We enjoyed our annual trip to the Salish Sea, spending time with family and friends, on the water and on the beach. We caught and ate lots of crab. We saw animals we don’t see at home including incredible jellyfish, otters, seals and herons. Willow dug big holes in the sand and swam in the sea. Sky enjoyed the fresh air and saltwater. It was a relaxing trip.
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.
So many bugs in the mountains this month. And wildflowers.
How many different ones can you identify?
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.
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.
My Everyday Photos 