Spring seems to be getting off to a slow start here in western Washington. This is anecdotal, of course, but it seems like I've been seeing fewer early-blooming flowers, like salmonberry and Indian plum, than usual by this time of year. Last weekend, I hiked some trails at Cougar Mountain, and didn't find any wildflowers at all. I wasn't too disappointed, fortunately, because I found some other colorful scenes, and generally had a peaceful day in the woods. I started by hiking the Licorice Fern trail, which was one of the few corners of the park that I hadn't yet seen. I enjoyed it - the steepness of the ravine, and the lushness of the forest, helped conceal the trail's proximity to surrounding civilization. From there, I hiked farther into the park, turning around at Doughty Falls.
First, some unexpected color from the red leaves of an Oregon-grape plant. The color was quite eye-catching against the muted greens, grays, and browns of late winter. At this point, the clouds were thinning a bit, and the sunlight was coming toward my lens, so I had to get creative using my hands to eliminate glare. I'm glad I persisted, though, because this one is probably my favorite from the day. F/18.
Next, one of the few obvious signs of spring I noticed on the hike - Indian plum just starting to open. F/7.1.
Below, the ravine of the Licorice Fern Trail. The sense of depth doesn't come through as well as I'd like, but I do enjoy all the mossy green. F/18.
Finally, Doughty Falls. It isn't as eye-catching as Coal Creek Falls or Far Country Falls. The upshot of that fact, though, is a greater degree of solitude. F/18, 3 seconds.
That's all for now. Stay tuned; wildflower season will be kicking off soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment