I thought this was interesting algae that had grown on one of the beaver ponds at the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Reserve (just east of Olympia). I like the bare branches of the alder and cottonwood in the background … a nice contrast. Sorry I don’t have a name for the Algae for those of you interested in such details.
Here’s another image from the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge from before the breach of the Nisqually dike system (which opened up acres of salt water marsh for young salmon habitat). I love the monochrome of this image … monochrome, even though in full color. Click on the image for an enlarged view and see the interesting texture that this one ended up with. (just don’t ask me what I did!)
This is a road that runs through the Nisqually Natural Wildlife Refuge … or did before they breached the dikes to provide for salmon habitat. It was a wonderful spot for bird watching … with an occasional other critter … like a long tailed weasel that was carrying a sparrow in its mouth and ran right alongside me. Now visitors are channeled on an elevated boardwalk. You can see water birds from the boardwalk and lots of others in the woods near the visitor center, though. Still worth a visit if you’re in the area.
Here’s a close up of frost on the native blackberry:
Just eat of Olympia on I-5 is the Billy Frank Jr Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Excellent for bird watching and nature photography. The twin barns are iconic. The area was a dairy farm in the early years.
I hiked there for years until the dikes were breached to improve salmon habitat by increasing the wetlands.
I was walking the loop trail at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge when I spotted these baby otters on a small island in the middle of a pond … and I had left my camera at home, just carrying binoculars. I wanted a photo … so hurried my pace, drove home, grabbed my camera and telephoto lens and returned to the Wildlife Refuge. I hiked the mile or so back to the pond, expecting the otter pups to have relocated, but they were still there! And they were curious at my presence.
(The loop trail has since been broken to return the interior of the refuge to a salt water marsh and the refuge has been renamed the Billy Frank Jr. – Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.)