Snail Spirals

We went for a little exploration trip yesterday, to the Phillips Lake area about an hour south of La Grande. We just wanted to see what it was like, and to find a trail or somewhere we could walk a bit. We found a very pretty trail that goes along the Powder River downstream of the lake and dam, which was just the right length for Emma to walk the whole way (about two miles).



It was a little chilly, but not too bad, and Emma was glad to see there was some snow on the ground. I saw an American dipper, the first I've seen in Oregon, which was neat. It was lovely in an early-winter sort of way, with cloudy skies, dark water, and lots of interesting dried vegetation.



Though teasels are non-native, invasive, and very prickly to walk through, they do have beautiful architectural seed heads. The lichens were also prominant, most noticeably these two...


Letharia columbiana


Letharia vulpina

....which were all over the pines and tamaracks. Yes, they really are THAT shockingly chartreuse. Quite stunning, and not something I had ever seen until moving to the West.