The seasons continue to change in the North Country. The bursting colors of Autumn which were showcased in the last post are quickly waning and are fading into the frosty days of winter. Temperatures are dropping rapidly, ice is beginning to form on the lakes, and pretty soon a blanket of fluffy white snow will cover the ground. The transitional seasons, spring and fall, are very brief here but also very enjoyable. Though our peak fall colors are brief up north in the area I live we are treated to a round two in late fall. This second round of color features the golds and burnt oranges of Tamaracs and the last bit of color from the stubborn Aspen and Oak that just don't want to drop their leaves.
I was able to see a lot of this type of color in Late October as I worked and played in a lot of areas with heavy Tamarac stands. The Big Bog State Recreation Area was one such area. If you remember from earlier in the year we worked there putting cages around Cedar saplings to protect them from browse. This is what we were doing here again. The pictures below are mostly from a walk through a Black Spruce/Tamarack Bog. Mid to late October has to be one of the best times of year to go to this place as the colors are just bursting.
Tamaracs
Close up of Tamarac needles
Lone Tamarac among Black Spruce
An open wetland in the foreground moving into heavily forested Bog
a Black Spruce teeming with cones
Below are a few Random Pictures from Lake Bemidji State Park
Lichen and some late fall color in the understory
A porcupine
An old bench I found in the woods
The following pictures are from the fire tower at the Big Bog SRA. The surrounding area is mostly completely wild and there are a few pictures of Red Lake, which is the biggest lake completely in Minnesota.
View of the surrounding Wilderness
A bay of Red Lake
Looking at the open expanse of Upper Red Lake
In my free time I spent some more time in heavy Tamarac areas driving through the Chippewa National Forest en route to a trail run on the Cut Foot Sioux trail.
A stand of Black Spruce/Tamarac off of Hwy 2
Same stand but also viewing a small lake
A Tamarac Swamp
A Beaver pond surrounded by Tamarac
An open wet meadow with a Tamarac Stand in the background
During the run I was able to see a number of other beautiful scenes.
A stand of old growth White Pine at Norway Beach Recreation Area
Red Pine lining a trail at Norway Beach
Shoreline of Cass Lake
I took the south end of the Lady Slipper Scenic Byway on my way to the trail run
A crossing of the Mississipi
Mississippi River
A small lake with a beaver lodge and some nice White Pine
at the Lake Winnibigoshish campground
another shot of the picnic area and Lake Winnie
A conifer stand and small river off of a a Chippewa National Forest Road
My trail run took me over the Continental Divide
A Red Oak
The trailhead
A red squirrel on top of a big snag
Our last project for the month was at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge. This is another repeat project where again we were treating Aspen with herbicide. Not the most exciting project but being in the refuge at this time of year is a treat as wildlife is really abundant. As fall migration for waterfowl is really kicking up there was just an incredible amount of Ducks and Geese around. We also saw a number of deer, porcupine, woodcock, Red Squirrels, some otters, beaver, and even Moose! This made the project way more exciting.
Bull Moose!
Having fun during a break
Some beautiful oaks on the fringe of a prairie and Aspen stand
Misty morning at Agassiz
Aspen with morning light
A stand of Quaking Aspen
Morning at Agassiz
A moth seemingly perfectly adapted to blending in with Quaking Aspen
Jeff with a massive deer rack
One of the many deer we saw at Agassiz
Our favorite porcupine hanging out in it's Oak tree
Some planted spruce by the visitor center
Sunrise on our drive to the worksite
Deer grazing during the morning hours
And last but not least a few videos. The First is of the Bull Moose and the latter two are pans of Cass Lake and Lake Winnibigoshish
