Also known as White Mountain Avens. These photos were taken in Yoho National Park (two near Lake Oesa, the other near Lake McArthur). The plants make a great excuse to post my shot of a Hoary Marmot staring contest :)
Great photos, Anna! Esp. like the second one---what a view. Looks like some lichen action happening there too, plus a rock face in the background of geologic interest. The marmots gave me a chuckle! Looks as if the staring contest is about to turn into a WWE match! (World WILDLIFE Entertainment.) Did you witness the outcome of this encounter?
Thanks. The parks were definitely WWE material during our visit. I have lots (and I do mean lots) of photos of marmots, pica, black bears, mountain goats, ground squirrels, chipmunks, birds,... I'll have to find an Animal Photo of the Day forum :) The marmots were especially plentiful and not particularly shy. The encounter in my photo varied in form and lasted quite a long time. There were periods of staring into each others eyes, followed by brief boxing bouts, then some no-holds-barred wrestling matches, then some playful rounds of marmot tag that involved lots of scurrying in and out of holes among the rocks, and then it started all over again. Eventually, we just had to move on or we would have lost the light of day for our hike. The marmots are probably still going at it :)
Ha! Enough material for a master's thesis there. YouTube, perhaps...??? Talk about opposite ends of the intellectual spectrum!---Well, everyone needs a hobby, even Sciuridae. Marmots apparently enjoy recreational wrassling. Chacun a son gout! I was nearly fascinated to discover that Whistler, BC was originally named 'London Mountain' beause of its heavy fogs and rain...and was renamed after the nickname of this rodent ('Whistle Pig') to make the town more marketable as a resort. I kid you not. While these critters do possess a certain charm...one wonders what the committee who made this nomenclature decision visualized as the result. ??? Hordes of rodent-o-philes descending upon shops and hostelries of Whistler with great stacks of ready cash in hand? The mind boggles. " 'Whistler' ?!! That means MARMOTS! Quick, pack the car! We gotta go there!" Anna, try this site: http://unusualplants.net Yes, it is a plant forum---but there is a sub-forum entitled 'Wildlife' on which any and all of your photos would be welcome and appreciated! Am irresistibly reminded of a line from the great BBC show, 'Are You Being Served?': "Oooh...catch-as-catch-can! My favorite!"
Or, you could also post them to the Biodiversity Appreciation and Discussion forum here: "Share stories and photographs of wildlife, birds, natural areas and more."
