Looking toward Mount Washington from the upper bog on the north slope of Mount Jackson. The bog is covered with a dense stand of those cottony seed heads such as I had never seen before. I don't know what they are. Summer, Webster Cliff Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

The cracks in the bare granite peak of Mount Jackson were decorated with a dense growth of diapensia (Diapensia lapponica). It seems that it does not bloom in such profusion every year. I visit Mount Jackson at least once a year, and often twice, and I can only recall seeing this much diapensia once before, at least ten years ago. It is a perennial plant, so the plants are always there, but not always the flowers. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

The cracks in the bare granite peak of Mount Jackson were decorated with a dense growth of diapensia (Diapensia lapponica). It seems that it does not bloom in such profusion every year. I visit Mount Jackson at least once a year, and often twice, and I can only recall seeing this much diapensia once before, at least ten years ago. It is a perennial plant, so the plants are always there, but not always the flowers. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

A hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). This bird and a black-throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens, photo below) were busily scolding when I came up over the ridge, but I couldn't tell whether they were in some altercation with each other, or both yelling at me, or both yelling at someone else. Whatever the reason, their agitation made it easy for me to get a few rather nice pictures of the normally shy thrush. Too bad I can't say the same for the warbler. Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A damselfly (suborder Zygoptera) of a striking glossy black with an irridescent blue tail. Even its wings are unusually opaque and dark black. Summer, Old City Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly (Ladona julia), one of the few dragonflies I know by species. They are quite common in most places where I hike near ponds, such as Saco Lake, Mine Falls Park, and here beside Wildlife Pond. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A solid black dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta), one of the many dragonflies that I do not know by species. It is all black, and even its wings, while translucent as most dragonfly wings, are distinctly black. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly (Ladona julia), one of the few dragonflies I know by species. They are quite common in most places where I hike near ponds, such as Saco Lake, Mine Falls Park, and here beside Wildlife Pond. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Sunrise behind the Presidential Range. Late summer, White Mountain National Forest.

Sunrise behind the Presidential Range. Late summer, White Mountain National Forest.

Overlooking a swampy stretch of the Ammonoosuc River just after sunrise. This is a great place to watch for moose in early morning and evening. Late summer, White Mountain National Forest.

Frankenstein Cliff in the sparkling sunlight of a late-summer morning. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail Head, Crawford Notch State Park.

This is just about as dry as I've ever seen Arethusa Falls near the end of a parched summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

This is just about as dry as I've ever seen Arethusa Falls near the end of a parched summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The waning moon over Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The waning moon over Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from about halfway up the cliff on the south side. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from about halfway up the cliff on the south side. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

These crossed red spruce trees (Picea rubens) mark the halfway point as I climb up or down Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from the top of the south side of the cliff. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook above Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

"My" ledge at the top of Arethusa Falls. When I first started coming here in the early 1990s, the cracks were barely noticeable. Over the years, they've grown wider as each spring flood pushes the ledge a little closer to the edge of the cliff. One of these years, I'm going to have to find a new place to sit. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The Giant Stairs on Stairs Mountain, part of Montalban Ridge, seen from the top of Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Frankenstein Cliff, seen from the top of Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The riffle above Arethusa Falls, which might count as part of the overall height of the waterfall. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

This deep pothole in the riffle above Arethusa Falls is normally hidden by the torrent, but now visible in low water. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Montalban Ridge, seen from the top of Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from just above Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls at the end of a dry summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The lower "horseshoe" section of Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from Bemis Falls toward Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The steep walls of the canyon of Bemis Brook support a lush forest, but close to the book you can see that it is just a thin mossy layer of soil on top of crumbling bedrock. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The steep walls of the canyon of Bemis Brook support a lush forest, but close to the book you can see that it is just a thin mossy layer of soil on top of crumbling bedrock. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from Bemis Falls toward Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Fawn Pool on Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Between Bemis Falls and Fawn Pool, Bemis Brook flows along slanted layers of granite, forming something like a stair-step waterfall more than 200 feet long and only thirty feet tall. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook takes one last plunge into Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Moss-covered boulder beside Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Frankenstein Cliff towers over the trail head parking lot. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail Head, Crawford Notch State Park.

One of several small brooks that will merge to form Silver Cascade near the northern end of Webster Cliff. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, White Mountain National Forest.

