There are several good reasons for taking a walk — getting a bit of exercise and fresh air, maybe a social time with friends, and the opportunity to observe the progress of the seasons in the activities of plants and animals. Personally, I like a combination of all three objectives, but this essay is about observing.
Sometimes we enjoy seeing something expected; sometimes there are surprises. Both can be very satisfying. Here is a sampling of both kinds of pleasure, from different places and different times.
Among the expected pleasures might be a visit to Cowee meadows in summer, expecting to see a fabulous flower show. We are never disappointed. Over the years, we have regularly found over 60 species (!!!) of flowers during a stroll around in the meadow. Irises are always a favorite, but sometimes less showy flowers are a treat — such as finding blooming three-leaf goldthread or lingonberry.
Another favorite expectation is a little trip up the tram in summer, looking for a particular stand of frog orchids. When we find them, we check for bee activity and the beginning of fruit set. Sometimes single plants bloom well outside the main stand, and then the question is whether or not the bees find them.
One more expected pleasure is a winter trip to a muskeg-meadow out the road, where a small stream meanders. Here we look for stories in the snow — the tracks and signs left by various animals. There are the numerous footprints of snowshoe hares, a trail of a deer going somewhere else, maybe a trace of owl wings left by a hunter — maybe even a place where the talons punched through the snow to grab a hapless vole. Over by the wandering creek, there may be tracks of otters or mink; squirrel trails run from tree to tree at the edge of the woods.
A different kind of expected pleasure comes with a summer visit to Steep Creek, for example, to watch the sockeye come in. After all their ocean travels, they are ready to spawn; the females sweeping out a place to put their eggs, males ready and waiting to fertilize the eggs — and sometimes a Dolly Varden lurking nearby in hopes snatching those fresh eggs.
And then there can be surprises, always great fun. Unplanned, serendipitous, lucky observations. For instance, on a casual stroll in the wet meadows just off the lower loop trail at Eaglecrest, we found one flowering individual of what turned out to be hairy butterwort. Something new for us. When the news of that finding spread, other folks ventured out to look carefully for it and happily found dozens of specimens even though their flowering season was done. It’s not so rare, after all.
While trying to observe an eagle nest at a slough near Fritz Cove Road, off to one side and down on the water there was a little flurry of activity. Distracted from the nest, we saw a very young merganser chick dancing in circles around the mother duck, splashing wildly and having a great time apparently — leaving a lasting mental image in our heads. Presently, the female dove, came up with a fish about 5 inches long, and swallowed it down, head-first. The chick kept dancing.
Sometimes we may know that a certain thing can happen on a very regular basis. But to actually see it happen is a very different experience. For instance, a friend watched a female hummer feed its juvenile by poking her long bill right down the throat of the juvie. We know that happens, but the actuality is still somewhat amazing — I suspect we shudder at imagining such a thing happening in our throats….
We’ve noticed many trees with evidence of leaf-roller moths, here and there. But up in the Granite Creek valley, hikers found an extraordinary density of leaf-roller activity: Almost all the alders for over a hundred yards along the valley had been devastated by the moths — very few good, green leaves remained. The hikers called this an alder apocalypse. While it may not be a pleasure to see so many damaged plants, there is a certain kind of pleasure in seeing something unusual and interesting.
Toads breed every year at the Fish Creek ponds. So we go to watch the tadpoles grow bigger, lose their tails and develop their legs, as they get ready to move on land as toadlets. Now imagine one of those big tadpoles coming face to face with a dragonfly nymph. A stand-off, and they parted peaceably. Luckily, a photographer caught the moment.
Those are just selected examples of various pleasures to be observed while on a walk. Readers may like to make their own list of special sightings. The message is that it pays to keep looking…something interesting will turn up!
• Mary F. Willson is a retired professor of ecology. “On The Trails” appears every Wednesday in the Juneau Empire.
A small alder shows the effects of a severe leaf-roller attack. (Photo by Martina Kallenberger/courtesy)