River Otter Antics

For several years while visiting the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone national park we have tried to see the river otter family. Up a short but steep trail to Trout lake was to bring us amazing views of them. Never happened- until this summer. While i was at Yellowstone the temperatures were unusually high for that time of year. Hiking anytime after 10am would be tough for me in the heat. The problem was that I was getting up at 5am to go look for wolves and by the time I was done with that and my other morning wanderings it was 10am. One day I heard too many stories and decided i could do it- lots of fluids, some snacks, and a lot of stopping along the trail. 6,800 feet elevation and 1/2 mile for some of us out of shape flatlanders is a challenge!

This is a very popular trail so I parked the truck nearby on the road shoulder. Grabbed the walking stick and backpack and off i trudged, Hot, sunny, and busy trail I wandered and stopped to rest and admire the views, wildflowers, and butterflies. Talked to excited individuals who assured me the otter family were out and about near the den. Yes, they're playing near the tree, just follow the trial and you'll see the kits swimming around and an adult grooming on the lake shore.

Blurry otter tail back end

I found the spot just in time to see an adult swim parallel to the shore near me for about 5 minutes. It was an obscured view and then it disappeared into what I figured out later, was the den. That's it- no babies, no playing, nothing!

Sweet- one of many many wonderful photos of my time with these guys.

I was not giving up. I found a small log to sit on in the shade and stayed for 2 hours waiting for them to appear. I talked to many a hiker and passed the time just being present. Although, the bald eagle sitting right over my head was invisible to me and me to it until someone made a commotion and it discovered my quiet presence. Off it flew across the lake. 

My 2 hour wait was greatly rewarded with at least half an hour of fun in the sun. Four otters rolling and playing and adults cleaning youngsters were the treat of the day! Of course getting photos just makes it all the better. They stayed close to shore and the small crowd of admirers quietly followed them as they moved back and forth along the shore. 

Otter getting ready to go back in the den

They finally disappeared after the male started woofing an alarm due to some folks waving a white cloth on the hillside. He gathered and moved the young ones off back to the den and we were all left with awe. What a gift given when one waits patiently.

Den area

Badger Moments

Apparently something changed in blog spot because it's taken me 2 evenings to figure out how to get back!

 September 7, 2012 Slough Creek Yellowstone National Park
Every other step I take through the sagebrush I must stop to catch my breath. Three medications taken to abate the migraine have drained my energy causing my breath to become even more labored than usual at this high elevation. I have chosen a spot overlooking Slough Creek to make tea and force a bowl of granola down into my nauseated stomach. Bison dot the lower creek valley filling the sagebrush-scented air with their vocalizations. Bison grunt- yes these big burly critters emit grunts- kid grunts, mama grunts, middle-aged grunts, teenager grunts, and rutting male grunts; all similar but different cadences. A kingfisher rattles in the background and tires on gravel break through the surrounding grunts.

I finished my cereal, grabbed my mug of tea, and looked for a rock to perch upon. That wasn't working well- too pointed, too low, dips filled with rainwater. I decide to take a few steps down a fly fishermen trail. I look to my right at a strange looking rock in the shade of a large sagebrush- and the rock moves!

 A badger head had poked out of a den hole at the base of the sagebrush 40-50 feet away from me. My camera wasn't far away so  I moved as quickly as I could to get it and my tripod. Mind you, all I have ever seen are road-killed badgers and I have searched for a live one for years (even where the largest concentration in North America resides) with no luck. Now when I least expect it one falls nearly in my lap!

Now, I would have been ecstatic just to see a badger; being able to photograph it with my new lens is the  yummy cream cheese frosting on the cake! We watched each other for several minutes. Then he moved a ton of dirt flying out behind him. It's amazing to see their large perfectly round tunnels dug in a matter of minutes. After trying to find something nearby, he decided to move on running across the open grassy area to a line of sagebrush along the creek bank. 

He started digging vigorously again, gave up, looked around, then moved quickly staying under the cover of the sagebrush and eventually following it upstream. Waddling along close to the ground he disappeared from my view.  I was left with such marvelous gratitude I couldn't bring myself to leave.

I hung out listening to the ravens gronk in the distance, surrounded by the grunts of feeding and wallowing bison. They drink from Slough Creek, wallow in their dusty areas, and run along the creek- just because they can.
People pass by looking for the perfectly choreographed moment along the road- which rarely happens. I listen to the wolves howling far in the distance- a carcass to feast on nearby. I feel the call of nature in all her glory on this picture perfect, albeit physically challenging, day. Time to move on to the outhouse and then on to see what perfectly choreographed moment I might find next........

