Observation 6

Mixed Zone

5/22/08

4:17-5:01

46 °F

Weather: drizzle, cloudy, rained 30 minutes ago

Wind: none

Soil: wet

Notes: There are some birds out even in the rain. 8 more of those green gray plants are near the first one and it is easier to see them because of the raindrops. Finally figured out where the snail shells come from. The snails have invaded and have come to suck out our brains. Over 1 thousand snails are all over the sagebrush field. I almost cannot walk without stepping on one every other step. Why are they here? The rain must have something to do with it. Crows and hummingbirds are also out even in this dreary weather. A plant that may be a pasque flower is ready to bloom. It also looks as though it could be a leather flower. There is a patch of them which has over 40 flowers. A columbine is sprouting and another one near it. A red headed bird hops on the branch of a sagebrush bush. It hopped away and following it is a junco which does the same thing. A red throated hummingbird perches on the top of a tree. A chickadee flew away from me and hid in an evergreen tree. The bird sounds have not really diminished in the rain meaning that the birds are out even in the rain. The many bulb like plant grew and are putting out new leaves. Strawberry plants have grown in the sagebrush now. Fresh deer scat is on the trail and judging from how much scat there is many animals passed this way. The white bell flower from last time has bloomed but it is not in my book. It has 6 pedals, 6 stamen, blooms as twins, and is no larger than one foot. Wet fur in on the ground near the trail. It looks as though the deer are shedding. Moose scat is present in the woods but it is hard to tell how old elk scat is because of the rain. The patch of unknown plants will soon flower and the flowers will be yellow but nothing like it is in my book. An elk track is in the mud and it has to be fairly recent considering how much it has been raining. No snails are in the woods. A humming bird is using the phone line as a perch. The purple flower is booming over here and it is defiantly a pasque flower. Lupin has sprouted in the rain.

questions: What is the yellow flower? What is the white twin flower? What is the white weed? Do the snails only appear in the rain? Where do the snails come from?

answers: There were no snail shells in the woods because the snails do not go there. Snail shells are from snails that die in the dry season.