This salal is growing in a state park in Port Townsend. As such, it is protected from “collecting”. Unfortunately the salal that is one of the most common understory plants in the Pacific Northwest is also highly prized as an accent plant in floral arrangements. Illegal harvesting on public lands has severely reduced its extent.
The “Golden Hour” is a term used by photographers to describe the nature of the light in the hour immediately after sunrise and (more typically resulting from my sleep habits) the hour just before sunset. This was one of the roads in Fort Worden State Park (in Port Townsend, WA) late in the day last week. There is a nice warm tone to the sunlight coming through the trees.
As I was reading the morning news the other day, I was startled by a small bird hitting the window. Always sad when that happens, but when I looked up I saw a larger bird land on the top of our fence. The hawk that was chasing the small bird was nervous about coming closer to the house. But it was still interested in the small bird … it hung around for a bit, but eventually flew off. But not before I had time to get my camera out and snap a few shots. I spent a bunch of time trying to determine if it was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. My best guess (but still a guess) is Sharp-Shinned.
I expect that partial rainbows are much more common than full rainbows. We get both kinds pretty often here in Port Townsend … one of the advantages of our frequently rainy weather (and there aren’t many). But I saw several in a couple of days the last week or so. The rain plus broken clouds did the trick.
Our typical weather in winter is clouds and drizzle. When it clears off and we have sunny weather, it’s a special treat. And it can be spectacular.
Happy New Year, Everyone … and may you have many spectacular things to enjoy in the coming year.