Canada

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 28 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Fall is Mushroom Season at the Arrow Lakes

The most common mushroom varieties in our area are the pine mushrooms, the chanterelles (Pfifferlinge), and the lobster mushrooms. Mushroom buyers are setting up their stations as early as September. In October people from all over the province are flocking into our woods in search of the precious pine mushrooms which fetches as an export article the highest price. My wife most probably a direct descendent of the ancient hunters and gathers is also bitten by the annual pine mushroom fever, while I am content with my passion with photography. We drive into one of the lucrative forest areas where we part for one hour or two. Then I always find something worth photographing. Two weeks ago, my focus was on the very small mushrooms, which have a special beauty of their own. Enjoy.

From this magnificent viewpoint we go down to the mushroom forest.

Perhaps some of you mushroom experts may be able to identify the mushrooms. The last mushroom could be a boletus but I am not sure.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 28 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Of Tree Stumps, Mushrooms and Ferns

While my wife has been picking pine mushrooms in our nearby forests, I have been searching for objects that typically represent the autumn scene in our area. Old tree stumps and tree trunks have always fascinated me, as they so wondrously symbolize the end and the beginning of a new life cycle. Mushrooms are pushing through the forest floor to release their spores for the next growing season. Ferns are bending low under the weight of old age while retaining their graceful shapes of geometric patterns for us to admire. Of course, the brightly shining sunflower wheel must always be part of the visual presentation of the wonderful autumn season. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 24 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

A Very Cooperative Hoverfly

On a recent canoe ride, heading south from our favourite Taite Creek campground, we stopped at a deserted apple orchard a few kilometres from the Taite Creek bay. Biene spotted an abundance of apples in the abandoned orchard and being the inveterate gathering she started picking claiming they make excellent apple sauce. Myself being inspired by my blogging friend Steve Schwartzman was eagerly looking for some wildflower. But all I could find was a bedraggled daisy with its petals curved downward. Great was my joy when I discovered a hoverfly sitting down for a late pollen dinner. She was so preoccupied with feasting on the pollen that she paid no attention to my camera a mere five cm away from the flower. Here are five photos of the same insect and the same flower. Enjoy.

Thank you my little hoverfly for being so cooperative!

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 20 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

Our Hike to the Real Waterfalls

In the past few weeks, my wife and I crossed the Arrow Lake and the Needles Ferry Path a number of times. I proudly announced that we travelled up the Whatshan River to the waterfalls. When I recognized that I had made a mistake and heard that the waterfalls were far more inland, I invited my wife to go exploring. Attempting to climb the steep embankment almost turned into a disaster. Biene struggled very hard on all fours to inch her way up to the top from which I could only shout words of encouragement. When she finally stood on safe and stable ground, she was very happy that she did not give up. We were both rewarded with a splendid view and hike to the elusive waterfalls, which is the content of the video below. Enjoy!

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 39 Comments

Wednesday’s Photos

The Four Seasons Country

Tempora mutantur, et nos mutamur in illis – Ovid

The days are getting shorter, the air is crisp in the early morning hours, bees and bumblebees slumber longer on our sunflowers, the redfish are spawning, the signs of autumn are written on Nature’s colourful pages. As we journey from one season into another, it is seems fitting to devote a blog post to the eternal cycle of our four seasons country. I selected a few images from my archive presenting Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter in that order. Enjoy.

Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lakes

/ Peter Klopp / 36 Comments

Rescued Beetle on a Lettuce Leaf

A beautiful beetle was drowning in a sprinkling can. I filled up the can, so the beetle was able to crawl out. It was so exhausted from floating in the water for such a long time that it lay still on the top giving me time to study that poor little thing. I quickly got my movie camera and placed the beetle on a lettuce leaf. By now it had become active and was looking for a way to get off the lettuce leaf. Much later when I was editing the video clip, I discovered that apart from almost having drowned in the sprinkling can, the beetle also suffered from an invasion of lice that were roaming all over him. I wanted to help it get rid of these little pests but when I returned the next day to the garden the beetle was gone.

Does anyone know the name of this beetle?