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.
We saw this Turkey Vulture on San Juan Island. It has a red face and brown/black feathers. This bird is a scavenger, feeding mainly on carrion. It relies heavily on its sense of sight and smell.
This is the first of several Bald Eagles we saw that weekend at San Juan Island, WA. This one was sighted near Roche Harbor, WA.
We saw this Bald Eagle at Wescott Dr. on San Juan Island, WA. Bald Eagles are very common on the island, and and sighted often. I have seen people feeding the Eagles meet from this spot in the evening on multiple occasion. I think it is a regular event that tourists can watch on a weekly basis.
My dad and I saw this fox near San Juan Island National Historic Park (South Beach). It had blonde fur and very skinny legs. In the summertime, there are giant groups of rabbits running around the grassy fields. I often see foxes in this area, and I assume they predate these rabbits.
I saw this black fox while walking near our house on Wescott Bay (San Juan Island, WA). This area has some very interesting wild life! It was about 2 feet tall and had black fur. It was not intimidated by our presence at all, which leads me to believe it has grown accustomed to humans approaching it for pictures.
I saw this at Pack Forest, but I'm not sure what it is...it has large leaves that grow straight out of the tips of the twisting branches in bunches of 4 or 5.
I saw this brood of ducklings near the Drumheller Fountain at UW Seattle. There was also a few full grown mallards. I assume that the pictured female is the mother, as the ducklings seemed to be following her.
I observed this azalea (Genus Rhododendron) outside one of the buildings at the Pack Forest camp area. It is pink/magenta with ~10 pink stamen and white anther. The leaves were leathery, oval shaped, and red/brown/green. The petals seemed to be somewhat connected with 5 distinct points. The branches were red with red/sometimes yellow sepals.
Burdock is a biennial thistle in the genus Arctium. I observed that the pods were round with sharp thorns, allowing it to cling to things (seed dispersal?). The pods were light brown, as well as the stems which were somewhat stiff and brittle. They were found on the forest floor alongside a path at Pack Forest near Eatonville, WA. I apologize that the picture is slightly blurry, it was a bit windy and I could not get the stem to stay still...
Hedera Helix has been introduced to many locations on the UW campus. The leaves are green and alternate, with heart patterned veins. The Ivy survives well in cloudy forest areas. Ivy is a major invasive in several regions of the US.
I saw this fungus on a downed tree near the trail at Pack Forest near Eatonville, WA. I'm not sure what it is...
We saw this lichen hiking on a trail at Pack Forest near Eatonville, WA. There are several species pictured here. Parmelia sulcata is commonly known as shield lichen. It is light gray and leafy. Evernia is prunastri is a very light green and has flat branches. Usnea hangs down, suspended from the branches. It is light green and has finer branches that resemble hair.
