Dog-sitting again for a week or so, and that means taking Ziggy (and myself) for a good walk every morning. I've been given a fresh appreciation of the wealth of lovely walks and trails that have been developed and maintained over the years by volunteers and various organizations. Within a short drive of my home there are a number of trails including the Slocan Valley Rail trail, the Slocan Pool loop trail, a trail near the Kootenay Canal and the Goose Creek mountain bike trail, to name just a few.
Ziggy and I have been taking advantage of many of these walks, as well as a few less formal routes along powerlines and access roads, enjoying the wonders of nature that June in the Kootenays brings, including myriad wildflowers in bloom. This is a common harebell, growing along the powerline access near Rover Creek.
Also growing along the powerline were twinflower and self heal, being visited by a white-shouldered bumblebee.
On a walk down to the Kootenay River near the Lower Bonnington dam, we ran into a little group of spotted sandpipers. I suspect there were chicks or a nest nearby because they kept trying to distract us (succesfully).
Thimbleberry has to be one of my favorite plants. So much variation in the foliage.
More flowers: thyme-leaved speedwell and Deptford pink, a European species that has naturalized throughout much of North America.
A little colony of moss and club lichens clinging to a rockface in the Rover Creek area.
A gift at the end of our walk along the Rail Trail: this male western tanager perched on a limb just long enough for a photo. Thanks!
Walks like these make Ziggy a happy dog, and me a happy dog-walker!
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