Toad Side View
My good friend Bufo boreas. I was walking in the forest when I saw him and I called Steve over to catch him. Turns out this toad isn't scared of people - it is toxic to eat so he put up with being posed on a near by patch of moss.
Deer Fern Still Rolled Up
This is the sex part of the fern - it stand up and distributes spores. The "make food" part of the plan is generally on the ground trying to define the space as theirs.
Deer Fern Growing In Red Moss
This was such an amazing contrast that I had to stop and take a picture. There were a number of times hiking that I wished I brought my tripod. Most of the time I was glad I didn't bring the weight.
Moss is difficult to identify unless you have really really good pictures.
Walking In Giant Ferns
The Hemlock is the large tree with the wide roots. That's a bit strange for our trees - I believe this tree started on a nurse log which has since rotted away. The sword fern is ground cover here.
