I snatched an hour to walk around the wetlands.  What luxury it will be next year to enjoy this kind of activity without feeling guilty.

It has been very cold and rainy again so the spring has slowed down a bit.  The textures in the wetlands are beautiful.

I have called this next picture “So Chilcotin.”  Those of you who are familiar with  the area will know exactly what I mean.

In one part of the wetland are small dead trees covered with red lichen.

I don’t know of anywhere else where this particular lichen grows.  Here is a closeup

In another part of the wetland I found a gorgeous insect.  It is quite large – the body is as long as a finger joint.  It is obviously some kind of grasshopper relative.  I have found them occasionally before, even above the treeline, but usually in a hole under a rock.  I have never seen one with wings before.  They always seem very sluggish.

On a more prosaic front, I have been drying organic kale.  It dries very easily and makes great healthy food for camping or for areas far from stores.  I can buy this at Anahim Lake – but only if I buy a whole case as no one else in the area would want to eat it.  This makes a lot of kale to deal with!

I thought it looked quite pretty on the screen.