Rosa woodsii

Taking a different route to the 911 pond paid off in many ways. As I left the meadow and climbed slightly up to higher ground, but still an open grassy landscape, I saw Rose bushes. Nothing unusual, was it not that they looked different. Some how miniature and paler pink flowers and the petals half closed. In a close up inspection, I realize they are not our prickly Rose, as they don't have many prickles. At home I bring out the books and am overjoyed to find that it is the wood rose. As usual, what do I know. I thought we only had one one wild rose in the Yukon.
I followed the bush road through the thick Spruce forest and came out by the highway, there on the bluff I saw roses which appear to have a slightly orangy pink color. Now I wonder....
Too much! and in that short stretch I also want to mention the smells. With all the rain we have been having,it seems that when the sun shines and it turns hot, there are so many smells. The roses are definitely wonderful. But in that thick forest I love the smell of that..., the moss I suppose. Also on the trail where it was more open I found again a patch of purple Astragalus agrestis, I recognize it by it's scent.

White Admiral

Inspired by the notion of an alternate route, I went to the 911 pond, by turning off to the meadows on another bush road. As the crow flies it is actually shorter and on the way back I put in another shortcut on this side of the highway. I basically only have to cross the highway. What liberation! It's funny how I dread biking on the highway, but at the same time love it. And find it hard not to, when there's that option.
All along the winding Mendenhall river there are meadows and marshes. And to come out on this meadow, the sight fills my heart with great joy. Coming out of the forest, there is a bit of high ground, where you overlook the meadow, which is more varied then the 911pond, it has little ponds, bushes and is more erratic in shape. In the middle it's mainly marsh, but here in the grass there are many flowers blooming. I will try to make a list from memory, there are so many flowers now anywhere. What stands out in my mind , are the Wild Blue Flax. Its the tallest in the grass and stands out above all the purple, yellow, white etc. Ahh and the meadow has clay patch where no grass grows , but the dark purplish red from the glasswort.
A beautiful sight too is the flax mixed with the roses higher up, blue and pink.
Because there is a band of horses on these meadows, there are truck tracks, I suppose to find the horses and/or feed them hay in the winter. The area is extensive and the horses few, we don't see them very often. But biking on the tire tracks works good. And amazingly there is a continuous string of grassland(with tracks) all the way to the 911 pond.

As I am now on the east side of the pond, I follow the shore on this side. The grassland is higher here compared to the other side where it is more marsh land, and pleasant to walk on. I come by a stand of willows which seems to be full of Savannah Sparrows. They lead me away in the direction I am going. Closer to the water's edge are several Red-winged Blackbirds. I come to a little bit of a knoll and sit down to enjoy it all, the birds putting on a display. There are ducks in the pond, but it is to far to see what they are, even with binoculars. Later at home zooming in the photos, it seems one group was a family with at least 7 ducklings.
Ahh and besides all the blossems and birds, butterflies!

On the photo on top a:
Limenitis arthemis
(why is it attracted to my bike tire?)

catloesje@hotmail.com

After so many days having been distracted, again this afternoon (I did have a delightful time) I wasn't going to be out in the wild totally). But this morning I got away for 4 hours.
Most of the time I do start my walks, right here, from my home. And it even amazes me, how many possibilities there are. I took the trail the leads to my beach boulder, came out by the road and used the neighbours' cut line. Came out by the fire smart north of the subdivision.
It is early in the morning and a very quiet. It feels soft somehow. I come out by the old gravel pit , take the path through the bog and from there I go straight up hill. Thinking I will have breakfast on a nice view point. Although the climb is beautiful and sometimes I do see glimpses of 'moose skull lake', it is forested the whole way till I reach the top. There I sit down on the bedrock. Only to have the orange I took for breakfast rolling down the slope, never to be seen again. The hill I am now on is part of the twin mountains I called 'jozina maria mnt.' And as there, this slope too has beautiful big slabs of granite bedrock in a perfect 45 degree angle. (definitely perfect for an orange to careen down).
Its a view I have described many times, but I am happy to tell you that I see two white dots(binoculars) in the 911 pond. The Swans?
After breakfast I continue the ridge towards 'jozina maria'. I am surprised to see I was right beside the Ravine.( I'll explore it another day with you. ) I cross this delightful landmark on the top end, where it starts. I will come into an area , where I 've been many times. I realize having given this mountain my name is very appropriate. This slope has bedrock ribs, that run perpendicular with the direction I am traveling. Which makes it an exciting hike. I find myself sometimes walking up the rib, some times down, but always having to climb over them. (I am a skinny woman).It is open forest, flowers blooming in the gullies, lots of heart-leaved arnica(Arnica cordifolia). And little gardens on the rocks. Suddenly I come out on a more even , grassy slope, which all the little animals prefer. First I scare a bird of its nest, and then I meet at least a half dozen chipmunks. This slope leads to one of the peaks and on the slabs of rock I am drawn up. I resist going all the way up as I know the top is forested and the gully to the twin, quite steep and many big trees that stand in the way to safely climb. I descent a little and cross where it is easiest to come out on 'maria'. From there you all know my route or can read it in previous posts. Never boring for me though, there's always something new to marvel about. Today about the Red-osier Dogwood bushes from yesterday, as I step of the path by the creek, I see there are many of them and totally in bloom, beautiful white cymes .
Which reminds me, my camera acted up today, but I do end up with a picture of a bird, ha! I took it on 'maria'. The bird might be a Grey Jay and the mountain in the background......I don't really know.

