Tag Archives: Saturna Island

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Wanderings

Looking closely – Photo Wednesday

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!)

Moss outpost in my rockery, Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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.

 

British Soldier Lichen (Cladonia cristadella), Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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).
British soldier lichen (Cladonia cristadella), Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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.

 

Pixie cup lichen (Cladonia chlorophaea), Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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!
Liche colonists in the moss. Photo by Andrée Fredette

A new lichen colony, standing up in the mosses.

Leafy lichen on a fallen branch, resting in the mosses. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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

 

Liverwort with bloom capsules. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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

 

Freckle pelt lichen (Peltigera aphthosa) with capsules open. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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

 

Little treasure in the moss. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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, Inspiration, Photography, Wanderings

Ferry travel = Stunning show

Above: the view from the back of the ferry, as it rounds the corner at the end of Navy Channel, heading into Village Bay, on Mayne Island. (About 30 minutes after leaving Saturna Island…)

Friday morning’s sunrise was exceptional.

 

Leaving Saturna-2

This is one of the first shots I took, about 15 minutes after we left Saturna Island, heading down the channel. I could tell it was going to be a promising sunrise. I love cloud cover, it adds drama!

Pretty soon, several other travelers looked up from their computer, device, or book, and came out on the deck to snap pictures with their phones. It was a spectacular show, and it kept getting better…

Ferry sunrise, with the silhouettes of Mt Baker on the left, and Saturna Island on the right. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above, the pointy silhouette of Mount Baker, in Washington State (did you know it’s a volcano?) in the far distance. To the right, the silhouette of Saturna’s Mount Fisher.

And in the other direction, the still dark blue part of the sky, and the ferry’s motion cutting a swath in the water. Those dark hills are on Mayne Island.

Mayne Queen ferry, going up Navy Channel, with Mayne Island on the right. Photo by Andrée Fredette

I slowed down my camera’s shutter speed, to get the motion blur on the wake.

Here is another shot of the ferry’s wake, down Navy Channel, in the direction of the sunrise:

Ferry's wake in Navy Channel, between Mayne and Pender Islands. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And then… hang on to your hat…

Mayne Queen ferry, quaint pictogram. Photo by Andrée Fredette

…or to the railing, because those colours are about to get boosted to the max!

 

Sunrise to the max, over Navy Channel, Southern Gulf Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

and one more, for good measure…

Insane sunrise oranges on Navy Channel, in the Southern Gulf Islands of BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And after a stop at Mayne Island, where the Victoria-bound travelers transferred to the Skeena Queen, another ferry, about 30 minutes later, the bright oranges began to fade, and became more subtle.

Aboard the Skeena Queen, leaving Mayne Island and headed for Swarz Bay, Vancouver Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

And then the sky went into the pastels. Still absolutely gorgeous…

Subtle morning on the water, abord the Skeena Queen ferry, on the way to Swarz Bay. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Light on water: pure magic.

Blog, Just Because, Photo Wednesday, Photography

Where the newts live – Photo Wednesday

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.

Earth tongue mushroom trio. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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.

 

White worm coral mushroom. Photo by Andrée Fredette

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 pond in the forest: newt habitat. Photo by Andrée Fredette
A forest pond = prime newt habitat.

Rough-skinned newt (Taricha granulosa). Photo by Andrée Fredette

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.

 

Flow, abstract. Photo by Andrée Fredette

 

Blog, Photo Wednesday, Photography, Wanderings

A walk in the woods: Lilliput world!

Above: one of the forests in which I wander, and its emerald carpet of mosses. A magical world…

Forest path, into the green. Photo by Andrée Fredette

 

I take a walk in the woods almost every day. These days, the air is moist, the ground is alive with mosses. And there are treasures everywhere!

 

Moss cushion in the sunlight, close-up. Photo by Andrée Fredette

A moss cushion in the afternoon sun, enjoying its position on a very wet rock.

A drop, almost ready to fall off the moss. Photo by Andrée Fredette

That was a very wet spot, really. It was dripping in the late afternoon sun. I tried to capture a drop, about to fall off the moss, but not quite yet…

 

Moss close-up. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: a moss close-up.  I have a new toy: a set of diopter filters (magnifier-like filters, in different strengths, and you can stack them to increase magnification). These are my first attempts are seeing how much of this mini-world I can get into focus.

 

Moss in bloom, January on Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Blooming club moss, above.

And then, there are the lichens… A whole new lilliputian world has opened up, through my lens.

Cladonia pixie cup and other lichens on a log. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: on a log, an entire miniature habitat where competitors reach for the moisture and nutrients.  The tall ones are “pixie cup” Cladonia lichens, along with other lichens whose names are still a mystery to me, and some moss.  (Note: I found a great lichen reference page here. Please have a look, if you are intrigued by lichens.)

 

Pixie cup lichen (Cladonia) macro shot, Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: macro shot of Pixie cup lichen (Cladonia) and its “warts”… With the diopter filters, the depth of field is so shallow that hand-held shots are a “no breathing allowed” moment…

 

Jelly tooth mushroom (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum), Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Once your eyes get used to the very diffuse light, you notice all kinds of details in the mosses. Above: a jelly tooth mushroom (Pseudohydnum gelatinosum), and it is a very gelatinous thing. Almost glows in the dark, that tiny one!

 

 Bright orange mushroom, Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

After the rains, there is a great deal of mushroom variety. Little ones, mostly. Like the orange guy above. Sorry, I have no idea about ID!

Coral mushroom (Clavulina) peeking out of the forest litter, Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above, in the darkest part of the forest, some coral mushrooms were peeking out of the forest litter. Maybe Clavulina cristata…

Little grey cap mushrooms, all lined up for a dance. Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Delicate little “grey caps”, all lined-up for a dance.

Witches' Butter (Dacrymyces chrysospermus), a yellow jelly mushroom on Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: Witches’ butter mushrooms (Dacrymyces chrysospermus) on a fallen log.

Tender Duo

And this lovely duo, basking in the afternoon light, in the clover…

To close this post, a shot of the seasonal creek that makes its way to the ocean, near my house…

Winter rains feed a seasonal creek on Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Blog, Photo Wednesday, Photography

Boats on the water – Photo Wednesday

This Wednesday, my post is about the water… and boats.

(Above: The header photo shows the Mayne Queen, the trusty ferry that serves the Southern Gulf Islands in BC. It is on its way through Navy Channel, with Mayne Island on the right, and North Pender island on the left. The clouds were nicely hugging the islands’ curves that day…)

 

Wave patterns on Plumper Sound, Southern Gulf Islands. Photo by Andrée Fredette

Above: Looking down at the water, from the top of Warburton Pike (the highest place on Saturna Island), the waves created by boats echo off each other, in the narrow space of Plumper Sound, between Saturna and Pender islands. They create a moiré effect. A bit like the splashing in a bathtub…

And below, another shot of the Mayne Queen, our link to civilization… on its way to Saturna island…

 

Mayne Queen ferry on Navy Channel, on its way to Saturna Island, BC. Photo by Andrée Fredette