October 5-11, 2025

Combining the bright colors of fall with early snow

David Lukas

11 Oct 2025 • 5 min read

Fall colors along the Twisp River. Photo by David Lukas

Days of sunshine and brilliant fall colors were bracketed by light dustings of snow on the high peaks at the beginning and end of the week.

Week in Review

We started the week with fresh snow on the high peaks, and as I write this newsletter at the end of the week, another storm is rolling into the high country with rain and snow forecast for the next couple of days. Other than that, this week has been gloriously sunny and colorful.

snow on ground — A dusting of snow at Harts Pass last Sunday. Photo by David Lukas

light snow on peaks — A fleeting glimpse through the clouds reveals fresh snow on the Craggies this morning. Photo by David Lukas

In general, things have dramatically slowed down in the natural world. For example, I've seen only one yellow-rumped warbler and not a single butterfly this week. This doesn't mean they're all gone; it just means that flowers and wildlife are not as easy to find now.

One lonely cinquefoil flower at Washington Pass. Photo by David Lukas

Even if they're harder to find, there are still pockets of activity and fun things to see. For instance, a lot more mushrooms are popping up now, especially in damp forests and in the mountains. If we get some rain in the next week or two, there should be even more mushrooms appearing in the narrow window before temperatures drop below freezing.

mushroom on log — This beauty was growing from a cottonwood log along the Twisp River. Photo by David Lukas

There may not be many butterflies around now, but I've been amazed at how many dragonflies there are. In particular, I've been seeing a surprising number of autumn meadowhawks, which are the latest flying dragonflies in Washington (they can be found as late as early December!).

male autumn meadowhawk — Male autumn meadowhawks are bright red, and both sexes have a narrow black spot (barely visible here) on the top at the end of the tail. Photo by David Lukas

female autumn meadowhawk — Female autumn meadowhawks also have a distinctive downward protrusion near the tip of their tail. Photo by David Lukas

While the number of migrating songbirds have dramatically declined, there's been an uptick in waterfowl migrating through the Methow Valley. Many of these birds seem to stop briefly and rest anywhere from a few hours to most of a day before disappearing again. The ducks that will stick around for weeks or months should start arriving pretty soon, but I haven't noticed any lingering flocks at Twin Lakes yet.

Ducks on lake — Part of a large group of mixed ducks that stopped by for one morning early in the week. Photo by David Lukas

Cackling geese — Part of a very large group of cackling geese that stopped briefly in mid-week. They look like Canada geese with short necks, and they are not much larger than mallards. Notice the single white-fronted goose at the lower left. Photo by David Lukas

These two female surf scoters showed up on Big Twin Lake at the end of the week. Photo by David Lukas

Finally, over the past week I've seen more chipmunks than I've seen at any other time around the Methow Valley. I don't know if this means there are more than usual, or if I've just been lucky enough to see them at their peak activity as they frantically prepare for winter. Pikas around Washington Pass were also noisy and conspicuous during a short hike earlier this week, so it's that time of year!

pika nest — This pika has built a massive, well-insulated nest and food supply in preparation for winter. Photo by David Lukas

Observation of the Week: Larches in the sunlight

We all appreciate, and look forward to, the bright colors of larches glowing in the sunlight, but this week I realized something else about sunlight on larch needles.

larches turning color — We all love the way that larches glow in the sun! Photo by David Lukas

In early October, larches begin to break down the chlorophyll in their leaves and turn color. Because chlorophyll are the molecules that intercept sunlight and turn it into stored energy, this means that larches pass sunlight through their needles rather than blocking it after they start to change color.

larches in sunlight — Larches on a distant ridge at Washington Pass. Photo by David Lukas

You can easily see this when trees are backlit in the sun. While other conifers block the sun and are dark, larches pass sunlight through their needles and create an amazing glow.

sunlight on larches — This mix of larches and other conifers shows how most conifers block sunlight while larch needles allow sunlight to pass through after they change color. (If you're wondering about the white dots, those are fireweed seeds!) Photo by David Lukas

This glowing light is astonishing and I could spend all day photographing the sun shining through larch needles!

larches in the sunlight — The trick to photographing this effect is to shoot straight into the sun as it drops below the ridgeline then remove the intense highlights and glare during the editing process. Photo by David Lukas

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