Pay Attention to the Little Things

With rain forecast Saturday, I took advantage of Friday’s sun break to head over to Theler Wetlands in Belfair. There still aren’t many birds out except for barn swallows and flocks of these little birds,

juvenile American Goldfinch

which I didn’t recognize as a juvenile American Goldfinch until I got home because it lacked the brilliant gold color I’ve always used to identify a Goldfinch. Even without its gold plumage it seemed like a very pretty bird. Perhaps I was able to get so close because it was a juvenile and raised beside a busy trail.

Other than that, the most interesting things I saw was this

Cardinal Meadowhawk,

Cardinal Meadowhawk which was quite the challenge to get a picture of because it refused to get too close and because it spent so little time actually sitting.

The hardest picture of the day, though, came in trying to capture this small flower which reminded me of a miniature orchid, but apparently isn’t because it wasn’t listed under native Washington orchids. It’s a little larger than the end of your thumb and only seems to grow in deep shade in swampy areas, not a great combination when you’re wearing sandals and shorts.

Spotted Touch-Me_Not

3 thoughts on “Pay Attention to the Little Things”

  1. I like this flower portrait and wonder if it is a Spotted Touch-me-not (Jewelweed Family).

    Red-orange or Yellow
    Dissimilar petal-like parts
    Season: June- Sept
    Habitat: Wet soil, moist woods
    (from Wildflowers, by Robert H. Mohlenbrock)

  2. Thanks, am.

    Spotted Touch-Me-Not it appears to be,judging from my image search on Google.

    I knew a reader would be able to identify it, but not this soon.

  3. Yeah, it’s pretty common here in PA – or would be, if the goddamned deer didn’t love it. Your guess of orchid isn’t too bad, though, because the shape of the flower does reflect co-evolution with its main pollinator, hummingbirds.

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