The Free Radical

In the complexity of the ecosystem we frequent, there is always a mystery or two… outstanding.

This is the latest skull that Toby found. I placed it atop a fencepost for proper photo-documentation.

I’ll freely admit that I don’t have a clue what kind of skull this is!

It’s only because of its hollowness that I’m pretty sure it’s a skull. I mean, what else could it be?

Anyway, I gave it back to Toby, who gnawed on it for a minute before deciding to bury it for later.

Again, I honestly have no clue! This very long, thin vegetable poo was left in the middle of the path going down from the Mesa. The longest bit is about six inches, while the diameter is only a quarter of an inch… A weasel with a very long and straight colon?

C’mon ye armchair scatologists, help a brother out! This one’s the right size and shape for Coyote, but if so, what the heck has he been eating?

A week or two ago, the cut stalks of the first shoots of these were left conspicuously on the trail by the river. I thought right away that perhaps it was another message from Bigsquatch– only, I didn’t know what it meant. Ever since then, Sitka has been pausing each day at this place in order to enthusiastically dine on these very same plants. Lately, she eats more of this young Solomon’s Seal than anything else on our route. Perhaps the message is as simple as “Hey, try these!”

The young stalks, before flowering, are likened to asparagus. The young leaves are edible too. Fairly soon they will begin flowering which produces a very strong lemon scent in the whole area– something I’ve noticed from years passed. The berries too are edible and reportedly quite good once they ripen to bright red at the end of summer. In the meantime, Sitka can’t seem to get enough of this herb.

So far this year there has been a serious lack of precipitation. We’re quite used to the dryness in the hottest summer months, but spring is usually reasonably wet and very green.

The clouds build up enticingly… but only a few drops here and there ever seem to fall.

Some wetness finds its way to a few remote places…

…and it seems to always be raining just north of us, as we all grow somewhat thirsty.

The timing of things has been odd the last few years. Every species appears to be on its own time schedule. Years ago, the flowers and the leaves of the early-waking species would all come out at roughly the same time. Now, however, it’s as though the ‘old programs’ have been discarded, and each individual species is experimenting for itself what the new optimal timing might be. For instance, the wild rose bushes are barely setting out their first leaves now, while the gooseberry bushes along with the saskatoons are pretty much finished with their flowering cycle. Trust me; it’s odd.

I formally request that all the pollinators come hither quickly, because there has been a serious lack of activity among the profusion of flowers. Without adequate pollinators, they won’t set much fruit… and that would be a shame!

In the meantime though, I’ve been gorging myself on all the delicious flowers.

And here’s some gratuitous pictures of the dogs…

…just cuz.