16 August
A return to Hamilton Wetlands and Forest after two weeks away, in part because nearby forest fires rendered the air quality alarmingly unwholesome. Today we returned after a couple of days of rain--actually described by the Weather Network as an "atmospheric river." That seems to have been an exaggeration, but it definitely improved the air quality and slowed the expansion of the fires. The rain still fell intermittently, and was most welcome. The fragrance of rain in a forest, especially after a period of intense drought, has to be one of life's sacred things. The Forest's vegetation was certainly refreshed. Ferns, trailing blackberry, and even the remnants of foamflowers looked invigorated. In addition, the slug population abounded. A large and speedy banana slug zoomed across the path, moving at a remarkable inch in three minutes. Young slugs explored surrounding vegetation. An elegantly shelled robust lancetooth snail made its w...