Early February on the Trails
By early February, the weather had warmed up, the snow melted, and trails began to dry out. Two of the hikes from this time were in Cooney Bay and in the nearby Mara Hills. A few plants were spotted along the way and some photos were taken.
In Cooney Bay I spotted poison ivy berries (Rhus radicans sp.), grimmia dry rock moss (Grimmia laevigada), sagebrush goldspeck lichen (Candelariella rosulans), various crustose lichens, and curly dock (Rumex). Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
On the Mara Outer loop in the fog, I stopped to observe red-osier dogwood (Cornus stolonifera), white clematis (Clematis lingusticfolia), juniper berries (Juniperus sp.), ricegrass (Oryzopsis sp.), pussytoes (Antennaria sp.), and rosehips (Rosa sp.). There was also new growth in annual grasses, green growth on rabbitbrush and early growth on pussytoes. Click an image for a lightbox view and a caption.
The first wildflowers will soon be spotted on the south-facing slopes….