Animal Medicine

Views from my dispersed campsite up the Gros Ventre River valley outside of Grand Teton National Park in July


It's amazing how quickly time goes by. I was out walking in the forest in Index, Washington and I can already smell the scent of Autumn in the air. I've been busy with amphibian monitoring (I'll add those photos in a later blog), chasing red foxes on San Juan Island, and taking a 2 week road trip through southern Idaho, Grand Tetons, and on up to my spiritual home- Yellowstone. Back home now I challenge the typical rhythms of my everyday life. Epiphanies had on a solo 2 week trip are taking hold. My writing and photography become my focus when I have a moment here and there. My job becomes more tedious as I feel the pull to open and follow my passions. Fox, otter, weasel, and crow medicine were my companions on my adventures. Sometimes I get so caught up in figuring out how to make it work that I forget to let go and follow the omens (read The Alchemist). Mindfulness.

I leave again in a couple of weeks for Yellowstone where I hope to forge new friendships and deepen others. Wherever my path leads through the park I will follow. Wherever the omens are I will follow here and there.

Further blogs will carry the stories of my above companions on my trip. Warning some are beautiful and one is painful, yet releasing.

"...when each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."

Paulo Coelho The Alchemist

Foxes and chipmunks



Lunch spot on the way to the Methow

I've been busy adventuring lately. Memorial day and 2 days hence were spent exploring the Methow valley. I traveled up the West Chewuch Road and camped at Falls Creek Falls. I then drove to the end of the road which enters the 2001 Thirty Mile Fire where 4 wildland firefighters died. I discovered the firefighters' memorial and the guardian. The "guardian" was nowhere to be seen until I decided to leave an offering of white sage. Then it was time for him to check everything until he came to mine, discovered it wasn't edible, and moved on ignoring all the rest.The trip up and down the road was filled with deer and elk tracks. No one around on a summer weekday before school's out. The weather was sunny and warm. The river was clear and crisp and the warbling vireos were singing everywhere along the riparian areas. The forest held many singing Townsend's warblers. The balsamroot was pretty much done flowering although I found a few up out of Twisp on the way and at Black Pine lake. Another peaceful empty place on a weekday. The beaver made its presence known swimming the lake as well as some ducks. It was quite cold at night and a tiny bit of snow could be seen in the forest.

Deer track trails

Guardian of the memorial. 





As I was leaving the campground I was bid goodbye (maybe good riddance) by a ground squirrel. I admired his hidey hole, took some photos of arnica, and balsamroot and headed toward home.



This past Friday was go commune with the red foxes on San Juan Island. I wasn't disappointed. They were quite numerous and much too friendly. It was clear that people have been feeding them which may ultimately lead to their early death. I did not give in to their begging. i on;y feed the birds birdseed here at home. Feeding wildlife leads to dead wildlife either because they lack the nutrition they need and die early, are hit be vehicles, or are euthanized by park workers because they become dangerous to humans. I can't imagine causing such a beautiful gentle animal an early death.

They are so amazingly cat-like I almost expected them to meow! I savored every moment with them while I observed them hunting and trotting along through the tall grass. It was clear when I wandered the trails that the prairie is full of voles; their primary food. They'll take the European rabbits too but they prefer the easy small stuff. As I was leaving at 7pm I saw some small black ears in the grass; a kit not yet fed by humans so still wild.

I saw a total of 6 foxes all day. I spent the entire day at American Camp to maximize my time with them.

I love watching them pounce and sometimes jump after their prey. For such a small animal they have a heck of a long jump. They're pretty scrawny, too. I'm assuming all the photos we see are of foxes in their winter coat or farther north. These little guys were all legs and endearing faces. I may have got some great photos but the memories of spending time with their little souls will last much longer.

My next adventure takes me to Grays Lake NWR and back to Yellowstone NP in a week.

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin."

