Skip navigation

Author Archives: Teri J Pieper

Early Morning Lights

One of the benefits of having an old dog is getting to go outside when it’s still dark and seeing the stars, moonlight and even, sometimes, the aurora borealis. Sky had to go out around 4 this morning so there I was watching the constellation Orion and knowing that means summer is coming to an end. Orion is always prominent in the winter sky. I walked around the house to wait for Sky (you did know her full name is Night Sky Star Shine, right?) and then I could see the pillars of northern lights over the Milky Way. I’d had my camera ready for a light show a couple nights ago and slept through it so today I was ready for this early morning spectacle. It wasn’t as dramatic as some recent northern lights we have seen here but still it’s awfully pretty.

Pollination

So many bugs in the mountains this month. And wildflowers.

How many different ones can you identify?

Foggy Walk

I seldom see low ground fog. This was a real treat to see and watch as the sun slowly made its way through the moist air bringing color to the monotone scene.

What is Cottongrass?

Last summer I saw photos of cottongrass growing in meadows in Montana and I thought I really need to go see those places! Earlier this summer, I saw a small patch of cottongrass on one of my hikes in a small wet meadow and it made me think about a large wet meadow that I like to visit. Fortunately I was there earlier this month and indeed, there was cottongrass, lots of it! Why haven’t I noticed it before?

I learned that it likes acidic conditions and since this place has heather and huckleberries, I assume the soil is acidic. It also likes peat bogs. Anybody know of any peat bogs in good condition? There are many varieties of cottongrass (Eriophorum sp.) growing in vastly different climates around the world but all seem similar, needing acidic conditions. Washington Wildflowers lists one for our state – Chamisso’s cottongrass or russet cotton-grass (Eriophorum chamissonis). The range map does not show it in this area.

Pikas

Is there any animal cuter than a pika?

According to the National Wildlife Federation, “American pikas — the smallest members of the lagomorph (rabbit) group — are among North America’s toughest animals. Pikas are one of the few mammals in the lower 48 states that can survive their entire lives in alpine terrain, the windswept no-man’s-land above tree line. American pikas are small, rodent-like mammals. Pikas have short, stout bodies with big, round ears and do not have a visible tail. Pikas reach a size of about seven to eight inches (18 to 20 centimeters) in length. The American pika has a brown and black coloration, which is meant to camouflage them among rocks. Pika fur is thick to keep them warm in the winter. During the summer, they put on a much lighter coat of fur—however, the hair is still thick enough that a pika might overheat if exposed to very high heat for long periods of time. American pikas are suffering because climate change has brought higher temperatures to their western mountain homes. Pikas have already disappeared from more than one-third of their previously known habitat in Oregon and Nevada. Despite their dire situation, the American pika is not federally listed under in the Endangered Species Act. Without protection and help, American pikas could be the first species to go extinct due to climate change.”