Here are two views from high on a North Shore Forest Service Road.
The Harrop wildfire as seen on Sunday morning, July 30, 2017.
This view of the dolphin at Kokanee Creek Park easily shows why this channel marker is placed where it is. We also see a group of people on stand-up paddle boards in the shallows.
The Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is an interesting plant — it lacks chlorophyll. Yet, it thrives in rare locations on the forest floor where it has carved out a niche which does not require it to have access to sunlight.
The story starts with a common mutually beneficial relationship between a soil fungus and a tree. The fungus passes minerals to the tree and the tree passes sugars and other complex molecules to the fungus. This is a relationship that the Indian Pipe exploits: It persuades the fungus to give up some of the sugars obtained from the tree, but it offers nothing in return. By taking the chlorophyll-produced sugars from the tree, albeit via the fungus, the Indian Pipe can survive on the dark forest floor where other plants often struggle for light.
From the point of view of a pollinator, a flower is a flower, and the Indian Pipe produces both nectar and pollen. Consequently, bees appreciate it just as they would any other flower.
A Half-black Bumblebee forages among the white flowers of an Indian Pipe. The pollen sacks on its back legs are packed with the yellow pollen of its flowers.
When it is hot out, young folk like to wade in the Lake. However, this particular young bather was unexpected: a Merlin. That the bird is this year’s hatch is clear from the slight bit of white down remaining on its crown, evident in each picture.
A young Merlin walked off a beach and then went wading in the Lake.
Although it walked in, it flew out.
Like many a young bathing beauty, it then posed for a picture.
“The White Pelican is huge, endangered, and here.” That is how I began my only previous posting about this bird when I last saw some four years ago.
Huge: While not nearly as heavy as the Trumpeter Swan, the wing span of the White Pelican is a good deal greater and ranges up to three metres. In North America, only the California Condor exceeds this.
Endangered: The bird is provincially endangered for B.C. has only one breeding colony. It is at Stum Lake, a bit west of Williams Lake in an area threatened by wildfires this summer.
Here: The most likely place to see the White Pelican is at the south end of the Lake (Creston Flats) during the warm months.
A flock of White Pelicans was spotted about a kilometre away.
In small groups they would then fly across the valley.
One group landed on the lake about 400 metres away.
Kingbirds are flycatchers. We are near the northwestern end of the range of two species. The Eastern Kingbird is black and white. More colourful, the Western Kingbird is grey, and yellow.
An Eastern Kingbird is watching for insects from a perch.
A Western Kingbird was seen preparing to feed a longhorn beetle to its enthusiastic chick.
“Eat up.”
It seems that a PR representative of the Union of Carrion Workers (Vulture Division) must read my blog. A week ago, I commented that I had only ever seen Turkey Vultures flying, but never perched. Apparently, the Vulture Local was concerned by this lack of representation, and three days later, I was shown seven of them perched in trees. However, they were all distant and I posted nothing about it. So, the vultures upped the ante and yesterday I was given a close view of two. It pays to complain.
Two of seven Turkey vultures seen Tuesday when perched on distant snags.
This is one of two nearby Turkey Vultures seen on Friday.
The other vulture devoted its time to preening.
There are worse ways to spend a few hours than to wander amongst butterflies.
Painted Lady (topside of wings)
Painted Lady (underside of wing)
Common Wood-Nymph
Great Spangled Fritillary (in flight)
Purplish Copper (feeding)
Purplish Coppers in flight with the male (upper left) approaching the female.
Woodland Skipper
Hedgerow Hairstreak
Northern Crescent
Northern Checkerspot (portrait)
Ducks of that ilk
Sometimes a picture is taken merely so as to delight in a whimsical, but obscure, title. It may be that only a canny Scots botanist will get this one.