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Wildflower Walking

July 30, 2013 – 1:03 pm
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged Geum, hike, lupine, Tiffany Lake, Tiffany Mountain, Wildflower photos
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Kim and I hiked up to the top of Tiffany Mountain and then around it, crossing Whistler and Honeymoon Pass and then around Tiffany Lake before leaving the trail at Tiffany Springs Campground where we had left my car in the morning. Ken had generously shuttled us from there to the Freezeout Pass trailhead before going fly fishing. The temperature was comfortably cool most of the day; clouds built up with the threat of thunder storms. Luckily the storms did not materialize.

Most of this area was burned in the 2006 Tripod wildfire. Many people would look at this now and see nothing but dead trees. However the grasses and forbs and shrubs are thriving. Wildflowers are abundant and vibrant this month. In wetter areas we found young aspens and willows – perfect habitat for moose and other animals.

The trail begins by climbing steeply up from Freezeout. Fireweed blooms in the understory

Ken started up the trail with us

The first glimpse of Tiffany Mountain from the trail

It’s a gorgeous route through the flowers

Red paintbrush

A dried up puffball

More gorgeous meandering

The view from the top. Tiffany Lake and Little Tiffany Lake

Looking down at Salmon Creek. Later we walked up that valley to get to Honeymoon Pass.

And looking down towards Winthrop

Fabulous delicate rock gardens on top of 8200′ Tiffany Mountain

Walking through another field of wildflowers

We saw lots of these butterflies

Cool rock formations

Whistler Basin after we crossed Whistler Pass

Geum sp

These were common on the east side of the mountain and nowhere else.

The trail goes sidehill on the east side before dropping into Salmon Creek

Oh yeah, I liked these.

Geum sp

You can see Honeymoon Pass in the distance

In the creek bottom, it seemed like we went a long time in the wrong direction but finally after crossing the creek, we found the burned sign that said we were headed towards Tiffany Lake.

Can you see the trail through all that lush undergrowth? There are orange diamonds on the snags, marking the way. Sometimes those snags fall.

Woodpecker holes

Looking back UP at Tiffany Mountain where had been just an hour or so before.

Almost to Honeymoon Pass, looking down Salmon Creek

Columbine

A glimpse of Tiffany Lake on the other side of Honeymoon Pass

The end of the trail

Two

May 25, 2013 – 3:03 pm
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged anniversary, cows, Methow photos, wildflowers
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Tuesday was our second anniversary! Two years already! Can you believe it? This one was kind of bittersweet because our old dog, Sam died on Monday. It’s hard to celebrate when you are missing one of your best friends. The weather didn’t help. We were scheduled to have a hot air balloon ride however it wasn’t to be. Curt, from Morning Glory Balloons said ‘it’s better to be on the ground wishing to be in the air rather than in the air wishing to be on the ground’.

Mid-morning we set out to walk to our wedding spot. The forecast promised rain; there was no doubt of it. The overcast skies said that too. It’s a short hike and the wildflowers are still beautiful up there. We started out enjoying the colorful displays and the greens that were enhanced by the light and rainfall. The birds sang their songs of spring and showed off their colorful plumages too.

After we crossed the first gate on the wildlife area, that all changed. Cows were already pastured up there. Their looming dark square bodies were everywhere with small calves following them around. The spring scents were replaced with the acrid stenches of fresh manure and urine all along the trail. Green grasses and wildflowers were trampled. Their loud mooing covered the bird song. We kept Luna on a leash in order to prevent any cow/dog incidents that might arise. She probably felt safer close to us. The cows had not reached the knoll where we were married so we enjoyed a few minutes and relished the happiness we have shared for two (well more like eight) years now and tried not to think about the cows and Sam too. Then we retraced our steps and went to town for lunchtime pizza at the bakery.

What causes this red on maple leaves?

They only reluctantly got off the trail to let us pass.

The view from the wedding spot. Moccasin Lake with Patterson Mountain in the background.

Early buckwheat flowers

Pensive

Happy

Lupine

I could not pick a favorite

Ken reads an anniversary poem to me

Two!

We walked to the same place a year ago. You can images from that day here.

Wednesday Walk

May 17, 2013 – 9:41 am
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged balsamroot, hike, Methow, sawtooth mountains, Wildflower photos
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Someone else coined the term ‘cardio Wednesdays’ and I’ve taken it to heart. Three weeks in a row Luna and I have joined other dogs and women for a brisk uphill hike to someplace with a great view and wonderful wildflowers. This week we went down-valley to hike with Lindsey and her three canine companions in a canyon pretty much in her backyard. We walked an abandoned road up, up, up til we came to a tremendous viewpoint of the snow-covered Sawtooth Mountains underlined with banks of yellow balsamroot sunflowers. Then we followed the ridge to a flat spot, the site of an old hunters’ camp, where we rested before heading down the other side of the ridge. It was a great morning hike.

Ponderosa pines have a wonderful scent when the sun hits the bark

A puffball emerges from the forest duff

The Sawtooth’s lie between the Methow Valley and Lake Chelan

Evidence of old logging activity

Luna catches her breath

Balsamroot

and more balsamroot

and still more

Moose is an old dog who still loves his walks

A relic, possibly from an old hunting camp

Arnica lines this forest floor. I missed getting photos of the blooming patches.

A tremendous wildlife tree

and another one

Down through fields of balsamroot

Lindsey points out another trail we could have taken

Shiny beetle on lupine buds

Looking back up

Yesterday’s Wildflowers

May 13, 2013 – 7:16 am
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged balsamroot, lupine, Methow photography, Thompsons paintbrush, Wildflower photos
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This is the height of the wildflower season on our hill. The elevation of our house is about 1850′ and the colors of spring can be fleeting in this arid climate. Yesterday, before the wind came up, I was particularly struck with the beauty and diversity of this dry site’s wildflowers. Last week’s warm weather has been replaced with the more expected breezy and cool weather of spring.

Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata – the signature spring flower of for this valley

Thompson’s paintbrush (I think), Castilleja thompsonii

Calochortus sp (sometimes referred to as Cat’s ear)

Agoseris sp., again I am not sure

I am pretty sure this is bastard toadflax (not a pretty name for a delicate flower), however where I have seen it before it was more of a salmon color. Comandra umbellata

Columbia puccoon, Lithospermum ruderale

Bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata

Lupine, Lupinus sp

And another view of balsamroot, looking down-valley to Balky Hill and beyond

Walks and Wildflowers

April 13, 2013 – 2:41 pm
Posted in wildflowers
Tagged balsamroot, bluebells, labradoodle, Methow, spring, wildflower photography, yellow bells
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Spring happened while we were gone. The hills are green and tiny wildflowers are in full bloom. Some of the bigger flowers have started blooming too. Luna and I try get out at least once everyday for a walk although some days, like today, it’s not as pleasant and certainly with the high winds it’s not a good day for photographs. Here are a few from the last week or so.

Yellow bells

Contemplative Luna

Delicate prairie stars

Bluebells

Jawbone, buried in the dry grass

This is a new flower for me. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.

Dave Sabold says “Arabis holboellii – but NOT the flowers! The flowers come later on a stalk, and they’re white in color, not yellow. A fungus produces the yellow color, and the fungus even puts out a sweet smell. Maybe the fungus attracts insects to distribute the spores?”