William Shakespeare

Amphibian Monitoring 4

Last Friday found my coworker and I out looking for amphibian egg masses again. No egg masses but we did find some larvae and tadpoles. The ponds with all of the rough-skinned newt egg masses yielded one rough-skinned newt larvae- that's it. Like the egg masses, we suspect they are under the leaves and now that they can move, they're cruising under the leaves out of sight. Our other site with frogs and salamanders yielded at least 11 Pacific tree frog tadpoles and 19 larval salamanders- likely the long-toed since they were most numerous. Not much for all the eggs we saw earlier this spring. We were happy to find them, though.


the one kinda decent photo of a salamander larvae-brown spot center of photo. You can see the gills.

Pacific tree frog tadpole as it comes to the surface briefly

One of the ponds where the newt was, was full of tiny worms swaying in the shallow water like marine tube worms. I haven't had a chance to find out what that was about. This shallow seasonal  pond was full of life swimming around. Amazing life all around us if only we stop, kneel down, and look.

see the curved stick? That's the "turn over leaves carefully" stick that found the newt. You need special tools for this work!

Next month we will visit again and see how big everybody is as it's unlikely we will find any more egg masses.

Washington Park and Leavenworth Travels

It's been too long. Too much happening to keep up and I don't just mean the spring changes. So here I am again with a few photos of my recent adventures. I nearly drove off the road when I spotted the closest moon of the year. I turned at the next road and since I happened to have my point and shoot- shot!

I've spent a fair amount of time getting out to see spring wildflowers with mixed results. Many of the flowers I was hoping for were already done blooming. Spring happens quick here. Washington Park's shooting stars were done blooming, however, the sea thrift, death camas, blue camas, calypso orchid, yellow monkeyflower, chocolate lily and others were in bloom. I love walking out to the open rocky areas to revel in the spring life. So many flowers have found a niche in these windswept rocky areas. Washington Park and Deception Pass State Park are the best places to find this unique assemblage of wildflowers, otherwise, it's off to eastern Washington.

blue camas

While there, I was nearly run over by a doe as she and another came thundering through the woods, running as fast as they could in order to cross the park road and keep on going into the forest on the other side of the road. I have no idea what spooked them but it was a bit unnerving seeing her coming straight at me. I made a sound and she veered off. I checked out their path and found the moss kicked up from their fleeting hooves. I will keep that in mind the next time I'm in the woods and see a similar pattern.

death camas, sea thrift, lomatium

I still can't figure out how to get these photos to go where I want them!

This weekend was a trip to the Leavenworth area and back to the canyon where the hills are covered in the bright yellow of balsamroot (and I saw a cougar last spring) and to the camas field for the "blue lake" effect. Skunked! The balsamroot on the hills were done blooming and the blue camas hadn't started. In fact, the camas meadow was dry as a bone. I saw very few camas flowers and heard no birds. The few camas I did see had tightly bound blooms. I wandered around following some elk paths,which was fun. I found elk poop, tracks, and areas they had  pawed at the dirt. I also went to Ski Hill in Leavenworth to check out the flowers and a trail in Tumwater Canyon. The trail provided lots of butterflies and Ski Hill provided balsamroot and other wildflowers as well as a covey of California quail. I saw plenty of other birds in all of my special stops- including a soaring golden eagle and I spooked a Cooper's hawk from a ponderosa pine right in front of me! I didn't see it until it flew past me. That would explain the quiet birds.....

balsamroot and lupine in the ponderosa forest

Mourning cloak

elk print

Here at the house I noticed the first wild rose blooming today and all the leaves are out, including the young oak leaves. The vine maples diminutive flowers are hiding under the leaves and the salmonberry flowers have become berries. The robins will be happy. The Sitka columbine have been flowering for a few weeks giving the hummingbirds something to eat since the red flowering currants are done blooming. Amazing how quickly spring progresses. A good reason to immerse oneself in every day and stay present in each day. Even the rainy days bring beauty.

Balsamroot always gives me a reason to smile.

April Showers

Bleeding hearts at North Cascades National Park

April showers bring May flowers. True- and April showers bring spring greens to life! The moisture from the rain showers enhances the vibrant fresh greens. As one of my coworkers described it- the showers cause the new greens to pop! Listen closely and you'll hear the changing song of the rain as it taps against new leaves of varying sizes. Inhale deeply- deeper- and bring in the sweet scent of all that extra oxygen being produced by all those leaves. Not to mention the cottonwoods. Yes- I too have pollen issues so breathing deeply when the big leaf maples are pollinating is rough; especially since, ironically, I live on Maple Tree lane! I can't help myself, though. The new life and dramatic changes from the winter to the spring is so invigorating.

