I was walking down the trail and a little flash caught my eye. It was a Bewick’s wren flitting through the tangled vegetation along the ground. As I was standing there watching it maneuver through the branches, I heard a gentle rustle on the other side of the trail. I took a few steps forward and saw a red-spotted garter snake backing out from underneath some leaves. As its head came out from under the leaves, I saw that it was eating a rough-skinned newt. The snake would move backward and then with a slight push forward it would swallow a little more of the newt. After it swallowed the newt, it stretched out in the dappled sunlight and rested. I watched for about 5 minutes and decided to move on to let it digest its meal in peace. I was grateful to have witnessed the event and to get a few photos.
Unfurling Ferns
A couple of rainstorms at the end of summer and the beginning of fall are sprouting vibrant green licorice ferns. The fern grows from a rhizome which seems to prefer the protective shelter under a blanket of moss. If you start down the Pond Lily Trail and loop around through the wetlands, you will see this fern sprouting on the mossy tree trunks of the Oregon Ash and Big Leaf Maple. On one fallen tree, there is a lush forest of ferns sprouting forth.
Click on photo to enlarge.