Notices by Lee Petersen (leepetersen@alaskan.social)

Pincushion plant (Diapensia obovata) – a hardy alpine wildflower found in the high elevations of Alaska’s mountains. These small, white flowers bloom low to the ground, often growing in dense, cushion-like mats to withstand the harsh alpine conditions.

Learn more in my Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/pincushion-plant-diapensia-obovata/

#bloomscrolling #wildflowers #alaska

A little light behind the clouds - Aurora over the White Mountains near Fairbanks, Alaska in September.

Prints and Wall Art: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Portfolio-Images

#alaska #auroraborealis #photography #northernlights

A prominent hexagonal frost crystal with intricate dendritic branches, captured in Fairbanks, Alaska, after a -20°C night. This image is a composite of seven photos taken with a Nikon D850 and Laowa 25mm Ultramacro lens at f/5.6, ISO 1600, with shutter speeds exceeding one second.

Prints and wall art are available here: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Macro/Snowflakes-and-Ice

#alaska #snow #photography

During a freezing -46° F afternoon in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2013, the golden sunlight diffuses through the dense stand of snow-laden spruce trees, casting long shadows and bathing the forest in a warm, hazy light.

Get prints in my Forests Gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Forest

#Alaska #winter #fairbanks #photography

A water-filled pothole, remnant of a crevasse from the last glacier surge, on the Black Rapids Glacier in the Alaska Range.

Glacier and area info on my site: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-information/black-rapids-glacier/

#Glacier #Alaska

I mentioned before that I wanted to talk a bit about why I've gone missing for a few months—both the good and the bad. This was incredibly hard to write, but I needed to. Plus, it's my birthday today. I hope everyone is doing well! I'll share more soon.
https://www.lwpetersen.com/photo-blog/life-changes/

Rocks on ice pedestals on the Castner Glacier, with the O'Brien Icefall visible in the background. The rocks insulate the ice beneath them, causing the surrounding ice to melt faster.

My hiking guide to the area: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/castner-glacier-hiking-guide/

#Alaska #hiking #glacier

Snow arnica (Arnica griscomii ssp. frigida) blooming in front of a small tor on Murphy Dome - Fairbanks, Alaska.

In my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/snow-arnica-arnica-griscomii/

#BloomScrolling #Alaska #wildflowers

A water channel reveals blue and white ice through the edge of a rocky moraine on the lower reaches of the Canwell Glacier in the Eastern Alaska Range.

My hiking guide to the area: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-guide/canwell-glacier-and-rainbow-basin/

#Alaska #Glacier #hiking

I spent four hours on Murphy Dome in Fairbanks yesterday - counting and photographing over 30 species of blooming wildflowers! It might be a record for me. I'll post a blog post with a photo of each and the full tally in the next few days. If you want a sneak peek at the photos, check out my Recent Photos Gallery here: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Recent-Photos

#bloomscrolling #alaska #wildflowers

Dryas octopetala
Cassiope tetragona
Parrya nudicaulis
Saxifraga tricuspidata

A Dall sheep ewe in Denali National Park near Polychrome Pass in early May.

My wildlife gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Wildlife

#wildlife #Alaska

I've got a lot of writing to do this week! I photographed and identified six wildflowers that will be added to add to my Alaska Wildflower Guide. Cat and I saw some interesting stuff along the lower Granite Tors trail yesterday. Hopefully, I'll have some more photos later today or tomorrow!

Flowers are dwarf marsh violet (Viola epipsila) and fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa), both already in my Alaska Wildflower Guide: https://www.lwpetersen.com/alaska-wildflowers/

#bloomscrolling #wildflowers #Alaska

A mid-January night comes alive with shimmering aurora streaking across the sky over snow-covered spruce trees. Taken in Fairbanks, Alaska.

More in my aurora gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #auroraborealis #photography

A perfect cotton candy winter sunset in February from Fairbanks, Alaska.

In my boreal forest gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Forest

#sunset #alaska #photography

An incredibly bright aurora display in the sky over the trees north of Fairbanks, Alaska in early February.

More in my aurora gallery: https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#alaska #auroraborealis

Aurora borealis over snow-covered spruce trees in December - Fairbanks, Alaska.

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#AuroraBorealis #Alaska

@thomasfuchs I've seen this image 100 times now at least, in almost every social feed I see (usually Facebook). It always has some title like "Aurora Borealis in Norway". It often has thousands or even 10s of thousands of responses about how amazing it is.

I'm concerned about things.

Late Summer Aurora
Beautiful colors of the aurora in early September - Fairbanks, Alaska

https://photos.lwpetersen.com/Galleries/Alaska-Photos/Aurora-Borealis

#AuroraBorealis #Alaska