Fred's photos from Wheaton Labs

The first photo is of a Valencia winter melon that was growing on the compost pile that heats the showers at basecamp. It is supposed to keep up to four months in the winter. I'm excited to try it, so i think we'll probably eat it before then.

The second photo is of a watermelon that didn't get frosted and it still holding on (also on the shower compost heater). Maybe it will ripen a bit more before it's too late.

I've been collecting materials for the upcoming Pyronauts Event. Last time i was in Missoula, i picked up the stuff in the third photo from Home ReSource, which is a cool non-profit that recycles construction materials. Some of them know of Paul and wanted to support alternative energy, so they gave us 50% off!

Because of the construction happening at Allerton Abbey, i moved over to wofati 0.8. There are lots of different plants growing there even though it is just a short walk away. Here i have three photos of what looks to be Cutleaf Nightshade (Solanum triflorum) that was growing outside of 0.8. It is growing as a low ground cover in some fairly sandy soil. It doesn't seem to have been bothered by the recent frosts we had. Hopefully the fruit ripens enough to save some seed. The ripe berries are edible raw or cooked. The unripe berries and leaves of this plant are mildly toxic. In the past it was used in times of food shortage, so maybe it doesn't taste that good.

With the Innovators Event over, i can think about photos again.

The first photo is some of the oregano i brought from Minnesota in bloom. They started out as tiny seedlings and ended up doing pretty well growing next to the house. I kept trying to get a better picture of it, without any success. Now it is just about all done for the year. It has tons of tiny seeds which we are spreading around the lab.

The second photo is of some bear tracks on the road sorta between Wofati 0.8 and Ant Village. You can see some of the imprints the fur made in the fine dust on the road.

The third photo is a spider crossing the driveway by the berm shed. It looks like a darker version of the cat faced spider. I wonder if this one blends better with the ponderosa pine bark and the lighter spiders can hide better on the white paint of the house.

I'm far behind in going through my photos. A bit before the Innovators Event, I moved from Allerton Abbey to Wofati 0.8. At the new place i saw a different plant community than over at the first Wofati. I took these about a month ago, so fall has advanced a bit since then.

These photos are all from the same day. The first two of the same aster in different growth stages. Still not sure on its ID.

The third photo is the massive trunk of a lamb's quarters that was growing on the roof of 0.8. It was at least 1.5 inches thick. This plant is pumping huge amounts organic matter into and onto our soil.

Fall!

Leaves are mostly all down, but here are some photos from the peak.

The first photo is a pussytoes from the genus Antennaria, maybe from the species dimorpha or parvifolia. It is a low growing perennial and has been used to treat swelling.

The second photo is an unidentified lichen growing on an old stump.

The third photo is showing the changing fall colors of the Western Larch (Larix occidentalis). It is a deciduous coniferous tree that loses its needles every winter.

I drove with a friend to the nearby Jerry Johnson Hot Springs.

The first photo is one of the nice views along the road as it follows the West Fork Lolo Creek. Fall is fully underway!

The second photo is of Warm Springs Creek that the hot springs feed into. It has lots of pretty moss covered rocks. If the weather was warmer, i bet this would be a nice creek to walk in.

The third photo is one of the many mushrooms we found growing under the cedar and hemlock canopy. As the fall rains have shown up the mushrooms have started popping up everywhere. These are fairly distinctive, but i still couldn't ID them with google. Anyone know them?

I went with a friend to do a little hiking at the not too far away Glacier National Park. It was raining and the clouds blocked the full height of the mountains around us, but we still saw some pretty views.

The first photo is of Avalanche Creek where it cut some crazy rock formations on its way down the mountain.

The second photo is of Avalanche Lake, where you can just make out some massive mountains that were surrounding us.

The third photo is of the exposed roots of an old tree that had fallen along the Trail of the Cedars.

Wow, thanks Fred!! I've been distracted with the Ants, and I've got to catch up on your intimate intros to all the marvels of the Lab, and adjacent lands! Truly enchanting :)

Thanks Nancy!!

Here's a few more fungi from the rainy woods.

The first photo is Hemlock Varnish Shelf (Ganoderma tsugae). This one was all old and wrinkled. It is used medicinally for suspected anti-tumor properties.

The second is likely the Gem-studded Puffball (Lycoperdon perlatuma) This little puffball is probably sending out clouds of spores when it gets hit with a raindrop. If you get them while they are white inside, they are edible, but not at this stage.

The third photo is of Orange Jelly Fungus (Dacrymyces chrysospermus). It is a rather flavorless edible fungus. It is usually added to soups for its chewy texture. This one looked like little corn kernels growing out of a log.