We took buses up to the UW-owned Pack Forest, near the base of Mount Rainer. The forecast said their would be non-stop rain, but we were lucky to have good weather. It was a bit overcast and in ~45 degrees Fahrenheit, with clouds breaking open intermittently throughout the day. This was the first time I had gotten names put to the trees, being that I am from a different part of the country. The vegetation was quite varied, but everywhere we looked seemed to have dense vegetation. See the journal entry for Longmire for a a species list of the day. We split off into smaller groups and explored some of the local trails, while learning stories and information about the many different plants of the area. Although the weather held out for us, we could tell it had been raining recently, as many of the trails were turned to thick mud. The fifty or so people we had walking on them didn't help their condition. Most of the trees here must have been old, as they towered over us. We learned to identify some of the more common trees, such as western whites, douglas firs, and western hemlocks by looking at a variety of characteristics. These included bark and even more important the look of the needles and leaves on the trees.
We arrived by car at 4pm. IT was sunny and between 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit with snow on the ground in most places. We saw mostly tall trees, largely Douglas Firs, Hemlock, alder, and cedars, with varying low lying vegetation. Birds and squirrels, but did not see many other animals. WE stayed there between 4 and 5:15 pm. The path we followed encircled a hot springs, where CO2 was being released from the ground, as evidence from the constant bubbling in the water. Some of the water was a light brown tone, due to the presence of copper. All the ground we covered was moist, showing that snow must have recently melted. Ferns and fungi seemed to like this setting, as we saw them all along the path. Many trees were bare of leaves, but showed signed of blooming. This was unlike Pack Forest where trees were further along in their bloom, most likely due to lower elevation. A few flowers had begun blooming as well. Many of the conifers had cones on them, and we were able to find many large cones on the ground.
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Port Orford cedar (Chamaecyparis lawsoniana)
Western White (Pinus monticola )
Hemlock
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga macrocarpa )
Licorice Fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza )
Red Alder (Alnus rubra )
Salmon berry (Rubus spectabilis)
Dwarf Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa)
fraxinus
wild rose (Rosa acicularis )
western yew (Taxus brevifolia )
salal (Gaultheria shallon)
deer fern (Blechnum spicant)
alaska cedar (Cupressus nootkatensis)
Our class spent today at the UW greenhouse, learning various stories about plants and how they effect people and their cultures. The greenhouse has 1/10ths of all the plants in the world, and is run by the passionate Doug Ewing, who has been there for over a decade. It was filled to the brim with a variety of plants, and quite warm compared to the conditions outside. Some of the stories we heard were:
The Dracula Orchid looks like a mushroom despite being an orchid. With this appearance it is able to trick fungus gnats and other bugs that feed off of mushrooms. When they go to feed, the bugs get pollen over their bodies, allowing for pollination as they fly from orchid to orchid feeding.
The welwitschia, we learned is in the conifer family, despite looking unlike any confier I had seen before; it looked like more of a shrub than a tree. It is classified as a conifer because it is cone baring. This plant is normally found in places that receive ~25mm of water a year, and as a result of this is able to store rain. We also learned that this plant can not only survive, but flourish in non-desert areas if the conditions are right. The greenhouse's specimen was the perfect example, because despite being relatively young it was huge for its age.
Most interesting to me was what we were told about chiles and how they play an important role in many societies. The chemical capsaicin is found in the chiles and it what gives them their spiciness. It also can be used to preserve food. One thing I did not know is that chiles are originally from South America, and cultures that use them, such as India, did not have these flavors until the New World was discovered. They play an important role in societies near the equator because of their preservation abilities. As a result of the warmer temperatures, meat and other foods are more susceptible to spoiling, which the chemical prevents. This is why cultures near the equator have a higher tolerance and preference for spicy foods.
We learned about different vegetation zones and other important technical aspects of natural history today. I didn't think there was any difference between flora and vegetation, but I learned that flora is a list of plants in a specific area while vegetation means how dominant the flora is. The reason for such a large difference between Western and Eastern Washington was also explained: When the air cools as it passes through the mountains, it isn't able to hold as much water, so it condenses. This causes rain near the Cascades, which allows the air to pass through the mountains, but it will be much dryer than before. Although the Seattle region is much more green compared to the rest of the country, we learned that the Puget Sound lowlands have seen a 70% reduction in forest in just 25 years. This, as one would expect, has important biological repercussions and will be an important issue in the following decades. I think it is important to be aware of such issues, as they influence decisions in everyday life, as well as politics.
I took a class called “Hiking by Bus” through experimental college in order to better explore the great wonders of nature the pacific northwest has to offer. It also ties in well with this class, as I am able to see many different regions and plants. The first of these hikes was to Wallace Falls, found west of the Cascades near the town Gold Bar. The following are the directions for getting there by bus, as provided by the instructor of the class:
“Depart 9:05 AM from bus stop at I-5 and 45th St on Sound Transit 510 to
Everett Station (arrive at 9:36 AM). Depart 10:05 AM on Community Transit 275 to Hwy 2 and
Lewis St (arrive 10:39 AM). Depart 10:55 AM on Community Transit 270 to Hwy 2 and 1 st St
(arrive 11:16 AM). Walk about 30 minutes to Wallace Falls State Park and hike 6 mile round-
trip to good viewpoint above falls. Depart on Community Transit 270 at 3:57 PM to Community Transit 275 to Hwy 2 and Lewis St (arrive 4:24 PM).
Depart 5:07 PM to Everett Station (arrive 5:45 PM) then on Sound Transit 510 at 5:58 PM
back to I-5 and 45th (arrive 6:33 PM).”