Forest green at Goodell Creek Campground

I heard the first Townsend's warbler singing this past weekend. Soon the Wilson's warbler and the black-throated gray warbler's songs will escape the forest. It's May and the bird song will be pretty noisy as they all arrive back from wintering grounds, move through to summer breeding grounds, and the resident birds just plain start singing. This, too, will make my heart sing! Welcome to the world of relearning and learning the language of the birds!

"Observe the wonders as they occur.

Don't claim them.

Feel the artistry moving through

and be silent."

Rumi

Amphibian monitoring catch up!

Two rough-skinned newt egg masses above; 1 below. Look for the pearls.

I have been neglectful in my amphibian monitoring reporting. I will catch up on the findings and the wonder of the days here. We conducted monitoring on April 4th and again on April 24th. The 1st pond- 7 tree frog egg masses; 82 long-toed salamander egg masses; 2 northwestern salamander egg masses. 2nd site- 2 rough-skinned newt egg masses. The latest visit- 1st pond- 16 tree frog egg masses; few tadpoles; and at least 20 larval salamanders of unknown species. 2nd site- 71 rough-skinned newt egg masses! (This compared to our first visit in February- 1st site 104 tree frog egg masses/14 long-toed egg masses. 2nd site- nothing.) Photos of rough-skinned newt egg masses above are from our latest visit. They lay the eggs in a few inches of water attached to the leaves or twigs/branches under water. These masses can have 2 eggs or 20 and often are well-hidden. I chose to let my partner walk in the ponds alone.

This Monday was a warm gentle Pacific Northwest spring day. As I stand recording my field partners' findings, I also keep track of the birds and other goings-on around me. I watch black-capped chickadees excavate a cavity in a small snag and dark-eyed juncoes and a golden-crowned kinglet bathe in a tiny groundwater-fed stream across the pond. The soft thudding of a downy or hairy woodpecker in the background is heard between the din of traffic- lots and lots of traffic. This whole little natural world is adjacent to a busy arterial and surrounded by homes on large lots. All this life- amphibians, birds, flowering shrubs, snags, and small ephemeral streams going about their business while dump trucks and family cars speed on by, never realizing this little island oasis exists. I hear a flock of evening grosbeaks as we finish up our survey. In the time we were at this site I also saw crows nesting, and heard the songs of bewick's wren, song sparrow, and spotted towhees.

The small seasonal ponds at the second site are fed by a seasonal stream. This is a newly created wetland area so the shrubs are sticks with leaves. The ponds are found at the end of a dead end street just off another incredibly busy street. It's much quieter here and the area is surrounded by a mostly deciduous forest with scattered western hemlocks, Douglas-fir, and western redcedar. I catch the pungent aroma of skunk cabbage from nearby unseen wetlands. The scent mixes with that of the freshly-emerged leaves of black cottonwoods, red alder and a myriad of shrub species. One of these little ponds is full of rough-skinned newt egg masses. As I'm standing at the edge looking in I also spot what appear to be caddisflies carrying their spun home of needles and leaves all around them to protect their soft bodies. I wonder if they will survive the drying up of the pond as it becomes disconnected from the stream. The newts must know, otherwise would they lay their eggs here? We know tree frogs are around but their egg masses are not in our ponds. Maybe they know more than the newts. Keep checking back as this adventure continues once a month through August.

Chickadee nest

First pond site

Second pond site

Spring sparrow

Amongst the noise of the city- buses, sirens, semi-trucks, studded tires, and so on comes the long sweet song of springs' return- the white-crowned sparrows. I don't know where they disappear to during winter in Everett; I think they just blend in because they are quiet. I see them around our place here on Camano Island but not in the city. Now they're singing back and forth across the blocks setting up their territories and looking for a mate. They sing from the wires, from the tops of lampposts, branches of rhododendrons, and other shrubs and trees throughout downtown. Here they nest on the ground (sometimes above ground in a shrub) somehow dodging opossums and stray cats.

I actually heard the first one of the spring on April 3rd in the Tulalip Casino parking lot (no I don't gamble, I was attending a conference). The next day was the first one I heard in Everett. Now I hear them every morning. A day later I saw the first violet-green swallows of Everett. Since then I see them all over the place. So many birds so little time.

Okay- not swallows or sparrow but I wanted to include a nice photo. Black oystercatchers, Washington Park May 2011.

I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder

for a moment. I felt that I was more

distinguished by that circumstance

than I should have been by any

epaulet I could have worn.