Wild oats (Uniola latifolia) overhanging the Mill Pond. This is a member of the grass family (Poaceae), not to be confused with sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), which is also called wild oats, but which is a member of the lily family (Liliaceae). Uniola latifolia is in the same family, but is a different genus from true oats and other cultivated grains. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A rather dramatic skyscape of cirrostratus clouds above maturing cumulonimbus thunderheads. Summer, Nashua, NH

A maturing cumulonimbus thunderhead beneath a layer of low cirrostratus clouds. Summer, Nashua, NH

A double-arc rainbow. Look at the rough triangle of sky formed by the rainbow, the top of the picture, and the trees on the right. About halfway from the rainbow to the opposite corner is a very faint rainbow with the sequence of colors reversed. (It shows better in the full-size version. Click on the picture.) (Photo taken with older Concord Eye-Q camera.) Summer, Nashua, NH

A bright, full-arc rainbow over my house. (Photo taken with older Concord Eye-Q camera.) Summer, Nashua, NH

A steep hillside overlooking the narrow west end of the Mill Pond is covered with great laurel (Rhododendron maximum) and young maples (Acer sp.). Great laurel is one of the most common shrubs in the wooded areas of Mine Falls Park, but it is only conspicuous when it blooms in spring and summer, and when its leathery leaves are the only green thing in the forest understory in the dead of winter. Late spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 235 Times.

A little garden of ferns on a granite boulder, late summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 372 Times.

A little garden of ferns on a granite boulder, late summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 330 Times.

"Wild Bonsai" (Picea rubens) on top of Elephant Head, late spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 342 Times.

"Wild Bonsai" red spruces (Picea rubens) on top of Mount Jackson, summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 176 Times.

Various lichens and algae on a large granite outcrop, summer, Pack Monadnock Downloaded 418 Times.

The typical growth habit of the hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium), summer, Pack Mondadnock Downloaded 143 Times.

A huge bumblebee (Bombus sp.), possibly the queen, coming out of the burrow. Unlike honeybees (Apis sp.), queen bumblebees leave the nest to gather nectar and pollen just as the "workers" do. Early fall, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 113 Times.

A female moose (Alces alces) crossing the road. Don't know why. Late summer, White Mountain National Forest Downloaded 127 Times.

Chipmunk (Tamias striatus), late spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 196 Times.

American toad (Bufo americanus americanus), mid-spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 168 Times.

American toad (Bufo americanus americanus), mid-spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 149 Times.

A gray jay (Perisoreus canadensis) near the summit of Mount Jackson. Mount Webster in the background, Mount Willard nearly lost in the haze below. Late summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 123 Times.

The swamp across the road from Elephant Head, northern slope of Mount Willard on left, Mount Tom background left, late spring, Crawford Notch Downloaded 180 Times.

Mount Willard as seen from Willey Pond. Notice how the top is not a "peak," but a flat shelf. Early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 127 Times.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) sticking out his tongue. Was he panting in the heat (it was about ninety degrees Fahrenheit)? Had he swallowed something distasteful? Was he commenting on my jokes? Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) sticking out his tongue. Was he panting in the heat (it was about ninety degrees Fahrenheit)? Had he swallowed something distasteful? Was he commenting on my jokes? Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) scans the Mill Pond from his perch on a log. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) scans the Mill Pond from his perch on a log. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) preening under her wing. Here we can see this duck's distinctive white-bordered irridescent speculum. Many wild ducks have this peculiar rectangular patch on their wings. In some species, the color is fairly consistent, and even gives the species its name, such as the green-winged teal. In most species that have them, the speculum can vary in color depending on the brightness and angle of ambient light, as the mallard's speculum can appear black, blue, green, or purple. But only the mallard (and some breeds of its domesticated descendents) has white borders around its speculum. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea). Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Wildlife Pond, on the Beaver Brook Association lands in Hollis, NH, may be the largest stand of American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) that I know. The upper part of the pond, above the causeway where Old City Trail crosses the pond, is literally covered with them. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Overlooking a swampy stretch of the Ammonoosuc River just after sunrise. This is a great place to watch for moose in early morning and evening. Late summer, White Mountain National Forest.

