On a Lifelong Journey to Learn my Place
Hairy Butterwort (Pinguicula villosa) is a small plant found on relatively dry hummocks in muskegs. Easy to overlook because of its size, this plant, with its delicate purple flower, is worth the effort to find and take a closer look at. Like its larger and more common relative Common Butterwort (Pinguicula vulgaris), this species is … Read more
Over the past couple of years the sun has been in a solar minimum, a consequence of which has been auroras that are only rarely strong enough to be seen from Sitka. Combined with frequently cloudy skies, the northern lights have not been easy to observer around here for quite a while. A couple of … Read more
Graupel is a type of snow that forms when snow flakes fall through parts of the atmosphere that have supercooled water droplets. Instead of maintaining the form of flat snow flakes and/or elongated snow crystals, the supercooled water condenses as a rime on the surface that results in a pellet shape. Superficially, graupel looks a … Read more
Rock Outcrop in Katlian Bay Last summer while hiking on Starrigavan Ridge, I noticed some interesting looking rock outcrops along the shoreline of Katlian Bay. They appeared to be more red in color, and after my experiences at Red Bluff Bay, I wondered if maybe it was an outcrop of similar rock. It was only … Read more
Lower Temperatures bring a Lower Snow Level After nearly two months that seemed unseasonably warm and lacking in precipitation, this week has been a return to what I tend to expect of late winter and early spring weather. Monday’s cooler temperatures with heavy clouds and rain, were followed by a short reprieve in partly-cloudy Tuesday, … Read more
I took a little time while on my way home last night to shoot some pictures of the moon rising over the mountains and Crescent Bay.