Poplar Burl

On most of my hikes I have a goal in mind, but am always open to change plans.
Today my goal was; a hill close to the '911 pond'. I have to admit I am after those elusive Swans again.
To see if I can spot them, looking down on them. I consult the map and the closest hill is 2 km away from the pond,
and happens to be the hill where my 'beach trail' ends. It is not avery defined hill though , neither very high.
Aproximatically 500 feet higher then the pond. But I yet have to find its highest point. I wonder if google earth can help me.

As it is lovely these days, I only take a light sweater, more as mosquito proofing then anything else.
The ground cover in the forest is already fall like; yellowish leaves, flowers in seed, and colorfull berries.
The timberberries, not intersting for eating, but very pretty, the leaves dark red and the berries bright orange.
I take the time to photograph, the blues(butterflies), which are still abundant. It turns out to be a Northern Blue,Lycaeides idas. I think most of the blues I have been seeeing the last few weeks might be those. As the male is bright blue,
the female brownish/blue and both have distinguished spots and some orange in the edge of the wing.

'Elfin creek'is finally down to its regular summer size, (some summers it even dries up).
From here the trail goes up and actually comes out on a higher beach (Ancient Lake Champagne).
The trail is on top of the open hill side, but the hill it self is higher yet, with mainly poplars growing on it.
I have explored higher by the end of the trail. (I can see the pond, but no Swans, by the way.)

I decide to turn up hill right at the beginning of the exposed slope, turning into the forest slowly going up.
It is a little ways in, when I kind of wonder, if I like this. I mentally make a note that I will be honest with you and let you know that not all hikes are totally enjoyable.
When I am ready to give up; maybe I will never come onto an opening in the forest or open slope or rock face. I know they are there but I could walk right by it and not see it for the trees.

As I turn back, I see a big erratic (rock) . Miracalous! (sorry, again, I can't report un unsuccesful hike to you.)
From the top of the rock, I see an exposed hill side not far.

One, I don't think I have ever been on. It is perfect, a grassy slope and to the west a beautifull rocky ridge.
It is hard to tell if this is the higest point though, but it is good enough for me. I explore it a little bit, but kind of rushed as...it is raining!!! I find a tree, for shelter, with a view.(no Swans in the pond.)

From here I take a different route back, as I now am above 'moose skull lake'. It is on the way back that I come upon this interesting burl. Poplar burls are not as common or as big here as Spruce Burls.
These ones are fairly big and I have never seen the red coloring on them.

Another delightful meeting, in the forest close to our house there are the tiny, Single Delights, they are sooo pretty and smell sooo nice. In all those years I have never seen them here (uhum wet year).
I will post them on my new blog; Yukon Wildflowers.
(oh my , I don't think the spelling check is working, pardon me for spelling errors)

'Soapberry' Bear

A bear in the yard.
Well, off in the bushes 100 meters from the house.
-Sitting on the outhouse...... Yesterday, while ironing (my, for money, job), I happened to watch a program on TV,
about how it is 'modern' to have a glass house. I laughed at them and thought about my outhouse without a door,
not even glass. How transparent is that?
Any way this morning, 'sitting' relaxed, I hear noises in the woods, I have been fooled by squirrels,
but this time ,it is not them.
I suspect deer or elk, And walk quietly towards the sounds. First I see something black with round 'ears',
probably a stump, which now in my fantasy looks like a....
One more step.. It is a bear!!! A cuddly looking (the round teddy bear ears,and a cute, lighter, muzzle) Black Bear. It seems to be looking straight at me.
I am sure it smells me , but might not see me.
Anyway I do the thing I am not supposed to do, I run. Once I realize I am running, I throw my coffee cup in the bushes and run faster.
The house close, and luckily the bear doesn't run after me, They are faster by far!!!
Don and I don't care to go look, but after my husband is long gone. My son safely sleeping (he came back last night).
I take the bear spray, Which is good practice, because now calmly in the house, it's tricky to get it ready for immediate use.
(Read my Bear story, 37 mile) Under real threat it was surprisingly simple and amazingly fast. (I should not count on that, but always be prepared.

The Bear's gone. I don't dare to go to the exact spot it stood, but already here the soap berries are very abundant.
Today I will take the hand mower, and work on expanding the wild lawn. As in not having soapberry bushes close to the house.

Kusawa

Sue Herbrick and I hiked up a ridge above Kusawa lake. The same one I hiked with Mary.
Today we had a warm day! At the bottom on the road we are indecisive about bringing our fleece jackets.
We definitely take our wind breakers. It's just that whole summer we have needed those items. We bring them anyway "you never know".
I am happy to say we didn't need them. And later on after our hike picking raspberries in the gravel pit; it is hot!
25 degrees C. Yes, that is hot up here (this summer anyway).

