I went for a bit of a walk along the SJ quarry road this afternoon. I ventured down into the muskeg below the quarry then followed a trail back to the muskeg that is beside the road further down. I think the trail followed the route of the Billy Basin mining trail, as there seemed to be the remains of an old bridge over a (very) small stream.
Weather: The recent sunny weather is now ended. By this afternoon it was overcast and even a few rain drops fell.
Birds: I heard a Steller’s Jay imitating a Red-tailed Hawk call. It also interespersed other more typical jay calls in between (which is how I knew it was a jay).
Flora: Most everything is going to seed now. Bog blueberries are getting ripe. Apparently they ripen a little later than the dwarf blueberries. One thing still blooming was the white water lilies.
I noticed an aster family plant that is new to me. It was growing along the trail I followed by a very small stream. Although it was growing in a place where it might seem likely to be wild, I would not be surprised if it is an introduced species.
Other Notes: I found several different caterpillars today. I found a couple of different kinds on alders, including one that rolled up the leaf to protect itself, and a second furry white kind. There also seemed to be at least two different kinds feeding on developing seeds of Triantha spp. and Swamp Gentian. I collected some to try and raise up at home, but I’m not sure how successful it will be.
It appeared that a bear had been swimming around in the larger pond at the Indian River Trail end of the quarry muskeg. There were also some bear tracks on the trail I followed back.