We portaged into Murtle Lake and paddled the west arm of the lake just before the smoke came in.    We spent 3 days on the lake and took some photos.    We did not hike the trails, so all photos were taken on the shoreline.

Near Birch Beach was a cluster of wildflowers on the rocky shore.

Self-heal was still in flower at several spots on the wet lakeshore.

self-heal (prunella vulgaris)

There many lots of insects on the lake and along the shore, some on wildflowers.

purple aster

At Diamond Lagoon, there was some virburnum with red berries.

high bush cranberry (Viburnum edule)

A few fungi were spotted in the forest.

hypholoma

Fall colors were starting to show with contrasts provided by bunchberry, twinflower, and black huckleberry.

On the third day, we paddled out into the smoke, but stopped at Fairyslipper Island.

Mountain ash berries were abundant in open areas.

western mountain ash (sorbus scopulina)

Closer to the water there were red ossier dogwood shrubs with white berries.

red ossier dogwood (cornus stolonifera sp.)

A few late-season paintbrush were still flowering on the rocky shorelines.

paintbrush (castilleja sp.)

We had hoped to have hiked into the alpine on Wavy Crest Peak, but smoke made that impractical.   Next year, hopefully.