June 18, 2001  -  Tundra Tinies  -  Joe Creek, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The good thing about picking your way through a spongy maze of tussocks is that it forces you to look down. With every careful bootstep, an incredible world of minutiae is visible on the tundra. A fuzzy woolly bear caterpillar inches along, its body as gray as the granite mountains save for its rust-capped head. A bright patch of yellow lichen takes the edge off the chilly arctic air. Lichen called pixie cups look like miniature orange chalices, perfect for a tiny tundra dinner party. The woolly lousewort plant resembles a large ear swab -- just the right size for caribou. It's possible to sit in one spot and spend hours exploring all the little life. Ladybugs, spiders and iridescent green beetles crawl among clumps of fuchsia phlox and stalks of showy white coltsfoot. The bloom of the dwarf willow looks like an oblong red pincushion, and sphagnum moss spreads subtle greens and oranges across the ground.

Yes, seeing the big stuff -- wolves, bears and caribou -- is thrilling. But it's the little things that delight the careful arctic observer.


      Return to Reports Index Page