This is just about as dry as I've ever seen Arethusa Falls near the end of a parched summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

This is just about as dry as I've ever seen Arethusa Falls near the end of a parched summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The waning moon over Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The waning moon over Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from about halfway up the cliff on the south side. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from about halfway up the cliff on the south side. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls, seen from the top of the south side of the cliff. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook above Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The riffle above Arethusa Falls, which might count as part of the overall height of the waterfall. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

This deep pothole in the riffle above Arethusa Falls is normally hidden by the torrent, but now visible in low water. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from just above Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Arethusa Falls at the end of a dry summer. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The lower "horseshoe" section of Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from Bemis Falls toward Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Looking down Bemis Brook from Bemis Falls toward Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Falls. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Fawn Pool on Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Between Bemis Falls and Fawn Pool, Bemis Brook flows along slanted layers of granite, forming something like a stair-step waterfall more than 200 feet long and only thirty feet tall. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook takes one last plunge into Fawn Pool. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

One of several small brooks that will merge to form Silver Cascade near the northern end of Webster Cliff. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, White Mountain National Forest.

Wild oats (Uniola latifolia) overhanging the Mill Pond. This is a member of the grass family (Poaceae), not to be confused with sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), which is also called wild oats, but which is a member of the lily family (Liliaceae). Uniola latifolia is in the same family, but is a different genus from true oats and other cultivated grains. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta) hovers briefly near the end of a glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula) overhanging the Mill Pond, while a water strider (Gerris sp.) sits on the surface of the pond below. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A huge patch of pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) in a shallow bay of the Mill Pond. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A steep hillside overlooking the narrow west end of the Mill Pond is covered with great laurel (Rhododendron maximum) and young maples (Acer sp.). Great laurel is one of the most common shrubs in the wooded areas of Mine Falls Park, but it is only conspicuous when it blooms in spring and summer, and when its leathery leaves are the only green thing in the forest understory in the dead of winter. Late spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 235 Times.

The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) turns white, showing the underside of its leaves, right before a thunderstorm. This is not some mystical power of the silver maple, but a consequence of its normal growth. Its leaves are angled to be stable in the prevailing winds, but an unusual wind, such as the gusts preceding a thunderstorm, makes the leaves flutter or turn over completely, revealing their silvery undersides. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 300 Times.

Water spider (family Cybaeidae). The surface he's standing on is actually water with a dense growth of tiny duckweed (Lemna minor) floating on it. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 401 Times.

An aquatic flower garden, including pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) soft rush (Juncus effusus) and common cattail (Typha latifolia), summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 372 Times.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora), a very odd flowering plant that does not photosynthesize, but gets all its nutrients from fungi, summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 120 Times.

A dragonfly rests on a twig of glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula). I had previously misidentified this plant as black gum, so that is what the picture file name says. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 141 Times.

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the first one I saw in 2007, on a flower overhanging the Mill Pond, mid-summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 266 Times.

Water spider (family Cybaeidae), mid-spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 112 Times.

Painted turtles (Chrysemys picta picta) basking on a log, mid-spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 235 Times.

Gibbs Falls on Gibbs Brook along Crawford Path. Does it look familiar? This is the waterfall I use as a vertical margin on the left side of each page of this Web site. Notice the smooth stone to the left of the main fall, clearly indicating that the water flowed there very recently. Notice the boulder in the pool just over halfway up the waterfall, which slows the flow of the water as it begins its final plunge. Clearly, this boulder fell into that pool very recently and changed the whole character of the waterfall. Summer, Mount Pierce, Crawford Notch Downloaded 134 Times.

Mount Willard as seen from Willey Pond. Notice how the top is not a "peak," but a flat shelf. Early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 127 Times.

Beaver (Castor canadensis) lodge in Saco Lake, early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 113 Times.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) sticking out his tongue. Was he panting in the heat (it was about ninety degrees Fahrenheit)? Had he swallowed something distasteful? Was he commenting on my jokes? Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) sticking out his tongue. Was he panting in the heat (it was about ninety degrees Fahrenheit)? Had he swallowed something distasteful? Was he commenting on my jokes? Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) scans the Mill Pond from his perch on a log. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A great blue heron (Ardea herodias) scans the Mill Pond from his perch on a log. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Summer, Mine Falls Park.

A mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) preening under her wing. Here we can see this duck's distinctive white-bordered irridescent speculum. Many wild ducks have this peculiar rectangular patch on their wings. In some species, the color is fairly consistent, and even gives the species its name, such as the green-winged teal. In most species that have them, the speculum can vary in color depending on the brightness and angle of ambient light, as the mallard's speculum can appear black, blue, green, or purple. But only the mallard (and some breeds of its domesticated descendents) has white borders around its speculum. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus). I have so many pictures of the very similar redroot (C. ovatus), I figured I'd put up at least one of New Jersey tea. It is actually less common than redroot in most places where I hike, even here in Mine Falls Park, but New Jersey tea is more common farther south. Summer, Mine Falls Park.

Pale laurel (Kalmia polifolia). This is one of several tiny rhododendrons that live in the alpine bogs and around the peak of Mount Jackson and other peaks of the Presidential Range. Its flowers normally occur in clusters, but this "cluster" consists of only one flower. Unusual, but growing conditions are harsh up here. Summer, Webster Cliff Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

Crab spider (family Thomisidae) hiding inside a rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa). This spider is similar to the Goldenrod crab spider which I describe in one of my stories. It is much larger, and a completely different color. Only six of its legs are clearly visible, but it has eight: The hindmost pair are pointing straight back and hidden by the petals. The flower is a true wild rose, unlike the ones that grow in the meadow near Elephant Head, but it is not a native species. It was introduced from Asia. Summer, Saco Lake Trail, Crawford Notch State park.

The cracks in the bare granite peak of Mount Jackson were decorated with a dense growth of diapensia (Diapensia lapponica). It seems that it does not bloom in such profusion every year. I visit Mount Jackson at least once a year, and often twice, and I can only recall seeing this much diapensia once before, at least ten years ago. It is a perennial plant, so the plants are always there, but not always the flowers. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

The cracks in the bare granite peak of Mount Jackson were decorated with a dense growth of diapensia (Diapensia lapponica). It seems that it does not bloom in such profusion every year. I visit Mount Jackson at least once a year, and often twice, and I can only recall seeing this much diapensia once before, at least ten years ago. It is a perennial plant, so the plants are always there, but not always the flowers. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, Presidential Range, White Mountain National Forest.

Wood vetch (Vicia sylvatica). This invasive species is very, very plentiful along Dam Road, forming dense mats that cover the disturbed roadside, skid roads from logging operations, and the dam that holds Wildlife Pond. Summer, Dam Road, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). This bird and a black-throated blue warbler (Dendroica caerulescens, photo below) were busily scolding when I came up over the ridge, but I couldn't tell whether they were in some altercation with each other, or both yelling at me, or both yelling at someone else. Whatever the reason, their agitation made it easy for me to get a few rather nice pictures of the normally shy thrush. Too bad I can't say the same for the warbler. Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus). Summer, Rocky Ridge Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

American lotus (Nelumbo lutea). Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

Wildlife Pond, on the Beaver Brook Association lands in Hollis, NH, may be the largest stand of American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) that I know. The upper part of the pond, above the causeway where Old City Trail crosses the pond, is literally covered with them. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A damselfly (suborder Zygoptera) of a striking glossy black with an irridescent blue tail. Even its wings are unusually opaque and dark black. Summer, Old City Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly (Ladona julia), one of the few dragonflies I know by species. They are quite common in most places where I hike near ponds, such as Saco Lake, Mine Falls Park, and here beside Wildlife Pond. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A solid black dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta), one of the many dragonflies that I do not know by species. It is all black, and even its wings, while translucent as most dragonfly wings, are distinctly black. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

A Chalk-fronted corporal dragonfly (Ladona julia), one of the few dragonflies I know by species. They are quite common in most places where I hike near ponds, such as Saco Lake, Mine Falls Park, and here beside Wildlife Pond. Summer, Wildlife Pond Loop Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, NH.

These crossed red spruce trees (Picea rubens) mark the halfway point as I climb up or down Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The steep walls of the canyon of Bemis Brook support a lush forest, but close to the book you can see that it is just a thin mossy layer of soil on top of crumbling bedrock. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

The steep walls of the canyon of Bemis Brook support a lush forest, but close to the book you can see that it is just a thin mossy layer of soil on top of crumbling bedrock. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

Moss-covered boulder beside Bemis Brook. Late summer, Bemis Brook Trail, Crawford Notch State Park.

