The places behind the trail

Stories from Prince George and northern BC

Forest science, mountain landscapes and local history. Find another reason to get outside.

71 to 79 of 79 stories

Witch’s butter (Tremella mesenterica) on a dead branch, January 2021. The photographer combined 21 exposures in a focus stack; the location is not established.Agnes Monkelbaan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
Witch's Butter: The Strange Yellow Thing on a Fallen Branch
A yellow jelly fungus can reveal a second fungus, a microscopic encounter and the reason a fallen branch deserves a closer look.
3 min read
A barred owl photographed on Bench Row Road in Vernon, British Columbia, February 2012.Alan D. Wilson · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
That Scream in the Woods: The Unsettling Voices of Owls
Cackles, gurgles and piercing cries belong to the owl repertoire too. Listening carefully reveals much more than a familiar hoot.
3 min read
A gray fox recorded by a Saguaro National Park trail camera in Arizona, September 2016. Its eye reflects the camera illumination. This is an example of eyeshine, not a Prince George wildlife record.SaguaroNPS · Public domain (U.S. government work) · Retain source credit and licence. This Arizona gray fox demonstrates eyeshine generally; do not present as Prince George wildlife or infer species identity from eyeshine colour.
The eerie side of nature
Eyes in the Dark: What Is Looking Back From the Forest?
Two bright points can turn a dark wood into a mystery. The explanation begins with your own light coming back.
3 min read
A little brown bat hanging from a wooden plank, photographed by Warren Garst in October 1976. The collection record does not establish a Prince George location.Warren Garst / Colorado State University Libraries · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
Bats After Sunset: The Real Lives Behind Halloween's Favourite Animal
The silhouette is familiar. The animal inside it is a flying mammal, an acoustic hunter and a specialist in surviving the lean months.
4 min read
Living salmon and a salmon carcass in Fish Creek near Hyder, Alaska, August 2015.Murray Foubister · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
Zombie Salmon: The Last Journey of Fish That Are Falling Apart
A salmon can reach its spawning stream with a body already breaking down. Its extraordinary final act continues long after it stops swimming.
3 min read
Natural eye-like patterns in white-poplar bark at Parque das Nações, Lisbon, photographed in 2008. This Portuguese example illustrates pareidolia; it is not a Prince George tree or a carved face.Pedro Ribeiro Simões from Lisboa, Portugal · CC BY 2.0 · Retain creator credit, source and licence. Display full frame.
The eerie side of nature
Why the Trees Seem to Watch You: Faces, Shadows and the Human Brain
Two knots and a split in the bark can become a face before you have time to decide what you are looking at. The strange part is how much of your brain believes the first impression.
3 min read
Foxfire photographed by Bruce McAdam in August 2006: luminous fungi on rotting tree bark. The location and fungal species are not established in the source record. This is a general example of the phenomenon, not a Prince George sighting.Bruce McAdam · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Retain credit, source and licence. Any derivative must use compatible share-alike terms. Do not label as photographed in Prince George or infer a species.
The eerie side of nature
When Rotten Wood Glows: The Science Behind Foxfire
Some fungi can turn decaying wood into a source of light. The chemistry is real, but the reason for the glow is a more complicated mystery.
3 min read
A ring of Chlorophyllum molybdites mushrooms in a lawn in Mesa, Arizona, September 2025. It illustrates the ring form; it is not a Prince George observation or an edible-mushroom identification.peterwchen · CC BY 4.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
Fairy Rings: Who Drew Those Circles in the Grass?
A circle of mushrooms looks arranged, almost deliberate. Under the grass, a slow-moving organism has been drawing the pattern for far longer than the mushrooms have been visible.
3 min read
An American crow in Banff National Park, Alberta, July 2026.Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Retain attribution and licence. Any adaptation must follow the source licence.
The eerie side of nature
The Crow That Remembers Your Face
Researchers changed their clothes, their walk and even the person wearing the mask. The crows still knew which face meant trouble.
3 min read