World of possibilities

Today I joined Wes on the job as a guest biologist. He does restoration ecology for the Forest Service on Mount Hood. A day wandering high meadows on the mountain hopscotching grassy tussocks between muddy vernal pools of water full of tadpoles. Listening to Wes point out innumerable native grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers and list out a long string of scientific names. Poking amongst the meadows in between taking refuge in the shade to read a book.

Stepping into the shade of one meadow to a carpet of green springy moss underfoot and hundreds of little Pacific tree frogs hopping at my feet. This low moist depression must have been a vernal pool just dried up. Important breeding places for frogs and toads which need water to reproduce, and largely free of predators serving as safe havens for tadpoles to transcend their metamorphosis to frogs. Anyway, enough dorking out. Basically it was swell. I even reached down an gently scooped a handful of little frogs into my palm to snap this blip.

A world of possibilities looking out on the horizon. Good luck little guys.