Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, Bellevue, Washington: April 19, 2012

Location: Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, Bellevue, Washington, USA

Date: April 19, 2012

Time: 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Weather Conditions: significant rainfall, 100% cloud cover, muddy trail, flowing creeks and streams, mid-high 40s (°F)

Summary of Observations: Hiked through temperate rainforest of primarily Douglas Firs, Red Alders, Black Cottonwoods, Western Red Cedars and Western Hemlocks. Fewer Big Leaf Maples and very few (~2) Sitka Spruces. Many of the alders and maples had long moss hanging over their branches. Understory comprised of very abundant, flowering Salmonberry. Spotted multiple butterflies pollinating the Salmonberry. Also abundant in the understory was Oregon Grape (both tall and creeping) and Sword Fern. Less abundant, though still prevalent, was Huckleberry (mostly in fallen nurse logs), Red Flowering Currant, Indian Plum, Deer Fern and Salal. Spotted minimal invasive Blackberry and European Holly (though we did see one very large holly tree). Saw one patch of Devil’s Club, also saw a few Horsetails. Groundcover primarily flowering Pacific Bleeding Heart, Pink Purslane, and Maianthemum dilatatum. Also saw some invasive, weedy grasses as groundcover. Near the streams and riverbeds, saw large, flowering Skunk Cabbage. Also saw a lot of flowering Trillium, and some Sweet Coltsfoot near one of the trailheads off the old mining road (near the clay pit). Spotted some Stinging Nettle along the trail.

Species List:

  1. Populus balsamifera (Black Cottonwood)
  2. Acer macrophyllum (Big Leaf Maple)
  3. Alnus rubra (Red Alder)
  4. Thuja plicata (Western Red Cedar)
  5. Picea sitchensis (Sitka Spruce)
  6. Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas Fir)
  7. Tsuga heterophylla (Western Hemlock)
  8. Blechnum spicant (Deer Fern)
  9. Polystichum munitum (Sword Fern)
  10. Mahonia nervosa (Dull/Creeping Oregon Grape)
  11. Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape)
  12. Acer circinatum (Vine Maple)
  13. Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry)
  14. Oemleria cerasiformis (Indian Plum)
  15. Vaccinium parvifolium (Red Huckleberry)
  16. Gaultheria shallon (Salal)
  17. Dicentra formosa (Pacific Bleeding Heart)
  18. Oplopanax horridus (Devil’s Club)
  19. Lysichiton americanum (Skunk Cabbage)
  20. Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle)
  21. Petasites frigidus (Sweet Coltsfoot)
  22. Trillium ovatum (Pacific Trillium)
  23. Claytonia sibirica (Pink Purslane)
  24. Maianthemum dilatatum
  25. Genus Equisetum (Horsetails)
Posted on April 20, 2012 10:25 PM by sophiejhart sophiejhart

Observations

Photos / Sounds

What

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Red Alder (Alnus rubra)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Pacific Bleeding Heart (Dicentra formosa)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Skunk Cabbage (Lysichiton americanus)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Pacific Trillium (Trillium ovatum)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

European Holly (Ilex aquifolium)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Sweet Coltsfoot (Petasites frigidus var. palmatus)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Candy Flower (Claytonia sibirica)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Western Lily of the Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

Abundant ground cover along path.

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

Photos / Sounds

What

Horsetails (Genus Equisetum)

Observer

sophiejhart

Date

April 19, 2012

Description

See Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park (April 19, 2012) journal entry.

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