Sparkling Forest and Happy Whales

Today was a beautiful day in Juneau! It rained pretty well yesterday, so after the storm cleared and the fog lifted this morning, there were raindrops still clinging to all the plants in the forest. When the sun came out, it appeared as though someone had thrown handfuls of glitter everywhere!

Water droplets weigh down this stalk of grass.

These droplets line a stem of Goat's Beard.

Beautiful raindrops resting on a blade of grass.

Fresh, glittering spruce tips.

Dew drops on lupine leaves.

Water clings to this hanging lichen in the trees.

Beautiful hemlock needles decorated with water.

As I walked back through the trail alone, it was so peaceful and quiet that I lingered for a moment and saw something amazing. In the mornings when the moss is still cool and moist and the sun is out, water will quickly evaporate out of the moss. You can actually see steam rising up out of the ground! If you'd like to see it, click  HERE!

After my hike, I got out on the water and saw some phenomenal whales! This whale's name is Barnacles. We identified her from her fluke in the Juneau Humpback Whale Catalog. She is number 2070.  

She had a calf with her this year, and this little guy sure loved to jump!

This whale was having so much fun that he almost squashed a nearby fishing boat!

It didn't land on them, but boy was that a big splash! I'm sure they got a little wet after this!

If you want to see the calf breaching, just click HERE!

It sure was a wonderful day in Juneau, Alaska! Hope you enjoyed it!