WTD #9 - A Few Sunny Breaks

Rain, rain and more rain.  Still we manage to go for our little jaunts around the area, trying to time it so we catch the little windows of sunshine between the downpours.  The creeks and rivers are bursting at the seams, but upland the birds and critters go about their business of making a living, rain or shine.

This Lorquin's Admiral butterfly was nectaring on snowberry blossoms along the Slocan Rail Trail

Another Lorquin's Admiral, this time along the powerline by the Kootenay Canal.

Queen's Cup was in bloom in the shady areas at Slocan Pool.

Close view of Queen's Cup blossom.

A week or so after the Queen's Cup came the Dwarf Dogwood flowers.  This is right beside Pass Creek Road.

This Chipping Sparrow near Slocan Pool has a juicy tidbit to bring back to the nest for it's babies.

Droplets on a Saskatoon leaf

Spreading Dogbane

These tiny flowers, about the size of a lentil, are called Maiden Blue-eyed Mary or Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary.  We found them up in the Rover Creek area.

Devil's Club growing beside Connor Creek, a tributary of Rover Creek.

Paintbrush - Rover Creek area

Oak Fern, Rover Creek

We have been seeing Cedar Waxwings everywhere these days.  I think this is a young one from this year.  It has a bit of an evil gleam in it's eye, don't you think, Dawg?

"Come and have a seat on the bench - take a load off - arf, arf, arf!"

WTD#8 - More June

It's been a rainy June so far, but we are still finding sunny or at least non-raining moments to get out and about to enjoy this rich and colourful season.  We haven't been venturing far from home, just our usual walks on the Slocan rail trail, along the Kootenay River and up in the Rover Creek area.

These are huckleberry leaves just about to unfold, a bit higher up in Rover Creek.

And here are the huckleberry flowers - let's hope for a good crop in July!

Thimbleberry is in bloom - here along the Slocan River

More thimbleberry

The Saskatoons are already forming fruit, and will be ripening before long.

I learned that the name for this butterfly is Sara's Orange-tip.  I never found out who Sara is or was.

Frog Peak and the Slocan River from the rail trail near Vallican.

I got the sense that these Cedar Waxwings were siblings from the same nest, just starting to get out and about on their own.

The remains of a snail along the Slocan Pool trail.

A bumblebee harvesting nectar from a black twinberry flower, Slocan rail trail

This little Warbling Vireo has a big voice and a lovely song. 

Looking down on a cluster of Yarrow flowers.

This is a Black-headed Grosbeak.  I've lived here all my life and don't remember ever seeing one, and this year I have heard several reports of people seeing them, and then voila!  this guy flew up and perched in a tree right in front of me the other day,  Nature is full of surprises, eh Dawg?

"Look, I found some mud!"

WTD#7 - June Birds and Flowers

Dawg and I have been wandering around the valley trails and shorelines, in between the showers and downpours, watching the progression of the seasonal cycle.  It's June now and the birds have laid their eggs and in many cases reared their chicks already.  The early blooms have faded and other flowers are emerging. The vegetation is fully leafed out and lush with the rains, as we make the transition from spring into summer.

Black Twinberry in bloom

The Cedar Waxwings were feeding on Hawthorn blossoms along the Kootenay River.

Another Waxwing in the cattails

The wild Roses are budding...

and blooming

As are the Honeysuckles,

and the Tiger Lilies.

We stumbled across this Bald Eagle nest the other day.  There is at least one almost fully-grown chick in there, maybe more.  I hope to get back and get a few more photos if the rain ever stops.

On the other end of the size spectrum is this American Redstart, no bigger than an alder leaf.

Another tiny bird is the Yellow-rumped Warbler

and the Common Yellowthroat

and a Song Sparow living up to it's name.

This is a Gray Catbird in a Red Osier Dogwood bush.

And this is the flower of the Mountain Death-Camas.  The bulbs and leaves are poisonous, so beware!

What and amazing, beautiful, rich and diverse land we live in, don't you agree, Dawg?

"I see a squirrel!"

WTD#6 Spring in the Valleys

A few photos from some of our walks this spring - Blahadatnya (guessing at the spelling), the Montrose Antenna trail, the old rail line in the Beaver Valley, etc.

We encountered a little flock of buebirds on our hike up the antenna trail.

There are also lots of Rufous-sided Towhees in the brushy areas along the trail.

I believe these are Subalpine Buttercups, growing near the top of the antenna trail.

And this is Western Spring Beauty, in the same area.

We also came across this Western Skink.  The bright blue tail indicates that this is a juvenile, as the colours tend to fade when these lizards reach maturity.

This is the flag at the top of the trail.  It's a pretty good huff and puff - gains almost 300 metres in elevation.

I can't resist pussy willows.  This is along the abandoned rail line through the Beaver Valley.

Pussy willow and ladybug.

There were a couple of Northern Flickers doing some kind of mating ritual on a walk we took down through the old Doukhobour settlement in Blahadatnya, early this spring.

Few-flowered Shooting Star in the Goose Creek area

A bit if modern art on an ancient car fender, south of Glade.

Thimbleberry leaves along the Airy Creek road.

The little yellow violets are a welcome sight each spring.

- Hi there, what's your name?
- Fern
- Wow, me too, what a coincidence!
- I think we're going to be fronds!

"Arf, arf, arf - good one!"