With the lengthening of nights and cooler temperatures the yellows, gold, and reds of fall have replaced the Arctic tundra’s green of summer. This posting will be more of a photo essay to show the various fall plants and their colors.
A small shallow water pond in the Colville Delta showing the red color the Pendent Grass “Arctophila fulva” acquires in the fall. Large areas of the Arctic Coastal Plain is colored by this shallow water-loving plant.
Juvenile King Eiders almost ready to leave the north country for their wintering grounds, with red pendent grass in the foreground.
Alpine blueberry “Vaccinium uliginosun Subsp: alpina” A nice contrast of the blue of the berry with the deep red leaves. A rare treat this far north for us, as most years the season is too short for berries. The few we do get are usually used to make blue berry pancakes.
Another berry we are able to enjoy at times is the Lingonberry “Vaccinium vitis-iduea “ Cooked up they make a great sauce for meats or bread.
I will end this post with the gold and yellow leaves of sweet coltsfoot “Petasites hyperboreus”, one of our earliest blooming flowers here in northern Alaska.
