Back at Nuk Tessli

western red columbineI spent 2 days guiding various people in various directions close to Nuk Tessli’s cabins. We visited nearby flower meadows.

white bog orchid and pond lilies

 

bull lily

Sue and her granddaughter Mahina and I made a bid for the Mammary Meadows, one of my favourite hikes.  But although the wind had dropped, the weather was dribbly and muggy and buggy.

creeping dogwoodFirst we crossed the bridge over Otter Creek.

bridge over Otter Creek

The lupin leaves wore their classic drops of water.

5 lupin leaf and water

Mahina was not a happy camper so we had to abandon our destination.  We hiked back to Nuk Tessli back past the Lookout.

Nuk Tessli LookoutPassing the Monster Tree on the way.

6 monster treeOn the other day we all went canoeing,

8 Margaret and MarkWe parked at the portage,

nuk tessli portageAnd went to visit the sundew bog.  Despite the bits of drizzle, the bog, like everywhere else, was extremely dry.  Normally these plants are sitting in water.

long-leaved sundewThese plants eat insects.  Acid soil locks up nitrogen so the plants have figured out how to get their dinner by other means.  The hairs on the leaves have sticky ends; the bug gets stuck, and the leaves slowly curve over and digest it.  In previous visits I have found obvious insects trapped – moths and dragonflies – but now we had to look for curled leaves before we spotted things trapped in them.

long-leaved sundew with flyI am not at all sure what this creature was.

lonlong-leaved sundew with prey

 

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