RHH's photos with the keyword: pacific

These Pacific Asters were photographed on an island in the Kootenay River near the Mcleod Meadows campground. The island is accessible from the campground via a suspension bridge and is one of our must-stop places in Kootenay.

The Olympic Peninsula is known not only for its mountains and rain forests, but also for its incredible beaches.

There are large flocks of swans feeding in the fields south of the town where we live. I was out today and took some photos of them both on the ground and in the air. It appeared that the flocks were a mix both of Tundra or Whistling Swans and Trumpeter Swans. I believe the swans in this shots are Trumpeters. As you can see, the sky is rather threatening and by the time I finished taking pictures a storm had moved in and it was beginning to rain. Trumpeter Swans were hunted for their feathers and were hunted nearly to extinction in the early 1900's but have made a comeback and are quite common now. These birds can live to be as old as 30 years and often mate for life. There is some great information on Trumpeter Swans at this address: www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Trumpeter_Swan/lifehistory

Magnolias are native to Asia and the Americas and include some 210 species. Many of them are grown as decorative tress and shrubs, some of the first trees to bloom in the spring in temperate areas. For more information check the following link: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnolia

Photographed at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. These guys were hard to photograph - they never stayed still for more than a few seconds!

Photographed near the Deschutes River in Thurston County. I chased this little guy all over (hope he wasn't traumatized by it all) before I was able to get a picture. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/06/thurston-co...

This is one of our native trees. The Pacific Madrone, Arbutus menziesii, grows along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to California. Sadly, it is declining throughout its range. This photo was taken at Clayton Beach in Larrabee State Park and shows the attractive features of this small tree, its green wood and its naturally peeling red bark. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/09/clayton-bea...

Here's another shot of the Pacific Madrone, showing its orange-red peeling bark, its smooth green or tan wood, and the Strait of San Juan de Fuca where it grows. It is native to the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia and is one of our most striking native trees. This photo was taken at Clayton Beach in Larrabee State Park south of Bellingham. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2012/09/clayton-bea...

I've been posting close-ups of the wood and bark of the Pacific Madrone or Madrona (Arbutus menziesii) and thought I ought to post a picture of the tree. This photo, too, was taken at Clayton Beach in Larrabee State Park. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2010/08/larrabee-st...

I've posted several pictures of this tree recently.. Here's another taken Tuesday from the top of Goose Rock. The tree gets much larger than this and this tree, still young, is just starting to develop the peeling back that is characteristic of the species. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/02/pass-island...

I have not been able to upload anything for the better part of a day and it has also been very slow. Flickr, it appears, is all messed up again, and I just made the mistake of renewing. There are many places like this in our northwest forests that I would not venture because the undergrowth is so think and tangled. This is the Fragrance Lake trail once again. ronaldhanko-orchidhunter.blogspot.com/2013/04/a-wet-walk-...