This blog is closing in on 80,000 page views. I wish I could say there have been 80,000 encouraging comments. For incentive to keep doing this, I think of it as a series of rough drafts for things that may eventually see print publication. At the very least, early morning coffee shop conversation pieces. This activity also feeds my creative side in creating writing curriculum.
Here is a brief sampler of yesterday's hike. Before I go more deeply into that hike, I plan to post another series related to my drawing/painting ambitions. The above photo of a fungus shows the only one still noticeable in my front lawn. It's cone-shaped and holds a couple of tablespoons of water after a rain or heavy dew.
A key goal on the hike was to check the status of my favorite patch of Lemmon's Wild Ginger. This was prompted by my friend Spencer's blog on which he posted a great photo of wild ginger from the Coastal Range. His ginger had bright white veins on the leaves, so I wonder if it is a different species. Check out Expressions Blog at Spencer Dykstra Photography.
Another standout in this mainly brown scenery was the occasional White-leafed Wintergreen.
A great patch of Cinquefoil caught the sun and also stood out against the prevailing brown. We probably gained 1,000 feet of elevation on this hike, so I'll soon be posting comments on the changes we walked through.
Great pictures, Joe. I love reading your near-daily blog posts and have really been enjoying seeing pages from your old nature journals. The ginger species that Spencer posted is Asarum hartwegii, Hartweg's Wild Ginger. The flowers are larger and more hairy. I have yet to see Lemmon's Ginger in our area. It's such an interesting little plant (Asarum in general, that is) with the way it uses its leaf as an umbrella to shade the flower. I have seen ants on the blossoms which I find interesting because they usually stay away from pungent smells (such as cinnamon).
ReplyDeleteKeep up your great blogging - reading your posts always brightens my day even if I don't always have something to immediately respond with!