Category Archives: Just Because

Blog, Just Because, Photography, Wanderings

Spring flowers on Saturna

March 20, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: today’s header photo is a budding Fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum), a sweet sign of spring if there ever was one!

First day of spring, and here is a report of the flowers that are starting to appear on this shore.

Took a walk at Winter Cove, an area that is part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve (there’s a mouthful) and pointed my camera at assorted blossoms. Above: salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), looking a tad bedraggled after an iffy late winter.

And this warm golden yellow is a gift of the Oregon grape (Mahonia oregonum), which was blooming on a bluff, out of the reach of our ravenous black-tailed deer…

Above: the assertive pink flash of Flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum), another sure sign of spring on this island.

Above: another shot of a Fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum), starting to open up.

And if you wonder about the setting, here is a shot of the salt pond by Winter Cove.

On the right, above, you can spot a weed – Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) – that is incredibly invasive. It’s the tall thing bearing yellow blooms.

At my house, I keep pulling seedlings out of the yard, the neighbourhood paths and meadows… But it is a losing battle. The park is losing the broom battle, and the weed keeps marching forward, taking over. More info on this link.

Scotch broom blooms in the spring, and its blossoms redeem it somewhat…

And finally, because my garden is also offering interesting yellows of a more tame variety…

Spurge (Euphorbia), starting to get its alien-like flowers into position.
And the stars of my spring garden:

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Wanderings

Gulls have attitude – Photo Wednesday

March 9, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: a gull conference on a fishing vessel at the Steveston docks, south of Vancouver, BC.

Last weekend, I got off the island for a while. Felt nice. Took lots of pictures, which will feed this blog for a couple of weeks, at least.

First up: the gulls of Steveston (a fishing port south of Vancouver, BC).

It’s a fishing sort of place, so you can expect gulls. Tons of gulls.

Every boat, every piling, every roof: crowned with gulls. Notice the white roof in the background? Yep.

I just thought the broken railing, above, made it more interesting… A frame, so to speak.

Old boat, new boat. Didn’t matter. What mattered was the fish smell emanating from the nets and the holds.

Hello, attitude dude!

Yeah, that was the tough guy. And he had his buds with him, including the other tough guy, the “wingman” (ha) to his right. See below…

Then, there was the choir on top of the cannery building…

I suddlenly started thinking of “The Birds”, the Hitchcock movie, you know… But I am no Tippi Hedren. I was safe.

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Wanderings

Looking closely – Photo Wednesday

March 2, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above:A jewel-like line-up of mosses in the glorious late afternoon light at the Lyall Creek Trail, on Saturna Island, BC.

Practicing with the close-up views of the world around me. It is a very verdant and natural world at the moment: it rains practically every day, and all this “wet” nourishes the greenery.

Have a look.

(Psst: if you find that I have incorrectly identified one of the following tiny denizens of our forest, feel free to use my contact page to let me know. I will be very grateful to make a correction!)

Those are the blooms (or capsules) of a new moss colony in my rock garden. The sun showed up that day. It is gone now.

And in the forest around here, little treasures on the forest floor, in the mosses… if you look really closely. Above: British soldier lichen (Cladonia cristadella).

Another view of these interesting tiny lichens. It looks like when they bloom, the “mouth” of capsules opens. Just my observation, and I am not an expert by any means.

Above: some Pixie cup lichens (Cladonia chlorophaea) sometimes find it useful to grow on top of each other. I guess the space available on the right side of rocks is getting tight. Location, location. Competition!

A new lichen colony, standing up in the mosses.

Above: on a branch that had fallen in the mosses, some really leafy lichen. No idea about ID (my middle name!). Admire the texture.

Above: Grand foam lichen (Stereocaulon grande), with bloom capsules. Our forest floor is full of little treasures, you just have to look closely.

Above: another very common lichen: Freckle pelt (Peltigera aphthosa) with its capsules opening.

And I leave you with the above delicate little treasures: mosses sending up a couple of “beaky” seed capsules. Had to hold my breath to get that shot.

Happy trails.

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday

Water Moods – Photo Wednesday

February 24, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above: Header photo of the quick flow of water across a forest path, over pebbles, reflecting the sky.

Today’s theme is brought to you by the rains, which have fed all manner of ponds, seasonal creeks, and riverlets flowing around the wood paths, and the roads.

This is a macro shot of the surface tension of blades of grass, pushed by the water flow on a forest track.

And more play with reed reflections on pond water. Amazing magic happens when you throw a stick into the pond! Sinuous waves.

And to conclude, I leave you with yesterday morning’s moonset, around 7 am, over Pender Island… Moody blues and pinks.

It pays to look out the window, early in the morning!

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Photography

Where the newts live – Photo Wednesday

February 17, 2016 Andree Fredette

Above photo: hunting for newts in the pond, the photographer wore rubber boots…

There was a break in the rain. A little sunshine even… So I went for a walk in the forest, and headed for the pond.

On the path, I noticed some Black earth tongue mushrooms (Trichoglossum something…). Sorry about the fuzzy photo, forgot to bring a flash and it was very dark in the woods.

And very close by, an old White worm coral mushroom (Clavaria vermicularis Sporocarp), which looked like it had been stepped on… Life is tough in the forest.

And then, at the pond, I enjoyed the quiet surface of the water.

A forest pond = prime newt habitat.

Say hello to my little friend: Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). Here is a link with lots of information on this interesting salamander of the Pacific Northwest. Did you know that they have few predators because they are highly toxic?

There were a few in the water today, but the crowd will gather in a few weeks, when the sun warms up the water, for the big Spring Party. Reproduction involves a behaviour called “amplexus”, which – to the uninitiated – looks a lot like wrasslin’… Here is another link to inform the curious.

And to conclude this post, a slightly manipulated photo of the water that is quickly draining down the logging road, bending grasses as it goes, and creating a lovely abstract pattern in its wake.

Andrée Fredette