[obol] Carpenter Mountain Fire Lookout

[Marilyn Miller]

Yesterday, Craig and I drove up to Carpenter Mountain Lookout in Linn County
where Maitreya has the job of Fire Lookout. You take the Blue River
Reservoir Road and drive about 16 miles.  You have to park a mile from the
Lookout and hike up a mile on a beautiful mountain trail.  The variety of
butterflies was amazing!  We saw a Buck Black-tailed deer while hiking the
trail.  There has never been a road to the lookout which is wonderful! It
really gives you the feeling of being in nature. They must have built it by
unloading a helicopter.  

We were able to watch the Puzzle Fire grow from 100 acres to over 1,000
acres in a short time.  Maitreya was able to explain what was going on over
the fire radios and how the clouds built from the fast growing fire.

 There were thousands and thousands and thousands of California
Tortoiseshell Butterflies on the drive up there and back. At times it looked
like it was raining butterflies.

While visiting with Maitreya we saw Hermit Warblers, Red-Breasted
Nuthatches, Juncos and a possible Goshawk that flew by.

Craig and I also saw a family of Ruffed Grouse on the drive.  If you visit
Maitreya extra water to leave with him is much appreciated!


Marilyn Miller
Bend, Oregon 
new email: goosemiller at msn.com as of 5-1-06

 
 
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu
[mailto:obol-bounces at lists.oregonstate.edu] On Behalf Of Roy Gerig
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 8:49 PM
To: obol at lists.orst.edu
Subject: [obol] Tortoiseshell Butterflies at Santiam Pass

I forgot to mention these in my post of Linn County birds 8/18.

Califonia Tortoiseshell Butterflies were thick by midday in the Hoodoo-Big 
Lake area, to where you wanted a kerchief so you wouldn't inhale any, and it

was like swimming through them when you walked anywhere.  There had to be at

the very least 10s of millions of them, and in some areas around the base of

Hayrick Butte the Ceanothus velutina was completely defoliated with only 
leaf petioles and midrib left, and the skeleton plants covered with pupae.

I have never seen anything like it, and I have seen irruptions of this 
butterfly before.  Almost of Biblical propertions, today in east Linn County

the California Tortiseshell was a force of nature, like the wind is.  I am 
grateful to have experienced this.

Roy Gerig, Salem OR


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