Ravenna Park 4/13/2012

Ravenna Park 4/13/2012 4:00 PM Lat: 47.6715421, Lon: -122.303767
Weather: warm, sunny, blue-sky day with a slight breeze.
I go to Ravenna Park pretty often, on runs or sunny days, but this was the first time I looked closely at some of the species present. I saw tons of robins, especially around the open grassy field. Around the edges of the park are many trees in bloom with pink, white, and yellow flowers. As you go into the woods the vegetation begins to look more like the natural Pacific Northwest greenery. There are lots of little streams around the lower trails. There are pine, madrone, and maple trees, as well as what I identified as birch. The understory is mostly ferns and other green shrubs. There is some moss and lichen, but less than the amount at Pack Forest. One species I found particularly interesting was the giant horsetail. Lately I have seen these growing everywhere near water. Even in extremely polluted areas such as under the 45th street bridge leading to the university village. From my guidebook I learned that these grasses, which look like giant spiny asparagus, often grow near water or in moist areas. Native American tribes around the Pacific Northwest used to eat them.
Another interesting tree I hadn’t seen before was the Sticky Currant. It had velvety looking closed blooms but when you touch them they are sticky instead of soft. The leaves are also sticky and covered in little hairs. Nearby I found a related stink currant. Although I didn’t notice its smell, the serrated 7 lobed leaves matched the picture in the guidebook. The leaves sagged downward from the point where they were connected to the branch.
I found a tiny little snail under a log. When I got home I searched snails of the Pacific Northwest and I assume that it was an Oregon Forestsnail. When I picked it up the snail retreated into it’s shell so I didn’t see it’s body much. There were no other snails with it. I put it back on the ground and waited to see if it would come out of its shell or move but it did not.
After I went home I decided to research the history of the area. I wanted to know how long it had been a park, where the streams came from, and what was there before the park. The area that is now known as Cowen or Ravenna Park was once covered by the Vashon Ice Glacial Sheet. When the Glacier melted there were streams that connected from the park to Greek Lake. There is leftover glacial till and lots of little rocks in the woods and soil. The park has changed its name several times and shrunk in size over the years. The area has inspired many artists and authors over the years.

Species Identified
• Oregon Forestsnail: Allogona townsendiana
• Sticky Currant: Ribes viscosissimum
• Stink Currant: Ribes bracteosum
• Pacific Madrone: Arbutus menziesii
• Common Ivy: Hedera helix
• Giant Horsetail: Equisetum telmateia
• Paper Birch: Betula papyrifera
• Bitter Cherry: Prunus emarginata
• Pacific Crab Apple: Malus fusca
• Old man’s beard: Clematis drummondii

Posted on May 1, 2012 01:55 AM by brooke