saw a few on Mt. Rainier. could tell they were Ravens by their giant size and call.
sorry its a bad picture, it flew away as I got my camera out.
~4000 feet above sea level. around Paradise on Mt. Rainier.
bluish-green tree. bottom of mt. Rainier.
giant ant! all over the bottom of mt. rainier area. I saw one on a wooden bench, flying short distances before dropping its wings. I have no idea why.
Coral mushroom in the Ramaria genus, I think
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramaria
Seen in forest not far from Van Trump Creek on the trail from Comet Falls,
Mount Rainier National Park at elevation of ~ 1350 meters (4400 feet)
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Frozen Amanita mushrooms near Van Trump Park, Mount Rainier National Park
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Frozen harebells (Campanula) on the way to Comet falls, Mount Rainier National Park
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A variety of the Cladonia genus of lichens. recognizeable by the bright red sets of lips that sit on top of the lichen.
This pine was growing alongside the Trail of Shadows, near the trail-head on the edge of an open area containing iron hot springs.
This plant was commonly seen near paved roads along walking pathways but was absent when walking the trails in wooded areas beyond; it is unclear if this was due to the thick snow-cover along the trail, or if this plant was absent from the trail entirely.
for context, see daily account for 3/31 at Trail of Shadows, Longmire. on the walk out, i noticed some very distinct fungi growing off the side of a tree trunk. it was about my height up on the trunk, and it was nestled with numerous other mosses and lichens. they basically looked like flaps of thin but tough, wrinkly brown paper hanging off of the tree.
for context, see daily account for 3/31 at Trail of Shadows, Longmire. there was a small board walk leading into the sulfury waters on this trail, and near the shore we found a log that had a number of lichens on it, and this one vibrant orange-red fungus spraying off the side. directly underneath the fungus was bare ground, but very close by there was snow.
Pretty good sized plicata most likely gnawed on by a beaver near the mineral springs off the trail of the shadows at Rainier National Park
Distant gills, no stipe, I believe was growing on live and dead conifers
Nice little group of basidiomycete jelly-like fungi found growing on probably a downed conifer branch
A build up of calcium and minerals that has CO2 coming out of the ground. The mound is an assortment of colors including: red, yellow, orange, brown, green and black. The mound has an odor, but it is hard to place. Not as prominent as one might expect.
A Western redcedar, was found on the western side of the Trail of Shadows walk. The branches swoop and have a somewhat lacey quality to them. There is a flat spray to the branches as seen in the picture. Some said it was an Alaskan cedar, but since the scale-leaves are on two-opposite rows rather than just one side, I believe this is a redcedar. Furthermore, the bark is a deep red color.
Cladonia macilenta more commonly known as lipstick Cladonia was found along the Trail of Shadows on Mount Rainier. It was found on a rotting log at the base of a coniferous tree. This species had distinguishable red tips.
Deer fern found in deep crevices found under fallen trees. The temperatures were in the low 40s with snow still present on the ground. Small streams were flowing nearby providing a moist environment.
Western Yew found off of The Trail of Shadows. Temperatures were in the low 40s with snow still visible on the ground. The bark of the tree was a vibrant red color. The branches of the yew were covered in what appeared to be witch's hair lichen.
Western Hemlock found off of the trail of shadows. The temperature was in the low 40s with snow still present on the ground. The needles on the hemlock were planar and variable in length.
A fungus found on a cut, downed log (that had been blocking the trail). The log was very moist and had a variety of different mosses on it. The fungus was dark brown on top and light beige on bottom. This might have actually been two different fungi, but I am not very familiar with fungi so I am not sure. The fungus came out from the log like a shelf and had a smooth 'skin' to it, but was very bulbous. I tried to identify this in my guidebook only to find out that my guidebook does not have a fungi section. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
The weather is partly cloudy, but mostly sunny. Tall coniferous trees block some of the sun, but allow light through their branches. This part of the trail did not have snow, but other parts did. The section of trail that was covered in snow was roughly two feet deep at most.
I saw this tree along the Trail of Shadows. When I was lower in elevation my group did not see this tree, and I believe that it only grows in these higher elevations. The tree was coniferous, had splotchy bark, needles with ridges below them. The weather is partly cloudy, but mostly sunny. Tall coniferous trees block some of the sun, but allow light through their branches. Parts of the trail are covered in snow, roughly two feet deep at most.
This was a very interesting observation. The iron minerals in the ground precipitate as they cool and make a rust-colored stain coating on the ground (information gathered from the "Iron Mike" sign). Iron is a brownish-red color and will change the color of anything in its path. My second picture is of a small man-made stone masonry. The weather is partly cloudy, but mostly sunny. Tall coniferous trees block some of the sun, but allow light through their branches. Parts of the trail are covered in snow, roughly two feet deep at most.
Springs bubbling up along the Trail of the Shadows on Mount Rainier. There was a slight smell to the spring, but not as strong as springs in Yellowstone. I believe these springs have C02 bubbling up, but I am not entirely certain. There appeared to be iron sediment around the springs. The weather is heavily overcast, but no rain while on our hike. It is very cold.
