I had just turned off State Route 129 onto the small road running beside the river when I saw what I had come to find: a large, strange-looking basalt structure projecting from the canyon wall. I had read about lava dikes for years, and suddenly one was standing in front of me. There were three large … Read more
The water tumbled over the cliff and crashed into the plunge pool two hundred feet below, sending a wave of mist up through the canyon toward where I stood. The sound was loud and filling, giving this place a sense of wonder. I had come to Palouse Falls to see what it looked like, and … Read more
The Marckworth Forest is northeast of Carnation, Washington. The Department of Natural Resources manages these lands for timber. The state harvests trees to help support the school system. Yet, it has lots of natural habitats and can be an outstanding place to visit. The area is a few miles up the hill from Stillwater and … Read more
The lace lichen hung only inches from my eyes. So close that each eye seemed to be seeing a different part of the plant. Its yellowish-green leaves draped like long hair strands, although the middle ones were more like wide-egg noodles. Technically, these aren’t leaves but thalli. The Oxford Dictionary defines a thallus as “a … Read more
Droplets bounced from bow to bow, making light ringing sounds as they fell through the Western Hemlocks and Red Cedars. Although it didn’t appear to be raining right then, the built-up water in the trees still tumbled. Water in the Red Alders gave a little different sound in this pre-dawn light, but the songs of … Read more
The frogs were in full chorus. Swamp stretched across the valley for a hundred yards and for a half-mile along Stossel Creek. A mixture of willows and grasses grew in the wetlands, and then a pond opened downstream from this spot. The loudness and diversity of their songs made me think that hundreds were singing … Read more
Loud catcalls came from the willows along Sinlahekin Creek, followed by whistles and rattles. A short pause happened between individual notes, and then a new and different call came. The diversity of sounds that this bird produced was astonishing, and I began to creep along the edge to see if I could spot this Yellow-breasted … Read more
Barred Owl calls are eerie yet enchanting and downright marvelous. These birds are common in the lowland forests of the Pacific Northwest, but often go unnoticed because of their nocturnal habits. Their call rings through the woods sounding like “Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you-all?” Their song travels well through dense vegetation. On … Read more
The witchety-witchety-witchety came from the cattails bordering the lake. An eight-foot band of emergent vegetation formed a green ribbon that highlighted the open water. A Common Yellowthroat was singing not a dozen feet from my car’s open window. It was 4:45 AM, and I had just left my campsite to bump along this dirt track. The sun … Read more
Her black eyes glared down the hill, and her face muscles were taught. She had her two large ears cocked forward, pointing directly at me. Just her neck and head were above the dense prairie vegetation, and a few grass stems waved in front of her eyes. I’d been working along the edge of Mary … Read more