Daily Account #17- class trees tour

5/22- today we took a tour with the trees group on campus. i didn't take heavy notes because we were familiar with a number of trees they described, but i did take notes that i thought were interesting on species i did and didn't know previously.

we started the tour at 1:30 from the fountain, while there was a light rain and it was probably 50 F, but no wind.

i started in the heron rookery, where i learned that the western red cedar is not actually a cedar, but is in the cypress family. and also to note that the needles are braided. i also learned that the same Meany who Meany Hall is named after planted some of the first trees on campus!

in the interim to the next station, the sun came out!

the next station was at the uw farm where there is a giant horse chestnut tree. we did crayon rubbing of the bark and learned that the spiky things the tree drops are actually poisonous to horses, hence the name.

on the burke we stopped at a madrone tree and learned that the bark is always cold, because there is no dead layer separating the outside world and the inner workings of the tree, so you can feel everything. i also learned that saplings are prone to mortality without fires, which i think is a pretty uncommon characteristic.

i learned that doug firs are actually members of the pine family, as well as deodar cedars. these trees have downhanging branches and dark and light colored needles on each branch- they're very beautiful and several of them line steven's way outside of the greenhouse.

i also learned that the papery wafers i have seen everywhere on campus are made by english elms- but scientists think that the wafers are sterile (don't actually make new trees). the jury's out on that one.

Posted on June 4, 2012 03:27 AM by akumar