Observations by maddyholup

These nettles sort of look like wild mint but after eating a leaf I knew it was definitely not mint, and maybe some kind of nettle. They are seen pretty frequently. This one didn't sting me, someone suggested it had a low potency where as other nettles might have higher potency. I thought that was interesting and also like the idea of harvesting nettle and cooking it up like spinach.

I keep getting alders confused with birch trees and birch trees confused with cottonwoods, but I think this ID is correct. The leaves of this tree turn the same yellow as birch trees and can be very misleading but ultimately this is the alnus rubra and they are seen frequently throughout the arboretum.

These little plants are all over the place in the arboretum, they would make a good cover crop but I suspect they might be fairly aggressive. No purple flowers this time of year but the leaves were pretty easy to identify it by.

I've been wondering what these shrubs are and it's difficult to ID it in the winter without blossoms or berries, but I am fairly sure it is the red elderberry, it could also be the black elderberry, but because it was a pretty large bush and red elderberry is typically larger than black elderberry, I am going to go with Sambucus racemosa.

There are a few different species on these tree trunk but the majority of this picture I believe is the gray starburst lichen. There may also be some green starburst lichen in this image as well as a species of moss. There are so many species of lichens, it is hard to tell though.

Realized I don't know that much about evergreens. At first I thought this was a pine, then a spruce, and finally I realized it was a Douglas-fir. I guess when I smell this tree's needles I think Christmas/pine tree, but most Christmas trees are fir trees then? So that's a very strange realization, but I'm glad to know some of the differences between all these evergreens now.

The round, curved leaves in groupings of three and the thin stems of this native blackberry is what sets it apart from the invasive Himalayan species. If the Himalayan's acted less aggressive and more like these Rubus ursinus, then they wouldn't be such a problem for Washington.

Certainly found often pretty much all around Bellingham...seems to go hand and hand with the invasive blackberry, this ivy even grows up the side of my house. This one found at the base of young evergreens.

While difficult to identify the exact species as it is not currently flowering, the broad-leaves of this dock seemed to align with the description of Rumex obtusifolius, which has certainly been found in Whatcom county before. These plants are everywhere, sort of a pest at the farm, but also edible and apparently good for nettle and bee stings.

Found near the top of the arboretum right off the trail. The shrub has grown to tree size, made it difficult to identify. This is probably the semiintegrifolia variation of this species, one which grows from western Canada to northern California along the coastline mostly.

Seen along trail pretty frequently in the arboretum. As noted by many it is a problematic invasive species. Also stands out to me in general, looks sort of like a plastic house plant, although I'm sure in bloom it is more pleasant to see.

Hard to see in this photo but also about 60% certain of this ID. Was similar to the other Mycena I observed but not quite as white and delicate, had more of a brown color and this Pinkedge bonnet vs. the other bonnets seemed to be a more accurate ID.

Found nestled in leaves, most likely have been dislodged from tree above it. Having trouble finding the exact species of, of course it is in the genus "Ramalina" but there are so many species of lichens I cannot be 100% certain of this ID.

Really these are found all over the trails, edges of roads, a large bush in the outback. At this point in November plant still had some of it's leaves, but now most of the bushes are bare except for their white berries.