Warm Wednesday Walk

There's a bit of July left and I still have three stitches I'd like to crank out.

I've started on the Summer Fab Fob - I am enjoying stitching sailboats.

Some of us enjoy the morning sunshine.

Padma spent a good 20 minutes or so rolling around in the dried grass yesterday morning.

Yesterday was our last 'moderate' day for the foreseeable future. We are to reach 99F today, then 102F, 102F, 97F, 95F, and 94F by Monday August 3rd.

That being the case, let's not waste a moment and take our walk as early as possible.

Our prolonged drought is starting to have an impact.  This poor bitter cherry is showing signs of stress - the top 1/3 of the leaves are limp and drooping. 

The thistles are oblivious to the lack of moisture and are going about their business setting seeds.

It looks like we have a pretty good crop of Douglas Fir cones this year.

Squirrels and birds eat the seeds in the cones.

I am pleased to see our largest Madrone green and healthy looking. They tolerate dry summers very well - it is cold winters that they do not like.

Here are the fruits on our native Dogwood.

As July slides toward August, it is Blackberry Time. 

My sister picked a big bowl of blackberries, but there are still lots out there for the deer, squirrels, and birds.

I am excited to see an acorn!  Some years we have lots, and other years I work hard to find even a couple.  I'm hoping (as are the Acorn Woodpeckers) that this is a good year for Oregon White Oak acorns. 

It certainly appears to be a banner year for the parasitic wasp that creates Oak Galls. According to the Oregon Encyclopedia, "Oregon white oak is host to six different gall-forming insect parasites and a mistletoe... Speckled galls are round, thin-walled, hollow ping-pong-ball-sized structures on leaves that make a delightful popping sound when stepped on; and the tannin-laden tissues of the large, dark, oval- or kidney-shaped bullet galls on twigs and branches can be used to make ink." 

As our native Sword Fern grows happily in the dense shade of the forest floor, it gets by with little water in the summer.

Some plants are already thinking about next year. The Hazel brush nuts for this year have been plucked away by squirrels and jays. The plants are now producing the catkins needed to pollinate next year's crop.

We still have ripening Baneberries...

...and ripe Baneberries.

The False Solomon's Seal berries are ripening.

There are still a few pools of still water in the Big Creek.

The Ocean Spray has finished and turned a pretty taupe.

Speaking of pretty!  These are the berries of the Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium).  I don't think I've ever seen any of our plants fruit like this.  You can see how it got its name. 

Well the temperature is rising.  It's time to seek shelter and a cooling drink inside.  I am glad you could join me today.