Wednesday’s Photos
Biene’s Fall Poem
Fauquier – Nature’s Paradise
Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lake
Place of the Butterfly Party
Wednesday’s Photos
Wild Party of the Butterflies
On a walk along the shore of the Arrow Lake in June I came across a most curious sight. On the ground I spotted a gathering of butterflies which displayed a rather odd behaviour. They were attracted to a grey mass of an object. Tightly bunched together they appeared to be in a drinking frenzy with their proboscises sucking up some undefinable liquid. First I shot a few pictures from several metres away fearing that they might fly away before I had a chance to capture their bizarre behaviour. As I came closer and closer I noticed that they completely ignored my presence. Rather they behaved like people in a bar being in various stages of intoxication. One butterfly was lying on its side sticking its proboscis deep into a crack of the unknown substance. Others sitting on top of one another. I was deeply puzzled. Now I was so close that my camera lens was able to take close-ups at times even touching their wings. Then I finally realized that the source of their attraction was a fish head, which had been left at the beach by a fisherman. I hope you can still enjoy the photos. Apparently butterflies do not always go after the colourful flowers. At times they rather prefer the valuable nutrients of a rotten fish head.
Splendour of the Arrow Lake
Wednesday’s Photos
Exploring the Island across the Lake
In the late 60’s BC Hydro flooded the valley after building a dam to provide some control over the fluctuating water levels of the Columbia River. The stretch between Galena Bay in the north and the town of Castlegar in the south is known as the Upper and Lower Arrow Lakes. But BC Hydro’s main purpose was to generate electricity. Thousands of people were forced to leave their land along the lake shore. The island, which my wife and I canoed to, was once connected to the land on the opposite side of the Columbia River. Before the dam was built, the island was rich farm land with an orchard and a farm on it. As you can see, two weeks ago the forests nearby were still burning with a lot of smoke in the air. We are grateful for the rain, the end of the wildfire and the clean air we can breathe again. Enjoy the photos.
The Fauquier – Needles Ferry
Looking East where the Fires were Burning
Driftwood Sculptures on the Island
Driftwood Arch
A Sprinkling of Red from the Rose Hips
View through the Trees onto the Lake
Nature’s Sculptures Everywhere
Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lake
Wednesday’s Photos
Mushroom Fever
Every fall after the first rains have drenched the parched forest floors my wife is getting restless. Mushroom fever is taking control over her entire being and she will not feel well until she is roaming through the woods in search of the pine and other mushrooms. Among all the choice mushrooms growing in our forests, such as Chanterelle (Pfifferlinge), Lobster, King Boletus, Honey Mushroom, and many others, no fungus can compare in monetary value to the prized Pine Mushroom. Every fall local and out-of-town mushroom buyers set up shop for the annual harvesting bonanza. This is the time of the year, when people, who would normally sleep a few extra winks on the weekends, get our of bed way before dawn and scour the woods for that elusive fungus.
Chanterelles (Pfifferlinge) are an absolute delicacy.
Mushroom Picker’s Delight: A Pine Mushroom Button
Lobster Mushrooms are rarely as clean as this one.
Triplets of Boletus Mushrooms
A Basket Full of Chanterelles
The Splendour of the Arrow Lake
Wednesday’s Photos
Mountain Adventure with Michael
With the wildfires still raging in many parts of BC our son Michael invited me to a trip on his ATV to a nearby mountain range between Burton and Nakusp. Apart from the magnificent scenery we also for a few hours escaped the dense smoke down in the valley and breathed in the clean and invigorating mountain air. Now less than a week later the long expected rain has finally come to the Arrow Lake region and brought much needed relief from the smoky conditions. Enjoy the video.
Natural Splendour of the Arrow Lake
Wednesday’s Photos
Sunflowers and Bumblebees
One of the least demanding flowers, thriving in poor soil and growing to incredible heights, is the sunflower. When a volunteer plant pushed through the loose gravel on the south side of our house, my wife felt inspired by this unexpected appearance of a Russian sunflower and transplanted a whole bunch of ornamental sunflowers from a barrel of dirt where she had started them from seeds. The result of her labours is today’s post on these marvellous flowers, which not only decorated the windowless wall, but also attracted bumblebees and other insects. Enjoy.
The Peter and Gertrud Klopp Family 