Henry David Thoreau



The front yard greeting

The backyard greeting













Not sure how to line up these photos but here are my spring greeters. I generally have to dodge the rufous hummingbirds coming in for nectar at these two red flowering currant bushes. I'm sure they are visiting the others on our property, too.

So much is happening that it's near impossible to keep up with it all. I have seen my first violet-green swallows, turkey vulture, and mourning cloak butterfly of the spring. With the return of the swallows, I finally put up the birdhouse my son made for me a few years ago. It's a special design to keep starlings and house sparrows out. It has a diamond-shaped entrance hole. Check out the backyard wildlife habitat section on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website.

The natives are greening up left and right. Serviceberry and big leaf maple are flowering. leaves of red alder, ocean spray, red elderberry, willows, cottonwoods and more are decorating the landscape with too many shades of green to describe.

chocolate lilies blooming in the oak barrel

The sweet heady scent of the newly emerging and emerged leaves of the black cottonwoods cause me to roll down my windows while driving, no matter the temperature or weather conditions, so I can absorb the scent into my soul. In this area we have plenty of rivers and streams and wetlands; and where there's water, there's often black cottonwoods. I love this tree for it's scent, it's vibrant green leaves, its seed fluffs, and it's affinity for water. I have seen some old growth cottonwoods up the Stehekin River valley easily 10 feet in diameter. Pretty big so I hugged it anyway! If you want to see some exceptionally large Fremont cottonwoods, check out the San Pedro River Riparian Reserve in SE Arizona. Short-lived trees but give them a constant supply of water and they will thrive.

So if you see some woman sniffing a cottonwood branch in the next few weeks, come join me!

"There is not a sprig of grass that shoots uninteresting to me, nor any thing that moves."

Thomas Jefferson

Backyard Bald Eagles

My treat this morning was to hear and spot the bald eagles as they came in to perch in the neighbors western hemlock tree that towers over our backyard.

A juvenile and adult bald eagle decided to hang out, rest, and take in the view. It must be a great view from atop the tree looking out over the fields and past them to Port Susan. I never get tired of seeing them. When the sky turned blue and the sun warmed the air I could hear bald eagles calling. I looked up to see 5 kettling on a thermal with 1 red-tailed hawk. I always wonder where they are going, are these parent birds taking a break, or are they the single adult birds of the season.

This is an energizing time of year with so much life emerging. The open spaces of the forests are filling in with light greens, dark greens, bright greens, and medium greens. The edges are aglow with whites, pinks, and yellows. I got my first whiff of the sweet scent of spring on Friday. I guess it's obvious that spring is my time of the year.

Spring's Break
Some wind
Some clouds
Some rain
Some snow

Rising upward
All the little
Flowers
Will grow

Into the hearts
Into the minds
Of those who
Cherish
The Divine

Nicholas Kirsten-Honshin

sunny days

Every day brings new wonders of spring. These crocuses were really soaking up the sun today. I could get used to these mid-50 degree sunny days! I managed to get a few outdoor-related chores completed. I'd rather be playing, though!

close up of tall Oregon grape flowers

Okay, I just spent way too much time trying to figure out how to arrange these two photos. I figure just enjoy the newly opened bright-as-the-sun tall Oregon grape flowers. The bees usually do but I only saw 1 bumblebee and 1 honeybee today. Maybe they'll discover these incredible flowers later. They better hurry, I was tempted to taste one or two. I wonder if they are tart like the Oregon grape berries. I had some kids try the berries once and their faces puckered right up! The scent of the flowers is a strange sweet odor. Hard to describe.

Heard the first rufous hummingbird yesterday. He was really gorging on the red flowering curranr flowers. They may have been here for awhile. Some of us just aren't inspired to be outside in the cold and the rain. Not much fun setting my seed starts in that kind of weather.That's why this weekend was such a treasure. And I treasured every minute of it. The rains are returning albeit with warmer weather (not like other parts of the country, though!). Enjoy your spring days wherever you are and don't miss out on the inspiration in each new day.                      



The entire tall Oregon grape starting to flower

"All plants are our brothers and sisters. They talk to us and if we listen, we can hear them."

Arapaho porverb

Birding Around Stanwood

My irises 2 days after the last blog entry!

