Deception Pass 5/12/12

On the day of the field trip, I instead traveled north to Deception Pass to explore and enjoy the weather and observe more species. Our day started by following a trail that led down a steep grade and into a large covered forest dominated by firs, cedars, and pines. The trail split off into multiple smaller trails going in all different directions. I noticed the understory was dominated by snowberry, salal, and oregon grape but there were also some species I had not seen in the Seattle area. It began with indian paintbrush which I found in a clearing on a hillside which was also in close proximity to lavender peavine. As we followed the trail along the shore, I saw many different wildflowers that I had not seen before such as western starflower and an unknown purple flower. Further down the trail, it opened up to a rocky meadow overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It was here that I observed colorado stonecrop and common yarrow growing out of the rocky substrate. From the clearing, I made my way down to the beach and found barnacles glued to the rocks and bull kelp lining the shore. As I continued back on the trail, I came to an opening on a plateau covered in grasses and flowers such as daisies and another white flower I could not identify. We then took another trail back and went back into the forest where I found two species of fungi that I found interesting. It was a great day at Deception Pass and very refreshing to see species I would not otherwise see in the Seattle area.

Posted on May 31, 2012 03:38 AM by twitwer