I do love autumn sunsets. Sometimes they’re Monet. Sometimes they’re Van Gough. But often they have an Impressionist quality I love.
Author: Kay
Wet webs
It seems to me that spiders are more active this time of the year. Or perhaps it’s that low light and dew light up their webs differently. But I do notice them more on autumn days.
There goes the neighborhood
We love to walk to and along the bluffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. On clear days the view extends west to Port Angeles and beyond and north to Vancouver Island and the San Juans. Lately, though, we’ve been looking down. As in, down the bluff just past the edge of the trail.
We began looking down because we heard the rush and tumble of sand and cobble in motion and one afternoon watched a steady flow, creating an alluvial fan as it landed on the beach. It’s hard to get a good perspective looking downward but what you’re seeing is active erosion on what’s typically a fairly vertical cliff. The two grassy chunks in the middle of this flow previously lived close to the top of the bluff.
There are already spots along the bluff trail where the fencing has been moved and the trail rerouted inward as nature has eaten into the sandy cliffs. We’re guessing it may not be long before we see changes in this part of the trail. We took a ranger-led walk a year or two ago where it was estimated that the bluffs around here may recede up to 18 inches a year.
Asher
Rocking horses aren’t the only childrens’ action toys of this sort. This nicely executed little rocking boat was on display at the Wooden Boat Festival last month.
Views on a walk
Here’s another autumn trail view from Dungeness Recreation Area. This trail leads to an open path along the side of a marsh. The golden leaves overhead are on the native bitter cherry trees which are presently putting on a beautiful autumn show which I will share in another post.
Forest trail
I’m snapping lots of pictures of the trails in Dungeness Recreation Area before the trees and shrubs go into hibernation.
Sunday sunshine
Grindelia (Grindelia stricta), or coastal gumweed, is one of our late-blooming wildflowers. Small shrubs are cheering up trailsides near the marshy areas of Dungeness Recreation Area and can brighten the gloomiest day.
There are bracts on the bushes that are covered with a milky resin that is reputed to have healing properties.