Now is time to learn more about the outdoors

There are bracken ferns, wild sarsaparilla, star flowers, coltsfoot and maybe, large-leaved asters in this shot

Tiny but very beautiful are these fringed polygala flowers

A very small bear feeds on white clover I planted two years ago

The only spotted fawn I have ever photographed, caught on trail cam

Now that I have the time, I'm doing my best to learn the names of the more obscure plant species that grow here in Nolalu. Some of these virtually blanket the forest floor; yet, no one seems to know what they are called. Imagine not knowing the name of that plant with narrow leaves that predominates in your lawn -- you know, grass. There is a large-leaved plant that covers almost every inch of land in the bush here and after hours of research in my books and on-line I can only guess what it might be. I think it is large-leaved aster. It would help if it would hurry up and flower. If it is in fact a large-leaved aster that might not take place for another month according to my books. My friend John said he only knows the Latin name for this plant -- U. biquitous.
My field guides are mostly about the showy flowers or ones that you might commonly see around roads, things like buttercups and daisies. Tiny (but still beautiful) flowers that only grow singly or in small groups are harder to track down.
The trail cameras have caught some animals that I don't ever photograph in the winter. There was a bear feeding on clover I planted a couple of years ago for the ruffed grouse and deer. This was a very small fellow, probably about 60 pounds, and would have been last year's cub. He should have still been with his mother. He hung around for a couple of days and then moved on.
I also got photos of porcupines, skunks and raccoons. I've never seen a raccoon here before although we have friends that have horses and have seen them coming into the barn for food.
  Click to go back to our website
 Click to see the latest on the blog