Grouse chicks

Pyrola Chlorantha (green pyrola)

Finally, I went on a Nature walk again. I had some busy days, that took me away from the wild. The wild never totally leaves me though. On several occasions I saw a little Chipping Sparrow. It's a little inconspicious bird with a beautiful reddish brown crown. It hops here in my yard and one on the side walk down town Whitehorse, close to a beautiful wild garden opposite Phillip's Bicycle shop.
Because I had been away for a few days, I kind of had to start again, and went back to the Birch trees, where I started my first stories in early May. As back then, it took me a while to slow the chatter in my head down. No sooner I started to see the pleasures of Nature. First the Birch trees I tapped for sap, looked very good, as healthy as the others, nothing showed that they had given me such an abundance of sap. I looped through a Spruce forest into the willows towards the little meadow. It's beautiful, the green grass, different kinds are blooming, in the middle a silver green patch of Coltsfoot. I can see an animal has recently walked through, and it appears it ate the yellow flowers of a Geum (avens).On my way back I suddenly see many more flowers. There's a patch of little Dogwood(Cornus canadensis) close to the Birchtrees. And later by the creek I find the taller Red-osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonifera). In and close to the swamp, there are the different Pyrolas. In the swamp there is a flock of Bohemian waxwings. Some fly around from dead tree to dead tree, some just sit quietly. And then the real treat. On the path ahead of me a Grouse moves away in a suspicious way. I follow her, that's what she wants, I think she is trying to lead me away from her young. Indeed as I go back to the path, there is one chick. I try to photograph it, but it is amazing how well it knows how to hide. Ha, as I am following the chick, mom comes back with her tail fanned out and hissing. I let them be.

Grizzly bear

Today driving home from work, I finally got to see the young grizzly bear that has been hanging around along the Alaska Highway.
It is always a pleasure to watch a bear from the inside of a car. And I am delighted to see, that it is eating flowers. It is not concerned about us or the 3 other vehicles that park on the side of the road behind us. It doesn't even look at us and just grazes, biting of the flower heads of the abundant Oxytropis campestris ssp. varians. It is the light yellow one, it is a locoweed, and indeed a member of the Fabaceae (pea) family. It is called locoweed, because when cows graze on it, they go crazy. Or so goes the story.
The bear is obviously not bothered by it, and seems, to be enjoying it very much.

I wonder if a bear eats Fireweed. Our famous Yukon Flower is starting to bloom!
Epilobium angustifolium. Fireweed. The Yukon Floral Emblem.

Yukon River Quest

This morning I woke up our guest Sonja Anderson at 5.30 am. She had to go to work. It was minus 2 degrees Celsius. We had to scrape the ice of her car's windshield!
Frost means clear skies! And it turned out to be a hot sunny day. Now, this very moment it is a new moon. Maybe... what comes with the moon goes with moon.

Yesterday, July 1, was already a beautiful day. In the afternoon Don and I drove out to the Champagne dump. A wild place for sure, but not the kind of wild I want to talk about. Worth mentioning is the drive to it. The roads are lined with flowers. I had Don stop a few times. The Fabaceae (pea) family is well represented. Most showy, the purples of the Heysarums. And I found two more Astragalus (Milk Vetch). White ones, showy enough, probably the tenellus and williamsii.

In the evening Sonja and I went strawberry picking. They are actually not as abundant as I thought. We had to drive out to Stony Creek, there we picked enough for dessert. mmmmmm Sonja had brought whip cream. "Thank you my friend."
About the strawberries, what is interesting, is that I wonder if they bear fruit in the true wild. I've picked them for 18 years, always on old abandoned road ways or man made clearings or beside roads. What do you know?

July 2. Early in the morning I biked over to my friend Jane Vincent. It is still frosty in the shadows. But it already feels like it is going to be warm. I had not seen Jane for a while as she had been participating in the Yukon River Quest. I am proud to tell you, that she and her paddle partner,Bodo Lenitchek came in; in 46 hours and 44 min. 2nd place,tandem canoe category. "Congratulations Jane and Bodo!"

In the afternoon Nora and I put our noses to yet another Astragalus. This a sprawling one with few, but pretty little purple flowers. Another sweet smelling one.
And later on that day, I wanted to know, for once and all, which Astragalus grows by 'elfin creek'. The place where the creek disappears is actually only 1 km. from here. Today I see; the creek doesn't really go underground, but fans out. That's where I find the Astragalus along side all the High Bush Cranberry. And there are Black Currant bushes, another favorite. I find a blooming Astragalus and it is an americanus.

As I am typing this, the windows are wide open. And the flicker hatchlings are practicing their voices.They have been doing so for the last few days. I called them fledglings last week, but actually, they do stick their heads out of the hole, but I haven't seen them flying yet. On a sad note, the Flicker nest by my outhouse, which was only 2 meters of the ground, is abandoned.

Astragalus

Milk-Vetch

Happy Canada Day!

I am not making a political statement.

I am very happy to live in Canada.

But is this an Astragalus americana or Astragalus canadensis?