Wild Things
Wild Things
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WILD THINGS
Snowberry offers beauty year-round
Everywhere you go these days from hiking trails to roadsides you’re likely seeing bushels of the creamy, white fruit that is the common snowberry.
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WILD THINGS
Winter brings short-eared owls to county
See the tufts of feather on top of this owl’s head? Those provide a clue to its name: short-eared owl.
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WILD THINGS
Common foxglove beautiful, yet toxic
The common foxglove is a deadly beauty, which is why critters avoid munching on the pinkish-purple flowers or any other part of this poisonous plant.
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WILD THINGS
Red-legged frogs big, yet sound small
The red-legged frog is large but its call is puny.
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WILD THINGS
Shrews tiny, diverse and widespread
Nine species of shrews are found in a wide swath over Washington state, from sea level to mountain meadows. They are the state’s smallest mammals the tiniest, the pygmy shrew, is the size of a thumb and, though widespread, they are the least-known of the mammals.
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WILD THINGS
Pacific Northwest coral mushrooms diverse in color
One look and it’s clear why Ramaria are commonly referred to as coral mushrooms.
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WILD THINGS
Skeleton shrimp tough to spot
This small, twiggy-looking creature is commonly referred to as a skeleton shrimp but it’s not a shrimp, per se.
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WILD THINGS
Black-tailed deer easy to spot locally
You don’t have to trek into the woods to see the Columbian black-tailed deer.
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WILD THINGS
Hardy big-leaf lupine rich in color
Big-leaf lupine is a bright shot of eye-candy for hikers and gardeners this time of the year, thanks to dense clusters of blue to purple flowers blooming on spikes that can be as long as 16 inches.
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WILD THINGS
Spring could bring contact with black bears
Drivers headed up to the Mt. Baker Recreation Area at the end of May to participate in Ski to Sea got an eyeful of a black bear serenely munching on grass growing alongside the road.


