ashersh's Identifications

Since it was so warm out that day (See Leavsonworth journal entry), there were many lizards sun bathing on the large dark boulders. This one was a male lizard that we caught. It seemed that he also had a few ticks on him.

This plant can be a remedy to tooth aches and nose bleeds. It has about 12 inches tall. It has purple flowers that contain 5 petals. The leaves of the plant have a very distinctive shape that reminds me of baby arugula.

I saw this white-tailed deer at South Beach on San Juan Island, WA. This is a very unique ecosystem, with prairie near the ocean. There are many invasive grasses on the prairie, and deer are found very close to the beach. This particular deer was in a group of 4 in the tall grass, approximately 500 feet from the water.

I know this is not a very good picture, but there are many ravens near our home on San Juan Island, WA. There is a spot near Roche Harbor where they feed the eagles on Friday evenings. There is usually quite the assortment of birds, including these black ravens. They resemble crows, only bigger, with shaggy, shiny black feathers and a black beak. This one was diving for a scrap of meat left over by the bald eagles. Ravens are very smart and have a strong predatory nature. The ravens on the island are known for raiding seabird colonies.

This turkey tail was found among many other fungi on a single log. Many of the fungi were brackets but the white surface is the porous white material from Trametes. One can make medicinal tea from this fungi.

I saw this Pacific Madrone near Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island, WA. I recognized it by the peeling red bark, revealing a light yellow/beige wood underneath. The tree has a somewhat round silhouette and the leaves are broad. This tree is native to the Pacific coast. It is pollinated by bees and has round shell flowers.

Juvenile red-tailed hawk perched above the boardwalk in a tree. It didn't seem too concerned with the presence of people but was noticeably aware of us. It was perched observing the vast landscape of plains and various, though mostly leaf-less, trees.

This trillium had three flowers in the middle of the path in the forest. The stem fades from light at the top to dark green at the bottom. The flower itself was bright white with longer, curly petals. Trillium are ephemeral and bloom for a short while before 'hibernating' below ground for the rest of the year.