Moss on the north side

Here are some random musings. Lately, our weather has been typical for this region and at this time of year - early to mid-June - but has driven even the best of us a little crazy with the seemingly relentless rainy grey skies. I've only been able to work in the garden for a few hours in the past week for all the rain and so have been working inside and downstairs. I was in the office last Wednesday afternoon when I heard a great ruckus being raised by growing numbers of squawking crows. I opened the curtains which are at ground level just in time to see groups of crows swarming around my neighbor's fir tree boughs and from which emerged a bald eagle headed for our backyard! At this time of year, I suspect the eagle was nest robbing. I was too startled to notice whether the eagle was flying with prey or not. I was simply astonished to see an eagle in the city and in my yard! A few days later, and in that brief clear weather window, I heard the crows' clarion call once more coming, this time, from across the street and saw several crows chasing/buzzing another (perhaps the same?) eagle.
If you've read past entries in this blog, you know that our neighborhood has been host to 2 successful and completely recorded clutches of Merlin falcons and, currently, is watching a third in process. Nature, wild nature, is nothing new up here. In a large pond which feeds the creek a couple of blocks from here, beavers are actively felling trees for their dams and nests. It is an astounding thing to see: unmistakeable teeth marks on several large stumps in a pond surrounded by apartments and condos in the city. I often joke with friends that I live on " a racoon highway". For years we've noticed racoons and opossums meandering through our yards at night, often with offspring, coming from the creek and travelling, presumably, in the direction of the lake. I think more than the animals and birds, I am more unhinged (and delighted) that this is happening in a big city and in the 21st century. As oil is gushing and smothering generations of wildlife elsewhere and in the name of progress, it is thrilling to be witness to the progress of the wild life here.

I love mosses and lichens. I love the cultures and colors. Here are a few photos of what has been growing on my north side of late.