29 June
Summer changes the light in the Forest and Wetlands. In part, it's the effect of the position of the sun, but also changes in the density of vegetation provide a new filter for light. Even on a shaded path, the light has a warmth--not hot, instead welcoming and friendly. In the Forest, fruit is ripening. Red huckleberry is ripe, tart, and not abundant. Red elderberries disappear quickly from their branches as birds feast upon them. Summer fungi are emerging. These mushrooms have been photobombed by a yellow-spotted millipede. New growths of slime mold are appearing as well. Pathfinders are blooming--it will be interesting to observe the development of their rather odd flowers. Salal is starting to form berries, yet to ripen. By the Marsh, the blossoms of bald-hipped roses have given way to -- well, duh--bald hips. The hard hack fringing the Marsh is coming into bloom. The snowpack on the mountains is now listed as 39 percent of average. The Mars...