It was a beautiful day, with only a few clouds in a sky and a temperature between 55 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The group that I hiked with were all experienced with hiking, so we seemed to move pretty fast, giving me little time for in-depth observation. There was little elevation gain, around 1000ft, and it was all quite gradual. There was a large variety of trees and many ferns along the trail (see species list) but few flowers. There were many people walking their dogs, which might account for the lack of wild animals near by. I would like to go back here to take my time and also just to spend more time on such a beautiful trail.
Species list:
Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
Western Red cedar (Thuja plicata)
Big leaf maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Red alder (Alnus rubra)
Himalayan black berry (Rubus armeniacus )
clover
Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza )
lady fern (Athyrium)
goose neck moss (Genus Rhytidiadelphus)
pig weed
Today we learned to look at different herbarium specimen. These are samples gathered and preserved for future examination. It is important to have many different specimen of the same plant, as plants can vary due to the time of year, location, age, and other factors. It was my first time looking at such specimen, and I can now see how this type of in-depth observation is an important skill to practice. I looked at three different examples of Geranium robertianum:
1) Found in King County on the 26th of May, 2001. The leaves are green, and form in clusters from the stem. Three pink flowers with around 4 or 5 pedals are found from the dark green to dark brown stems.
2)Found in Skagit County on August 7th, 2009. The outer part of the leaves are red, with a slow gradient to a green center. This one's clusters of leaves aren't as full as the previous one, most likely due to being found during the fall rather than the Spring. No flowers are on this one either.
3)Found in Klickitat County on the 18th of June, 1962. Despite being the oldest specimen, it is in a similar state as the younger plants. The leaves are dark red and orange, which is unexpected, due to the similar time of year as the previous specimen. The clusters of leaves on this example are much more full than the other two, and the stem is of similar color to example one. There are no flowers but instead white pods where the flowers would be.
All of these have a similar leaf shape and steam structure.
Today we worked with Maria Coryell Martin. She is an expeditionary artist who has traveled all over the world drawing animals and doing field sketches. Recently she went to a remote island in Greenland, and was able to see walruses and a polar bear. Her paintings are quite amazing, and she is able to create her own style, despite the fact they are for objective research. Although I am not the best at drawing, I really enjoy it, so it was great to get advice from someone as talented as Maria. We learned a few different methods to help us get our ideas on paper. Her main points were too not focus on detail too much, but rather the main ideas. The point of field sketches is to help remember what you saw, not to win an art competition. I found gesture sketches to be the best tool for this.
In the Union Bay Natural Area we were able to get some first hand practice. Despite being nice for most of the day, the clouds started to move in right as class began. We split off individually and were allowed to draw what ever we saw fit. I went into some bushes and found a Himalayan black berry to draw. I think the sketch turned out well, although I took too much time doing it and was unable to spend as much time as I would have liked on the other exercises. Being that drawing is something I enjoy, I think it is a good way for me to get more involved and become more mindful of natural history.
This was another hike that was part of the hiking by bus course through experimental college. The following are directions to the trail as provided by the instructor, for anyone interested:
“Depart at 8:20 AM from 15th Ave and 43rd on King Metro 271 to Bellevue
Transit Center (arrive 8:43 AM). Depart 9:05 AM on King Metro 240 to 119th Ave and Coal
Creek Pkwy (arrive 9:27 AM). Hike about 9 miles to the opposite side of Cougar Mountain
stopping for lunch then eventually to Issaquah Transit Center to catch the King Metro 271 at
3:36 PM to 15th Ave and 42nd (arrives at 4:44 PM).”
It was a perfect day for hiking; we even had to apply sunscreen, a first for me in the pacific northwest. It was around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, with little wind. This hike was particularly interesting, as cougar mountain is in Issaquah, WA, so despite being in nature we were never too far away from civilization. It must have been the right time of year, because many of the flowers we saw were blooming. There were many of the common trees we have learned about, but more interestingly, we saw a good number of Trillium along the trail. As we neared the highest point of the hike, a lot of the ground flora were gone. Slugs were also easy to find on the trail; we had to be careful not to step on them. Many times during the hike we could see residential housing or the highway, which might have accounted for the lack of larger mammals. We didn't see any cougars either, which was probably for the best.
Species list:
Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
Earthworm Komarekiona eatoni
Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
Licorice fern (Polypodium glycyrrhiza )
Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum)
salal (Gaultheria shallon)
osoberry (Oemleria cerasiformis)
We visited the Burke Museum today, and it was the first time I had set foot inside. I regret this, as it seems to be a great place with a large amount of information on every living thing in the area. We got a first hand look into the giant catalog of mammal specimen they have. Although we were learning about birds, we saw people skinning a bobcat, preparing it for cataloging. The birds aren't saved for a specific purpose, other than the fact that having a large collection of many species from a large span of time will be a hugely important resource in seeing trends. It allows for the correlation of data from different time periods, letting scientists better pinpoint what is causing a certain trend. As global warming becomes increasingly worse, these collections will become even priceless. The museum receives between 2000 and 4000 birds every year, with half of them coming from outside the United States. Four types of specimen allow for study of every aspect of the creature in question. The first is a Study skin, which is simple a skin stuffed, and allows for observations about the plumage. Second is a spread wing sample, allowing for detailed study of the wings which aren't possible in a study skin, as the wings are folded up. The third type of specimen is a skeleton, allowing those studying to figure out the structure and size of the animal. The last is a tissue sample, which is used to study DNA.
