Arctic Strawberries

A rare treat above the Arctic Circle--fresh-picked strawberries. After keeping a close eye on a secret patch of wild strawberries, the first red ones appeared earlier this week. They are no bigger than the end of my pinkie finger but they taste delicious.

Wild strawberries above the Arctic Circle

While the wild strawberries were the first "produce" of the arctic summer, the blueberries were not far behind. I found my first dozen blueberries this evening, battling the mosquitoes for each one. These arctic blueberries are no where near as sweet as huckleberries--they are tart. But they will be abundant in a few weeks and will grace the table in many forms. Let the berry picking begin!

First Fireweed

Yesterday, I noticed the first fireweed showcasing its lower flowers. As summer progresses, the flowers will continue to open until they reach the top. Then autumn is only a short time away.

First fireweed of summer

Swallowtail butterflies and small yellows and whites have been frequenting the flowers and puddles. Also, two black bears have been seen out by the pond--one cinnamon-colored bear and a small black bear. 

Swallowtail butterfly

First Day of Summer

Rain clouds filled the skies this morning but eventually gave way to partly cloudy skies in the afternoon. The sun was determined to shine on the summer solstice.

Looking east at the Jack White Mountains from the gravel bar

Today marks the first day of summer and the day when the number of daylight hours starts to decrease. Since Bettles is slightly north of the Arctic Circle, the decrease in daylight will not be noticeable until August. 

Lower water levels on the Koyukuk River

Mosquitoes are thriving with the recent rain--can't even bike fast enough to get away from them. There seems to be several different sizes of mosquitoes buzzing around, some more bothersome than others.

Enjoy summer--mosquitoes and all!

Exploring the tiaga

With 24 hours of daylight, plants are flourishing and flowering. They have a brief window of warmth and sunshine to flower and produce seed for the next generation. The Labrador tea, cranberries, roses and cotton grass are all adding splashes of color to the tiaga.

Labrador tea in bloom

Labrador tea flowers

With the numerous ponds and small depressions scattered throughout the tiaga, mosquitoes, dragonflies and other water-thriving insects are abundant.

Dragonfly on spruce tree

Less abundant are the large critters that survive in the tiaga. There is the occasional sighting of a moose and bear tracks are seen more often than an actual bear--which I don't mind. Surprising a bear, even a small black bear, is not something I want to experience. I wouldn't mind seeing one--just from a good distance away.

Small black bear tracks

Still spring in the Arctic

While summer may be in full swing in some parts of the country, spring still reigns in the arctic. With only one week remaining until summer solstice, spring weather is still hanging on. Highs have been in the 60's with morning temperatures hovering around 50. Quite pleasant and perfect weather for mosquitoes.
 
Spring is a time of new life and with one week left, nature is flourishing. Today I saw my first swallowtail butterfly and dragonfly. I also startled a pair of Canada geese with goslings on the road by the river. As I rounded a corner, the adults flew off as the goslings ran into the brush along the road. From my brief glimpse, the goslings were still small, yellow fluff-balls.

Thunderstorms, mosquitoes and hares

The first good thunderstorm of the season rolled through last night. First a light rain, then lightening, thunder and a downpour that lasted nearly an hour. Everything smelled rain-fresh this morning. The rain didn't put a damper on the mosquitoes though. The mosquitoes are out in full force--finding you within seconds of walking outside.

Every now and then I'll see a snowshoe hare cross the road near our trailer. The other day, one happened to be eating greens right outside our kitchen window. There are two species of hares in Alaska: the arctic hare and the snowshoe hare. The snowshoe hare is more widespread than the arctic hare, which is mainly found in western Alaska. 

 

 

Snowshoe hare

The Green Flash

Green-up happens quickly in the north--almost overnight. Last week a tinge of green was visible on the trees one morning and by the next morning it was solid. Warm temperatures make the leaves grow like crazy and the "green flash" happens. Although small, the aspen leaves are large enough to tremble in the wind and create that sound only aspen leaves can make.

Leaves are rapidly growing on a cottonwood along the Koyukuk River

Along with the warm temperatures came the mosquitoes, insects and birds. A few sandhill cranes are still hanging around the runway and the gravel pit.

Sandhill Crane

The white-crowned sparrow sings a beautiful song in the morning along with the robins, warblers and white-winged crossbills. One morning, a male and female white-winged crossbill were singing to each other from the tops of two spruce trees--a delightful song.

White-crowned sparrow

The swallows returned two weeks ago and immediately occupied existing nests or started building new ones. Both cliff swallows and tree swallows spend the brief summer here eating as many mosquitoes as they can, but they can't eat enough of them to make a dent in the population.

Cliff swallows nesting on the beams of the hangar

Memorial Day weekend was one for the record books with highs in the 80's--about twenty degrees above normal for the end of May. The heat definitely helped with the 'green flash' of summer.

Break-up on the Koyukuk River

Friday the 13th was lucky today--the ice broke free on the Koyukuk River. 

Break-up on the Koyukuk River

Warmer temperatures are helping melt the ice and snow everywhere. High temperatures have been in the 40's with warmer temperatures forecasted. More snow is melting off the southern slopes of the Brooks Range each day.