But I digress. Spring is moving in around here. Lots of happenings. Yesterday a friend and I went birdwatching for a few hours around Stanwood. The best sighting? The violet green and tree swallows have returned! As the snow geese and swan numbers dwindle the swallows and hummingbirds return as our early spring arrivals. There's nothing quite like watching the swallows dive around while hearing a common snipe winnowing in the background and a couple of western meadowlarks attempting to sing. Yes, meadowlarks winter in small flocks on the westside of the Cascades.  They disappear in the tall grass of the fallow pastures so they can be hard to spot. We also found 2 of the black-crowned night-herons in their roosting tree. Not an easy task. They are well hidden amongst the evergreen branches. Easy to know where to look since it is the only evergreen tree around.

The genral list of birds seen in about 4 hours were:

several golden-crowned sparrows                      

killdeer; also probable flocks of dunlin with a black-bellied plover hanging out

northern shovelers

mallards and lots of northern pintails and American wigeon

numerous red-tail hawks and some excellent looks at a few rough-legged hawks

Robins and spotted towhees

a decent view of a merlin (although my passenger couldn't see it)

lots of northern harriers hunting and an American kestrel at its designated post

ring-necked ducks and a lone male common goldeneye in a stormwater pond

the ever present bald eagles

lots 0f great blue herons

5 yellowlegs

and a half-dozen Eurasian collared doves (the latest non-native species to arrive)

All in all a good bird day. Heck, we didn't get of the truck for more than a few minutes at a time. That was one brisk wind yesterday!

Osoberry (aka Indian plum) with red osier dogwood behind

As for plants- oh my gosh! The osoberry are really lighting up the forest. If you have allergies you may be feeling the effects of the red alder pollinating. The red catkins also add color to the gray and browns of the winter forest.

red alder catkins

I also saw flowering skunk cabbage and snowberry, ocean spray and red elderberry leaves emerging. The red elderberry will be the next to fully leaf out. Unlike red flowering currant which flowers before its leaves show up.

The end of the day, on the way home topped it all off. As I was driving on the island along the road I saw two huge bald eagles chasing each other back and forth over the road extremely low. As I got closer they swooped in and one was so close I could have seen the whites of its eyes if it had hem. That was a spectacular end to a wonderful spring day. (yes i know spring doesn't officially start until tomorrow at 10pmish). Happy spring!

Just to be is a blessing.

Just to live is holy.

Rabbi Abraham Heschel

irises and salmonberry

Those little irises that speak of spring in my oak barrel.

What a lovely day today was. The promised sun never showed yet, even with a strong breeze the air was warm. I spent a few hours cleaning up, potting up, and pulling up! The birds are definitely agitated. Black-capped and chestnut-backed chickadees, spotted towhees, red-breasted nuthatches, song sparrows, and a distant pacific wren were all calling or singing. I put some suet out and everybody comes in quickly for a free and easy meal. Little did I know the weather forecast for tonight and tomorrow is snow and then the lows may dip into the 20s. The birds will appreciate the extra energy. I know they can survive without my extra help, though. I enjoy watching their antics on the suet feeders.

I can only cross my fingers that the motherwort and chickweed (yes chickweed) seeds I planted make it through the cold. Good medicinal herbs to have around the yard. Not to mention the native shrubs I potted up from the Soil Conservation Services's annual plant sale. It has become so popular that by the time I got there Friday the flowers and some shrubs were gone! I was able to find some nice native groundcovers that birds and bugs love- sword fern, deer fern, kinnickkinnick, oregon boxwood, and salal plus a shrub-pacific rhododendron, and a tree- Pacific madrone. I like to pot them up in 1-gallon containers and either plant them in the fall or winter them over until they're bigger and hardier.

I expect to hear the buzzing of the rufous hummingbird soon, now that the salmonberry flowers are blooming (see above). The Indian plum (aka osoberry) is also blooming and its leaves are out. The understory of the forests I drive past every morning and night now have the lightest of greens mixing it up with the browns and grays. The hummers will soon have plenty of nectar. I can't believe how fat the red-flowering currant buds are! You'd swear they were going to pop instead of just create one of the loveliest flowers of spring. Both the salmonberry and currant are great for birds both flowering and once their seeds ripen. I highly recommend planting them in your yard although salmonberry is notorious for spreading and the currant can get big. I just can't pass up those vibrant pink flowers, though!

"The birds I heard today, which, fortunately, did not come within the scope of my science, sang as freshly as if it had been the first morning of creation."
Henry David throeau