Green Comma

Again a beautiful, sunny, August day. Today is 'discovery day', a Yukon Holiday. Which meant Tara was able to join me on a morning walk, we did the regular loop and noticed very much that fall is here with its addition of color.
But the most beautiful (fall)colors I encountered in my garden, in the form of a Butterfly, which I hadn't seen yet this summer. I think it was the green Comma,
Polygonia faunes. Which is on the wing late in the summer, and will hibernate all winter. I will look for it again in Spring.

Keeper of Wild Places

Hi, this is me ,Jozien.
On top of a tongue of the Nadahini Glacier. Where I did get on my own power, as in, hiking up from the Haines road(highway). I have to say though as Keeper of Wild Places, even I leave a foot print. In a Fragile environment as this I am very aware of that and try to be as careful as I can.

Dezadeash Lake

August 15 2008
Tomorrow is Full Moon, but tonight we were given a surprise preview. Surprise, because I am not so much in tune with the moon. Most days I am asleep before dark and up after. It does get dark though these nights.
This evening we left to go camping. Before dark we arrive at the campground at Dezadeash Lake (around 9pm). We set up the tents, start the fire. As soon as we sit down around the fire, Sue calls out,"look at the moon!"
On my first night camping this Summer, what a treat! I do like camping very much but somehow....
I actually love camping. Here in the Yukon the sites are nearly always perfect. This one right on the lake. In between our site and the lake are some willow and Soap Berry bushes and then there is a dark sandy beach. The evening light is beautiful, shining on the ripples in the Lake and the surrounding mountains.
Half of the campsites are occupied, no one noisy, and everything is very peaceful.
We make a traditional campfire snack. I have to ask Sue for the name, but you probably know it, it includes bread, canned cherries and for Sue and me ;chocolate chips. Delicious!
And 'the cherry on top'; two Loons calling.

Bumble Bee

Because of all the buzz around bees, I have wanted to do a post about bees.
Well here it is.
It is a beautiful sunny morning. Still warm enough for bees to be out.(13 C.) In the Yukon it will soon be too cold. I have read somewhere that it has to 9 degrees C.
And having watched 'our' carpenter bees, that seems to be correct.
Although today I don't see a carpenter bee. We know they have a nest in the roof of our porch. They are Big! but very friendly.
This morning I am chasing bees with my camera. the first bee I find is in a patch of Fireweed, it seems easy enough to photograph(this one here). Till I come inside to watch the images. I didn't get one clear picture. Next bee I find is faster, and I can't keep up with it. I walk around the yard for a while, we have lots of Fireweed. That's where these bees love to get their nectar. And they're buzzing everywhere, but the first bee proves to have given me the best shot.

Please let me know if you know what kind of Bumble Bee this is, thanks.

Bear stories

August 12 2008

For my mom, she likes a close up of a bear. And for Jose, she likes scary stories. No, she didn't say that,
she said 'spannend'. It's Dutch;it could mean...thrilling.

For the last three days I have done a lot of berry picking. Wild berries for sure
(see my new blog: yukonwildberries.blogspot.com) But in places not totally wild. It seems to be some berries like to grow, where we humans interfered. Which really is kind of neat. Gravel pits, abandoned roads, ditches and under power lines.
At least that is where I seem to be picking these days. Bears like these environments too it seems, definitely now the berries are ripe. And this year the story goes that the berries are not very good higher up the mountains.

Well what ever the reason I have seen a lot of Bears this Summer! I am counting 9!
(Most summers 1 or 2.)

"Ah mom I don't think I post the picture, it is out of focus."
And Jose, "Sorry". Luckily for me, "this story is not going to be thrilling".

No. 8 showed him or herself at the TV tower clearing on the Haines Road, Sunday. I called out to Don and we retreated to the close by car, and the Bear retreated into the forest.

Yesterday I was picking alone, and was very cautious, at the black currant patch, which is on the power line but surrounded by dark Spruce Forest. Beebed my horn, pepper spray on my hip, singing most of the time and scanning the area
after every picked bush.

Today same precautions, but more relaxed as Don was with me again. Picking berries (7 litres!) nothing occurred, After we went for an enjoyable drive in the woods on wood cutting roads. Don't tell Don, he thinks this driving is so great,
gets me places fast and such, but really on a bush road, you're bouncing around and really don't go that much faster,
"when hunting" we are saying,' "it beats carrying out your moose on your back".

And I love driving when I meet a Bear!

As we bounce down this road, Don hollers... A Black Bear on my side of the cap, on the edge of the road eating soapberries.
It really was only a meter away from me. I should have just looked and enjoyed from the safety of the truck, because while scrambling for my camera, I only got
its buttocks in the picture and as I said not even in focus. It really didn't run away though, it just turned into the woods and leisurely went about his way, still eating berries.

Update on 2 stories

Update on 'Big lake Jenny' and Big White Beauties (St. Elias Mountains).
-
Thanks to Bonnie Robinson and Sadie Brown, I know now that Big Lake probably refers to Aishihik Lake.
There was man named Big Lake Issac...

For the three white Beauties, I am happy to say that they are Mount Kennedy, Mount Hubbard and Mount Alverstone.
Thanks Mary! I read in Curtis Vos' hiking guide that they are referred to as the 'Ice Palace'.

St.Elias Mountains

St. Elias mountains.
On the highway peeking into the wildest of wild. To me the St. Elias mountains are the ultimate wilderness.
It's where Mnt. Logan is. For me that all is totally inaccessible. I do and will 'scratch' at the edge.
I am always very happy to get a glimpse. Which is not very often, The white peaks you see here are not visible
most of the time.
If anybody knows what I am looking at, let me know.
The one on the left is Martha Black, The right one might be part of Archibald.
Is the dark one in the middle Profile Mountain?
But who are those White Beauties?!

As you guessed, Don and I where on our Sunday drive again. We got as far a Dezedeash lake as we know the Berries are
pretty good there. They were not as good as expected, but I did make some delicious jars of jam, that are now cooling
off.

Its interesting to walk around underneath the Dalton Range and close to the shore of a big lake. I wonder if that is the reason
that the Flora here is different then closer to home. I like the big, white lace of the umbels of a Parsley.
And the bright red berries of the Bane berry (poisonous}.

Driving back,still on the Haines road, we saw a beautiful Beaver dam. As we got out the Beaver jumped in from the dam with
a big poplar branch. Swimming towards its beaver house, where it went under and didn't come out all the time I walked around
the beaver pond.
I approach the pond for underneath the dam. Crossing some dry creek beds. Close to the dam the little creeks are flowing.
They are many ,but small enough to jump across. On an open spot, I climb the dam, which is solid.
Off and on the dam I walk and jump towards the center of the dam, which is totally sticks and a slide for the beaver(made by the beaver)
Even here it is solid and I climb on as the creek below here is to big to cross without getting wet.
It is need to be at eye level with the water, looking at the house in the middle of the pond. I walk to wards the hillside,
which is totally harvested by the Beavers. And as it seems for a very long time, most beaver stumps here are very old.
And only farther inland I see fresher cuts. Beavers can cut very big trees, here the stumps are up to 15cm diameter.
Thank you busy Beaver for letting me enter your beautiful world.