Outdoors
What's there to do in the great outdoors? Here we've got a bevy of local outdoor activities and destinations to explore.
Pair do well at rifle competition
Two members of the Kootenai Valley Junior Rifle Team traveled to Spokane on Nov. 2 to participate in the first mat…
The changing colors of the Western larch
Along with the leafy trees that change colors each fall, one pine tree also puts on a colorful show each autumn. In late fall, the Western larch’s (Larix Occid…
Falling for autumn in Boundary County
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” — Henry David Thoreau
Respect your elderberries!
Many wild berry species make their home on the banks of rivers and streams in Boundary County, where the fertile soil that accumulates produces abundant crops.…
There is a mouse in the house!
Actually he wasn’t in the house, he was in the garage and in a six-gallon plastic bucket, which somehow he placed himself into and couldn’t get out. My wife al…
Black-headed Grosbeaks among our summer visitors
Many Boundary County residents have been seeing black-headed Grosbeaks (Pheucticus melanocephalus) during this summer. Perhaps not as numerous or quite as spec…
Western conifer seed bugs bug off!
The western conifer seed bug with its long legs and an antenna has tried to invade many of our homes this fall. I found a dozen or so of these slow-crawling bu…
Spruce Grouse: The gentle chicken of the forest
Last week I was on a photo trip journeying via country road 2509 to Spruce Lake when I came onto a fairly common site for late summer. It was a mother spruce g…
Whitetail deer antlers in the velvet
Each year it happens sometime around Labor Day. It’s when whitetail bucks shed the velvet from their antlers.
Queen Lake: A nice hike with a serene reward
“A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.”
Wolves, one of the most mysterious animals in Boundary County!
.
Snow Creek Falls: A delightful hike!
The beauty of Boundary County can best be seen when traveling on foot. Boundary County has more than 350 miles of developed hiking and horseback trails. Hikers…
Huckleberries: Boundary County's wild purple gem
I have only lived in Boundary County about two decades, but that time has taught me by late July and early August North Idaho mountain ranges will be crawling …
Yellow-pine Chipmunks an expert at rock hopping!
On one sunny morning last week when I was at Brush Lake, I noticed a chipmunk scampering among the rock piles in an area west of the boat ramp road and west of…
Enjoying the sight, sounds of the American goldfinch
We are fortunate this summer that a pair of American goldfinch have found comfort with our finch feeder and our garden.
Bear grass blooms underway!
Last week when I was on the south side of Queen and Wall Mountain I saw some interesting, grass-like plants. I had noticed it throughout the years growing on s…