Saratoga Woods
I decided to take a day trip to my cabin on Whidbey Island on April 21 to study all the species the island had to offer. During my times spent up at Whidbey, I would occasionally hike in Saratoga Woods on the South end of the island. These woods are quite diverse-and truly evoke curiosity and adventure. The weather was mainly overcast with some sun breaks while temperature was in the 50s. I believe many of the trees in these woods are old growth. The main site of the forest is a giant glacial rock that was deposited here during the previous ice age. I've had a few wonderful picnics on the top. :) The start to my journey involved finding a light colored fir at the entrance to the trail. I have yet to clearly define it, but it must have been planted there since there were no other trees like it in the forest. I found two different types of snails on my journey, including a still unidentified red flying bug. I wasn't able to see many other creatures, beside MANY bees and a pair of small birds. The first major observation I made was when I stumbled upon a turkey tail fungus growing on a fallen tree on the perimeter of the trail. I also found many shelf fungi, as well as witch's butter. The first trail I found had many Cedars on it, and I decided to switch it up by taking the Pacific Yew trail. This trail was incredibly diverse in that I found 3 different kinds of mosses. There were hardly any undergrowth plants until I found the glacial rock. In this area, there were many tall Oregon Grapes, Red Alder, and Salal. On the trail back (Bent Tree Trail) I found mostly Red Alder and California Huckleberry under giant Western Red Cedars, often bent in strange shapes. I couldn't find a reason for the bent shape other than a human physically manipulated the bark ( as in the bent forest in Europe where someone bent trees for furniture construction). I'd say the major highlight of this observation was seeing all the different kinds of fungi in the forest. This inspired me to be in the Fungi group for the group project. Hopefully it works out!
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Blue Spruce (Picea pungens)Observer
ajwick24Description
This tree is possibly a Noble Fir, White fir, or a Pacific Silver Fir, but definitely in the Abies family. The pine needles have a blue-ish tint with some needles more dark green than others. The tree was around 20 feet tall and the trunk was a medium circumference. It was found at the entrance of the Saratoga Woods on South Whidbey Island. Since it's at the entrance and I saw no other trees like it, it may have been planted there.
Photos / Sounds
What
Ater-group Arion Slugs (Subgenus Arion)Observer
ajwick24Description
This slug was found at the entrance of the trail. It's black and has deep grooves on it's hind area. I haven't been able to identify it specifically based on these deep grooves and how dark it is.
Photos / Sounds
What
Turkey-Tail (Trametes versicolor)Observer
ajwick24Description
This fungus was growing on a fallen log. It appears in layers along the log. I wonder how far the fungal growth extends within and under the log. The fungus is brightly colored browns, tans, and oranges. It appears wavy at the sides. I saw many of these types of fungi along the trail and no two were alike. However, they would all attach to a wood surface or tree.
Photos / Sounds
What
Shelf Fungi (Order Polyporales)Observer
ajwick24Description
This fungus was found on a Western Red Cedar tree. It's a bracket or shelf fungus, similar to red-belted polypores which were found in other parts of the forest. The top is bright red, which should make it easily identifiable.
Photos / Sounds
What
Waved Silk-Moss (Plagiothecium undulatum)Observer
ajwick24Description
I had never seen moss like this before. Each individual frond is like a fern-hence, fern moss. A book cites it as Hylocomium splendens. However, it could be something completely different, although a type of moss. I posted two different kinds of fern moss in the two pictures, both found along the trail and on the forest floor.
Photos / Sounds
What
Northern Red Belt (Fomitopsis mounceae)Observer
ajwick24Description
I found many of these mushrooms around the woods, especially on trees as a shelf/bracket fungus. Some were brightly colored, some were quite dark on the top. I found a fungus underneath a shrub that was quite dark. Maybe the amount of light that a fungus experiences makes it more or less colorful.
Photos / Sounds
What
Red Net-winged Beetle (Dictyoptera simplicipes)Observer
ajwick24Description
I found this red flying bug along the trail. I was able to get quite close to it, it never flew away. It's bright red and has long rectangle-shaped wings, and it's legs are red as well..
Photos / Sounds
What
Pacific Banana Slug (Ariolimax columbianus)Observer
ajwick24Description
I found this banana slug on a tuft of grass along the trail. It's quite the opposite of the other slug I discovered earlier on my journey. It has more faint grooves in its hind-area.
Photos / Sounds
What
Higher Basidiomycetes (Subphylum Agaricomycotina)Observer
ajwick24Description
I found many yellow and orange protists along the trail, often attached to logs and wood surfaces, like benches. While the one attached to the end of the log is curly and somewhat horizontally layered, the one on the parallel side of the tree is more orbed and circular. Could they be different species based on the physical and color differences?
Photos / Sounds
What
glacial erraticObserver
ajwick24Description
This is a large glacial erratic named "Waterman Rock" which is a boulder deposited in the middle of these woods by glaciers thousands of years ago. Moss covers almost the entire rock and a pathway has been formed around the entire circumference. A few years ago, I was able to climb the rock to have a picnic with some friends.The rock is surrounded by Western Red Cedars and Western Hemlocks. There is a lot of Salal undergrowth, more than any other place I'd ventured to in Saratoga.
Photos / Sounds
What
Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)Observer
ajwick24Description
The weather is overcast with some sun breaks. It's 60 degrees outside. The dominant species are Douglas Fir (old growth), Western Red Cedar (old growth), Madrone, Alder, and possibly Pacific Yew (the trail mentioned it, but I couldn't identify them). There wasn't a lot of undergrowth, but when there was, I discovered Salal, Tall Oregon Grape, Ferns, and Red Alder bushes. I'm not sure what this plant is because it looks like a cross between Salal and Oregon Grape. It was located amidst more Cedar trees than anything else. It was in a pretty homogenous area besides the Cedars and Red Alders.
Photos / Sounds
What
Mushrooms, Bracket Fungi, Puffballs, and Allies (Class Agaricomycetes)Observer
ajwick24Description
This tree has fungi all over it! The fungus looks different from the other specimens I encountered. They're not shelf fungi, but more rounded, smaller, and less colorful.
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