I stopped to hike a loop route which included three waterfalls and a lake. I hiked past Bailey’s Chute, Marcus Falls, Myanth Falls, then West Lake on a warm day. Much of the hike was through a wet zone with mists from … Continue reading →
On a longer hike on trails on the northeast side of Greenstone Mountain, I stopped along the way for some quick photos of flowering plants alongside the trail. Some areas were open grassland, some were on slopes that had burned in a forest fire and some were in open Douglas fir forests. Almost all were expected appearances for the … Continue reading →
At the end of May, the day’s destination was the viewpoint on the lava cliffs to the northeast of Lac le Jeune, sometimes called the Lac le Jeune Lookout. A route on cross country ski trails, unmarked routes, and snowshoe trails provides for a loop route to the open lookout and back through forested trails. The top of the lava … Continue reading →
Thompson’s Paintbrush (Castilleja thompsonii) is a perennial which can be found in the dry lower-elevation grasslands in mid-spring. From a woody base branched stems rise to about 40 cm. Linear leaves are green on the stem. The upper leaves are in pairs and are lobed. The inflorescence has the paintbrush shape with yellow (pale) bracts. The flowers are … Continue reading →
We hiked up Buse Hill in May to enjoy spring wildflowers and the expansive views from the tops of the cliffs. Along the way we stopped to enjoy nature’s wonders, taking a few photos and including some here. Shared here are a few – arrow-leaved balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittatus), hillside arnica (Arnica fulgens), old man’s whiskers (Geum triflorum), sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), … Continue reading →
I have been traveling to the Ashcroft area annually in May for a few years now, coinciding with the bitterroot (Lewisia redviva) bloom. In most years the bitterroot is at its height with thousands of flowering plants on dry and sunny slopes in the area. The day was drizzly and cool so the bitterroots were mostly closed and laying low. … Continue reading →
On a warm mid-May morning I hiked for 2 hours on a grasslands-benchland, sometimes known as the Lower Rose area. It was a combination of hiking-exercise and a nature-hike. There were no other people on the trails, but the area is also used by dog-walkers, hikers, and mountain bikers at busier times. there were a few birds in the … Continue reading →
Small-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon procerus) is a perennial in the figwort family. It grows from a woody base and often forms clumps. The green leaves are oval to lanceolate, growing oppositely and a few leaves grow around the bae on short stems. Small purple-blue flowers grow in whorls around the stem. After flowering, capsules form with many seeds. They … Continue reading →