A small bush growing in a crack in "my" ledge at the top of Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

A spider in a small bush at the top of Arethusa Falls. Late summer, Arethusa Falls Trail, Crawford Notch State Park

One of several small brooks that will merge to form Silver Cascade near the northern end of Webster Cliff. Summer, Webster-Jackson Trail, White Mountain National Forest.

Calico aster (Aster lateriflorus) and showy goldenrod (Solidago speciosa) . Summer, Mizpah Springs Hut, White Mountain National Forest.

Calico aster (Aster lateriflorus). Summer, Crawford Path, White Mountain National Forest.

Smooth Solomon's seal (Polygonatum biflorum) in fruit. Summer, Crawford Path, White Mountain National Forest.

Lush undergrowth along the sunny side of Crawford Path in the high swampy balsam forest. Summer, Crawford Path, White Mountain National Forest.

Lush undergrowth along the sunny side of Crawford Path in the high swampy balsam forest. Summer, Crawford Path, White Mountain National Forest.

Sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora). Late summer, Mine Falls Park

Wild oats (Uniola latifolia) overhanging the Mill Pond. This is a member of the grass family (Poaceae), not to be confused with sessile bellwort (Uvularia sessilifolia), which is also called wild oats, but which is a member of the lily family (Liliaceae). Uniola latifolia is in the same family, but is a different genus from true oats and other cultivated grains. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A dragonfly (suborder Epiprocta) hovers briefly near the end of a glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula) overhanging the Mill Pond, while a water strider (Gerris sp.) sits on the surface of the pond below. Summer, Mine Falls Park

A huge patch of pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) in a shallow bay of the Mill Pond. Summer, Mine Falls Park

Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) in bloom. Summer, Mine Falls Park

The silver maple (Acer saccharinum) turns white, showing the underside of its leaves, right before a thunderstorm. This is not some mystical power of the silver maple, but a consequence of its normal growth. Its leaves are angled to be stable in the prevailing winds, but an unusual wind, such as the gusts preceding a thunderstorm, makes the leaves flutter or turn over completely, revealing their silvery undersides. Spring, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 300 Times.

A little garden of ferns on a granite boulder, late summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 372 Times.

A little garden of ferns on a granite boulder, late summer, Presidential Range Downloaded 330 Times.

Water spider (family Cybaeidae). The surface he's standing on is actually water with a dense growth of tiny duckweed (Lemna minor) floating on it. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 401 Times.

Underside of a fern leaf, summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 159 Times.

Berries of glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula). I had previously misidentified this plant as black gum, so that is what the picture file name says. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 202 Times.

Berries of glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula). I had previously misidentified this plant as black gum, so that is what the picture file name says. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 334 Times.

An aquatic flower garden, including pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) soft rush (Juncus effusus) and common cattail (Typha latifolia), summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 372 Times.

A dragonfly rests on a twig of glossy buckthorn (Rhamnus frangula). I had previously misidentified this plant as black gum, so that is what the picture file name says. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 141 Times.

Smooth sumac (Rhus glabra) in bloom, summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 229 Times.

Patch of wood sorrel (Oxalis montana). This is the native North American type. The common wood sorrel on your lawn or in your city park is more likely O. europaea, an invasive form. Early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 218 Times.

Various lichens and algae on a large granite outcrop, summer, Pack Monadnock Downloaded 418 Times.

The typical growth habit of the hobblebush (Viburnum alnifolium), summer, Pack Mondadnock Downloaded 143 Times.

Question mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis), summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 211 Times.

A monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), the first one I saw in 2007, on a flower overhanging the Mill Pond, mid-summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 266 Times.

A field of lupines (Lupinus perennis). Some are white when they first open, passing through pink before they become purple. Early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 128 Times.

Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), an aggressive invader, but rather beautiful. It grows everywhere that could be called moist, from the soggy margins of a pond to the low dips in a meadow, and has become one of the most common flowers in New England. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 105 Times.

Orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), also known as touch-me-not. Notice the peculiar way the flower grows. The stem is attached near the front of the flower, and the narrow base of the flower just ends in mid-air. Also, the flower stalk branches off from a leaf stalk rather than being directly attached to the plant's main stem or branches. The yellow or pale jewelweed (I. pallida) that lives farther south also grows in this odd way. Summer, Mine Falls Park Downloaded 151 Times.

Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum), early summer, Crawford Notch Downloaded 237 Times.