Ranunculus Aquatilis Var. Diffusus

Day 287: Tentatively identified as Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus (White Water Crowfoot), this teeny-tiny treasure was another score from Arnie and Crow's bog adventure. The flower in the main image is imperfect; there should be five petals like those shown in the inset (lower right), but I could not capture the moss-like foliage with a perfect blossom. This aquatic species has thread-like, filamentous leaves on the portions of the plant which are submerged, so very different from the leaves above the water that they appear to be two different types of plant. In fact, the submerged leaves resemble those of the invasive Fanwort (Cabomba caroliniana). If Arnie had not pointed the flowers out to me, I would have dismissed the emergent foliage as a moss. Compare the leaves with the brown Douglas Fir needles in the upper right for size.

You Can't See Me

Day 321: For the next couple of days, I will be featuring photos shot at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. Today was the first time I've visited the Refuge when the tide was in, and the weather was perfect for a leisurely stroll on the boardwalk. However, the critter who really stole the show for me was this Bullfrog despite the fact that he's a member of an invasive species. He and several of his fellows were in the pond adjacent to the gift shop and so well-camouflaged by the tiny leaves of some aquatic plant that I never would have known they were there if I had not seen this fellow rise to the surface while I was photographing Wapato (one of the upcoming posts). The vegetation was so dense that even when he swam, there was no break in the blanket of green. It is easy to see why this species is such a successful predator.