Muskox on Thelon River, NWT. My last two postings on this thread have already been included in my Thelon River Trip Report. But there might be members on this site who have not read that TR, who would like to see images of wildlife. Hope you don't mind if am sort of double posting. Let me know if that's not appropriate!
We were camped only about 200 m (200 yards) from the herd, in a small grove of spruce that was also used by the muskox for rubbing.
Muskox qiviut caught in willows
NPS Photo/Rachel Post
Muskox also start to shed their dense fur, called qiviut. Imagine if you were a muskox and the time has come to shed your dense underfur. It’s hot and itchy. For this reason muskox are often found rubbing themselves against any available surface. Willows, downed trees, and even buildings are popular places for muskox to use to shed their qiviut quicker. Local subsistence users still utilize qiviut in their knitting.
Kathleen and I had been paddling through a somewhat confusing maze of channels and islands on the Thelon River, NWT. We climbed this low ridge to get our bearings. Caribou was standing on top of the ridge, in the breeze, likely seeking relief from the swarms of insects.
At a lunch spot on the Housatonic River I decided to take some macro pictures of flowers, about which I don't know much. Maybe a chrysanthemum (?) and Queen Anne's lace (?). I found out I was not alone.