Views of Sequim, the Olympic Peninsula. . .and beyond
Here is another photo from last Thursday, while the snow was still solidly on the ground. The Dungeness bluffs looked very different cloaked in snow. They are usually a dark, sandy grey. This is a view looking south and west toward Port Angeles and the Olympic Mountains are hidden in cloud cover beyond the distant bluffs.
I took these photos on Thursday, our third day of snowfall. By midday yesterday, Friday, the temperature began to slowly rise and it was around 40F by sunset. Winds from the south initially brought heavy rains and rainfall was predicted overnight with flood watches and advisories in regions all over Washington state. For the next few days I’ll continue to post photos that I took of the snow and try to include some weather updates.
The trails at Dungeness Recreation Area showed evidence of skiers and snow shoers who were out enjoying a rare opportunity to play in snow at sea level.
Chord, the Wonder Dog, puts playing in snow up at the top of his favorites list and can barely wait to get out the door once he sees snow. He tolerates the girly jacket which means there’s less of him that needs drying off when we get home.
Yesterday was our third consecutive day of snow. We’ve limited our travels to walks in the Dungeness Recreation Area; it snows infrequently enough here that we’re a little leery of other drivers. It stopped snowing long enough yesterday for me to finally pull out my camera.
It’s hard to estimate just how much snow has fallen. Some areas have deeper drifts from wind but enough has fallen that there’s even plenty in forested areas. It’s still light and powdery; I’m guessing there’s at least four to six inches. I’ll post more snow pictures over the next couple of days. In the meantime, for those of you watching the white stuff come down: do stay warm!
Here is one of the early harbingers of spring in this area, the Red-Flowering Currant. It begins to burst forth with these bright blossoms as early as late March. These photos were taken in April and early May this year.
The blossoms are showy and attract hummingbirds and butterflies. These shrubs are a nice addition to a natural landscape and the Clallam County Conservation District sells them as part of their annual Native Plant Sale. Although they are reputed to have persistent berries, I haven’t noticed any in the many plants around the Dungeness Recreation Area. This is what a typical plant looks like now that fall has taken hold.
Some of the shrubs have a lot of bronze coloring, some are various shades of green, and some of them look battered and moth-eaten.
Dungeness Recreation Area is a wonderful place to walk and it’s particularly nice to observe the changing of the seasons. This past spring I took pictures of some of the native plants in bloom and remembered this as I’ve watched the season’s changes. Snowberries, shown here, are one of the interesting surprises.
Snowberries have very inconspicuous blossoms, 1/4 inch or less in size. Compared to many other plants in bloom in late spring, they’re the quiet girls at the back of the room. But come Autumn, it’s a very different story!
By summer’s end the blossoms turn to bright white 1/2 inch berries that form a sea of white on the many shrubs in the Recreation Area. They lighten the landscape with a brightness that looks like polka dancers masquerading as ballerinas. Paired with the common bright red rose hips, which I’ll show in another post, they’re an especially beautiful sight.
The folage of the snowberries are browsed by deer and elk. The flowers attract butterflies. And the berries are eaten by many birds and by winter’s end may also serve as a food source for other wildlife.
Autumn seems to be moving through here pretty quickly. Here’s a hillside in the Dungeness Recreation Area on one of those perfect fall days.
This full moon rising stopped traffic in the Dungeness Recreation Area on Monday evening.