Small rodents dug passageways under the snow on the flanks of Mount Hood during the winter creating what are known as subnivean tunnels. As the snow melted, debris washed into those tunnels leaving a cast of the original passage that resemble snakes. Fortunately, those “snakes” don’t bite, but they can be startling at first glance.Continue reading “Burrow Snake”
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Tiny Woodland Wonder
While trees towered overhead in the late afternoon at the Banks-Vernona State Trail, sunbeams spotlighted this miniature forest as if by magic. I could almost imagine a giggling pixie peering back at me from somewhere behind the leaves but then again, I am partial to Fairies. #fairyforest #pixies #fairies
It’s all fun and games…
…unless you are on State Highway 212. #funandgames #boring #highway212 #oregon
Nine What?
It gets its name, ninebark, from its unusual bark which peels off in multiple, colorful layers but with flowers like these, who’s looking at its bark? #ninebark #bark #flowers
Sunny Side Up
When the waxing crescent moon is visible low in the western sky just after sunset, the sunlit side of the moon always faces downwards towards the horizon, though some paintings I have seen portray it backwards with the bright side of the moon up, away from the horizon. That never happens at sunset. Whether thoseContinue reading “Sunny Side Up”
Over and Over
Crimson clover covered field after field with bright bursts of color on the slopes and plains of Oregon farmlands. It was a soothing sight that was as captivating to the eye as a similarly named 1960’s song was to the ear. #crimsonclover #crimsonandclover #farmland #oregon
Peeper Keeper
In the morning light, a momma duck and her and offspring swam warily along the shore. She quacked softly to her little ones who hurriedly followed, peeping all the way. #duck #momma #ducklings #quacking #peeping #mallards
Maxi Mouse
It looked like a giant, aquatic mouse as it swam and nibbled its way about the pond. However, extending nearly 36 inches from the snout to the tip of its rat-like tail, it is hardly a mouse; it is a nutria, a very big rodent. Still, I like to think of it as “Maxi Mouse.”Continue reading “Maxi Mouse”
Hopping for a Better Shot
A squirrel posed on a warty growth on a tree with its tail pointing upward, curved like a question mark. It was fitting since we refer to this particular lump as the “whatzit” since we don’t really know what it is. I wanted to get its photo in that pose, but at the last minuteContinue reading “Hopping for a Better Shot”
Cents-less
So, we no longer make cents. Minting of pennies ended last year in the U.S. since it cost about four cents to make one of them. I felt a little sad; I have been collecting them since I was a kid. Also, it may mean making more nickels (worth five of something that is destinedContinue reading “Cents-less”