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Important Features for Identification:

general:

• >2 cm long
  habitat:
  -far up slightly sloping sandy beaches
  range:
  -Vancouver Island to Laguna Beach, California.
  ecology:
  -tends to high in shallow burrows or under seaweed during the day but emerges at night or during overcast weather to feed on decaying seaweed and other organic debris.

Notes: similar to the Pale Beach Hopper (Megalorchestia columbiana) but slightly larger in size and has red antennae.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-up to 60 m tall with narrow crown
leaves:
-needles short, flat, blunt, widely and irregularly spaced, of unequal length (5-20 mm long)
-yellowish-green on top
-2 fine lines of stomata on lower surface
-flattened sprays
cones:
-small (~2 cm long), oblong purplish-green to brown when mature.
ecology:
-fairly dry to wet sites
-well adapted to grow on humus and decaying wood, mineral soil, shade tolerant
-common in low to mid elevations

Notes: often confused with the Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) which have 1) equal length needles (1-3 cm long); bluish-green in colour; covered equally by stomata on upper and lower surfaces; sprays not flattened 2) longer cones (3-8 cm) 3) less shade tolerant thus often forms over-story of forests.

Other: Make tea! The needles are high in vitamin C (taste sour!)

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-up to 60 m tall
-branches tend to spread or droop slightly then turn upward (J-shaped)
-branchlets spraylike, strongly flattened horizontally
-bark grey to reddish-brown; tearing off in long fibrous strips
-aromatic wood
leaves:
-scale-like
-opposite pairs in 4 rows; leaves in one pair folded, the leaves in the other not
cones:
-seed cones with 8-12 scales; egg shaped (~1 cm long)
ecology:
-moist to wet soils, usually in shaded forests
-also occurs in drier habitats, especially on richer soils and in bogs
-low to medium elevations

Notes: often mistaken with the Yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) but can be distinguished by 1) its leaves have two opposite rows of folded leaves and two opposite rows of non-folded leaves 2) Leaves are lighter green in colour 3) When crushed Redcedar leaves are pleasant smelling compared to the Yellow-cedar which smell unpleasant and mildewy 4) when branchlets are stroked "against the grain" Yellow-cedar is prickly and Redcedar is not 5) cones of the yellow-cedar are brownish cones with 4-6 woody, mushroom shaped scales 6) when the inner bark of the yellow-cedar is exposed it is yellowish and smells like raw potatoes.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-black to olive green body with yellow-tipped keels (warning for ability to exude toxic hydrogen cyanide)
-adults 4-5 cm in length
range:
-from SE Alaska to California and as far east as the Sierra Nevada Mountains

Notes: two other species of Harpaphe occur in the same range. H. pottera (can only be distinguished by examining the male gonopods) and H. telodonta (slightly more brown with strongly pointed keels).

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-yellow, green, brown or white bodies (can change depending on diet and moisture in their environment) with dark black spots.
-hump on their back and mantle
-pneumostome for respiration located on the right side of their mantle
-two pairs of tentacles
-covered in slime
-second largest slug in the world (up to 25 cm)
habitat:
-forest floors
range:
-Alaska to California

Notes: the dark black spots can be so extensive that they make the animal look almost all black.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-broad skulls with narrow muzzle and large jaw hinges
-short and rounded black or greyish-brown claws
-small, rounded ears
-large variation in coat colour depending on region (white, blonde, cinnamon, light brown, dark brown, jet black).
size:
-males 57-250 kg
-females 41-170 kg
habitat:
-prefer relatively inaccessible terrain, thick under story vegetation and large quantities of food.

Notes: Due to the variation in coat colour, Black Bears can be mistaken for Grizzle Bears but can be distinguished by their smaller size, less concave skulls, shorter claws and absence of shoulder hump.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-perennial, usually small clustered bulbs, smelling strongly of onion.
leaves:
-remaining green during flowering
flowers:
-pink to rose-purple
numerous in "nodding"
ecololgy:
-dry open woods and exposed grassy places, rocky crevices and sandy soils, often with Douglas Fir;
-scattered but locally common
-low elevations

Notes: CAUTION wild onion bulbs often grow in the same habitat as death-camas (these do not have an onion smell - do not eat!). the genus Allium contains onions, garlic, leeks and chives.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-square carapace
-body typically purple with dark spots on claws (but may be olive or red-brown)
-walking legs hairless
size:
-5.5 cm wide carapace
habitat:
-under rock, intertidal
range:
-Yakobi Island, Alaska to Mexico

Notes: differentiated from the Yellow Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus oregonensis) which has hairy legs and grey - dark green or white or mottled body.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-perennial aromatic herb (fragrant leaves)
leaves:
-fern-like, pinnately dissected
flowers:
-ray flowers usually ~5
-white to pink or reddish
-flat or round-topped cluster
fruits:
-pappus lacking

Notes: aka A. Borealis. Is a taxonomically complex species and has been the subject of extensive research. It is recognized as a single, variable species for ecological purposes on the NW coast of North America.

Important Features for Identification:

general:
-large up to 1.5 m tall
leaves:
-erect leaves forming a crown
-stipe is dry-scaly
-once pinnate
-sharp toothed
sori:
-underside of leaf
-round, centrally attached

Note: 2 of the most common other Polystichums are the Braun's holly fern (but it has twice-pinnate leaves) and Mountain Holly Fern (but it is smaller and shinier and more leathery).