03/11&12/2012 SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Sunday & Monday, March 11&12, 2012

SPRING HAS SPRUNG



The view of Old Rag from just outside of Etlan.

The parking lot at what I affectionately call Old Rag International Parking was three quarters full for the second week in a row.

Double click on picture to zoom to a larger size.

A cluster of blue flowers blooming around a ground cover growing around one of the NPS signs just outside the entrance to the parking lot.   Silver Spring Wanderer left me a comment as to the fact that  the following flower is:

Persian Speedwell or Veronica persica

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_persica

I have a link to Silver Spring Wanderer's blog over on the right side of my blog.   It is a wonderful resource for wild flower pictures, identification, and information about wild flowers among other good stuff. 

A happy day with sunny warm spring like weather on the first false summit.

Flowering Quince:

http://pnwplants.wsu.edu/PlantDisplay.aspx?PlantID=109

blooming along Weakley Hollow Road down in Berryhollow.

Hepatica Nobilis blooming in large numbers in the lower parts of Cedar Run Canyon.

Blood Root  Sanguinaria canadensis  also blooming in great numbers on the banks of lower Cedar Run Canyon.

A giant old hemlock most likely killed by the Woolly Adelgid

http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/pest_al/hemlock/hwa05.htm

One of hundreds of deer that hang along Skyline Drive.

Sorry about the following video I have not figured out how to rotate my videos yet.   Until I remember to not shoot videos in the long format you will just have to turn your head or computer on its side.

One of the lower falls in Cedar Run Canyon.