We walk and talk the whole way up. It is an ATV trail, so we can walk beside each other.
As you see in the photo, because of this warm weather it looks hazy. Kusawa in the distance looks totally calm.
Interestingly we kind of loose the trail and are following a rocky ridge. Which is fine by either of us, there are some small poplars to go through and sometimes we have to climb the rocks. Lower, the ground was very sandy and the
flora not very exciting or different from what we are used to.
On the rocks here, there are some Minuartias still blooming, (Sandwort) and I come up a Chamaerhodos! Which must be the most inconspicious one of the Rose family
The branches bright red.
Everywhere (like the red) we see the first signs of fall. Some willows are yellowish and the poplars, sporadically though, have a bright yellow leaves on one branch.
Sue notices a beautiful big spruce tree, which at the bottom is a big dome and the 10 meter high top of the tree (really a regular tree) , sticking out like a spike.
We come to an end of this ridge, and sit down to have our lunch. The regular trail,
seems to be in the bottom in between this ridge and the mountain.
This rock has Fragrant Fern growing in its crevices. I put my nose into several, and can't smell a thing. I pick one leaf to take home, and sure enough it's fragrant when I take it out of a pocket.

Wood Frog

Rana sylvatica
Common frog in the Yukon

Big Lake Jenny

With my husband, we drove out to Taye lake. On the drive in we stop at a ridge which leads right to the mountain on the west of the Taye lake road. It looks like a wonderful way to go for a hike one day. We stop a few more times, to look here and there, follow some Bison tracks etc. At the Lake we park at the cabins. The forest opening at the bottom towards the lake, is beautiful, full of yellow Cinquefoils. And a kind of Bladder Campion which I had not yet identified. It is the Silene involucrata ssp involucrata. Walking towards the lake following the ATV trail. There is lovely Eyebrights , Euphrasia subarctica. Which is small, and has tiny ,but beautiful flowers. The most gorgeous one today, is closer to the water's edge. A Lomatogonium rotatum, called Marsh Felswort.It is another Gentiaan. As I look up I see the swans in the distance. And before I know it Don is way ahead of me and I have to run to catch up.
The lake water is high and the marsh grass emerged. We sit on the edge by the willows overlooking the lake and the mountains. My 'dream' mountain looks particulary inviting. The weather turned sunny today, but it's peaks are surrounded by clouds, appear and disappear. On the way back we go a little inland, to walk in the forest on more higher ground. We come by a scenic inland marsh where I photograph a frog. I think there are only 2 kinds of frogs in the Yukon. I'll let you know.

As we are wandering into the general direction of the cabins. We come upon a historical sight. First we don't know what it is.And suddenly we see that it is an old grave site. Big Lake Jenny. I've already set in motion to find out more about her and will keep you informed.

catloesje@hotmail.com

please feel free to contact me at my email address.

Here are more mysteries. This is a Siberian Aster. Only it is way more showy, then what it usually looks like. I don't know what happened here. If I would have come upon it in the wild I would have been totally mystified. But here in my garden, among all the Siberian Asters, just this one happened to do a different thing. ???

For the mysterious Elk, I suppose they were White-tailed deer. As the droppings dried up they shrunk considerably.

Today I went to the 911 pond, and luckily at one brief moment I saw two swans swimming. Just their heads sticking out of the tall grasses. I tried to get closer again , but there is no way, I think even with waders on this marshland is impossible to walk in. The water fairly deep and the tufts of marsh grass solid and tall. Not solid enough to step on top of them.
About the swans, if they have an active nest ?????

Many birds, many many mosquitoes and some big birds of prey.
All very wonderful, but can't give you any names. I tried for the plants;
Positively 3 different gentians! Gentianella amerella, as lovely as it sounds
Gentianella propinqua, beautiful enough ,being so common it gives everywhere i go a purple dash. And to my delight the, Gentianopsis detonsa ssp yukonensis, which is past blooming already and now finally looks like the one in William Cody's amazing plant book.
For yellow, there where mustards.
And Senecios, possibly a streptanthifolius.
Solidagos, possibly a simplex.
Potentillas, possibly a pensylvanica.
Arnicas, possibly a chamissonis ssp incana.

This winter I will study Botany.

In the last post, I mentioned, I talk to the animals. I mean that literally.
They might be there that moment are not, I talk in my head or out loud.
Amazingly they do listen. I respect them , they respect me.
How's that for a mystery?

mystery elk

2 fledgling peewees.


Last evening coming home after my two days in town. I wander around the property, and see that the Peewee nest appears to be empty now. I wish them luck on their travels.
My vegetable patch is surrounded by wildflowers, mainly roses and fireweed. I see some broken stalks of fireweed and wonder. Not till I come to my front door, I see havoc in the garden, something has been eating the white roses. I search for more clues, fire weed at several places is been flattened. No tracks , eventually I find 3 fresh droppings, Elk?
In the early morning my husband wakes me up; there is a young porcupine rummaging around in the yard. Nibbling on the raspberries.
I am grateful that the animals of the wild bring me a visit once and a while. When their visits become too regular and invasive, I will talk to them, as with the gophers, woodpeckers and a few years ago the beautiful black bear.