chimeravo's Journal

Date: 6.2.12
Location: Carkeek Park, Eddie McAbee Entrance. Piper’s Creek Trail
Longitude: -122.36450200000 Latitude: 47.70336600000
Time: about 14-15:00
Weather: The day was mostly clear. The sun was bright and filtered through the trees. A few fluffy cloudy drifted overhead. In the shade of the forested park, it was about 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Observations/Questions/Synthesis:

Though the day was clear and sunny, the ground and the rock I sat on are wet. It must have been raining earlier that day or the day or days before. I sit next to the stream, in a valley, on a gravel path. The gravel of the trail goes all the way down to the stream. The only plants able to grow in this gravel are the Giant Horsetails (Equisetum telmatiea) (more about these later). Along the trail grew what I identified as Large Leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum) (more on this later) and Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens). The bank/hill without the trail is the steepest (probably 70-80 degree angle). That slope and directly along the trail grew a ton of salmonberries. The whole slope was almost completely dominated by them. I noticed that some of the berries were yellow while others were red. Why do they have differences in color? I noticed that the color of berries was consistent on any singular bush. The color variation only occurred from bush to bush.
Other plants that grow on either slope were Himalayan Blackberries (Rubus discolor), Bracken Fern (Pteridiun aquilinum), Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), and various kinds of grasses, though these were much less prominent than the ones previously mentioned.

The forest is not hugely shaded by trees; the trees are fairly widespread and/or grow in clumps of about 5-10. The over canopy is composed mostly of Alders (Alnus) (I do not know whether these were white or red, but I would presume probably red since these are most common in our Seattle area generally). I only saw female catkins. If there were any male catkins there were very few. Most of the alders, especially the older ones, did not have white on the trunk. Why is this? What is it that makes the trunk of alders white? Perhaps the white I normally see on Alders is a type of lichen. I did not see any formidable signs of lichen anywhere in the forest. I would guess that the park is too polluted. This corner of the park is very closely surrounded by roads (and is just in the middle of the city anyway), so the algae/fungus relationship cannot survive. The alders grew from about 50-80 feet tall and the trunks were either about 2 feet or 1 foot in diameter (there were few in between). I saw a few other types of trees, Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), and Douglass Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ssp. menziesii), but they were all very small compared to the alders. They were generally no taller than 15 feet tall. The conifers had light green tips, new growth. I saw that from the trunk of a Bigleaf Maple that had been chopped down or broken new branches grew. These young branches were red. Old branches are not red like this. These branches did not produce the seeds that littered the ground and the branches of the older trees. Bigleaf Maples must need to be a certain age before it can start producing seeds (more about seeds later). It is amazing that from such a worn looking old stump fresh, healthy branches of the tree grew!
I heard quite a few different types of birds, and was only able to identify one: an American robin (Turdus migratorius). Most sang high in the trees. I think I also heard what may have been a woodpecker. There were too many walkers with dogs for the birds to venture much to the understory.
There were some plants along the bank and on the steep slope that were marked with orange tape. I was not quite sure what type of plant they were, or if they were even all the same (I took a picture of one. I did not look to see if all the marked plants were the same type because that would have required me getting wet and dirty, and I was studying at a friend’s house directly after this little escapade).

New Species:

• Giant Horsetails (Equisetum telmatiea).
• Large Leaved Avens (Geum macrophyllum)
• Bracken Fern (Pteridiun aquilinum)

Previously listed Species:

• Alders (Alnus)
• Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)
• Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)
• Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
• Douglass Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii ssp. menziesii)
• Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
• Himalayan Blackberries (Rubus discolor)
• Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
• American robin (Turdus migratorius)

Date: 5.13.12

Location: 206 Skees Road, Raymond, WA 98577. Forks Creek.
Lat: 46.5439375445, Lon: -123.5678296627
Weather: 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun, not much cooler in the shade. No clouds.
Time: 15:00-17:00

Observations and Questions:
The water of the creek is about 50-56 degrees Fahrenheit. I am not sure where it originates? Somewhere in the mountains. I will have to look it up. The water is not as high as I have seen it in the rainier seasons and not as low as in the summer (haha, it’s about spring height). The pebbles along and in the bank are generally flat and rounded. There are a lot of great skipping rocks. Some of the rocks are a little pointy. Some of the rocks are clearly made out of clay; they can be broken extremely easily. The bottom the creek (which is mostly clear), is about 6.5 feet deep and has a sedimentary layer of soft fine sand or silt (I have swum in that creek many of times). Most of the year, and now, a lot of an unidentified critters crawl along the bottom of the creek. They favor areas with rock, probably because they are better able to hold onto the stone. They make shells out of their surrounding materials such as sand, rock, needles, and sticks. What are these critters? I spent hours trying to identify them. I also saw a few of what I think are Stonefly Larvae (Plecoptera). On top of the water Water Striders (Gerridae) flitted across the surface. My best friend found a dead Signal crayfish (Pacifasticus leniusculus) in the water. On the dry rocks next to the bank I found a tiny little Grasshopper (Acrididae). I do not know what variety.
The vegetation along the edge was a ton of Sitka Sedge (carex sitchensis) and Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundincacea), a few Western Dock (Rumex occidentalis) and a few Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea).

Species List:

-unidentified bug
-Baby Salmon (Salmonidae)
-Stonefly Larvae (Plecoptera) (?)
-Water Strider (Gerridae)
-Signal crayfish (Pacifasticus leniusculus)
-Grasshopper (Acrididae) (?)
-Sitka Sedge (carex sitchensis)
-Vine Maple (Acer circinatum)
-Sitka Mountain-Ash (Sorbus sitchensis)
-Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundincacea)
-Western Dock (Rumex occidentalis)
-Common Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

5.12.12

Location: Grayland Beach, Washington
Lat: 46.8098594832, Lon: -124.1012256473
Weather: The sky was perfectly clear. Without the wind (that is, closer inland) the temperature was in mid 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The area with the wind (the areas closest to the water), were much cooler. I would estimate the wind was moving south at about 20 mph and that it was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
Time: 13:00-17:00

Observations and Questions:
The tide was rather high. The water’s edge was about 50 yards from the beginning of plant life. The beach was sandy. The sand was light gray in color. A ledge of about 1-2 feet rose where the plants started to grow. I would guess that the plant roots stabilized the sand in that area while the wind blew the sand below the plants away. I do not know why the distance between the plants and the water was so much greater than other nearby beaches (such as Washaway Beach, which is being washed away because dredges are no longer being made).
Plant variety along the bank facing the ocean: Most of the plants were low lying and hardy. European Beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria) and Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) were the most abundant. The scotch broom growing closes to the ocean grew about 1 foot tall. Further inland the Scotch Broom grew taller (about 6 feet max). The Scotch Broom freshly bloomed, but there were periodic dead stalks. I identified the European Beachgrass by the lack of a stout, erect spike (which Dunegrass has, the only other option for grass type). Also, my pojar book says that the “glumes and lemmas usually very soft-hairy” (364); this grass did not have this attribute. A few Lupine grew close to the ground amid the grass and Scotch Broom. It was not blooming. I’m not sure whether the lupine is a Seashore Lupine (Lupinus littoralis) or Small-flowered Lupine (Lupinus polycarpus). The Lupine grew close to the ground like the Seashore Lupine, but the leaves did not look as stubby as that of Seashore Lupine; it could have just been a young Small-flowered Lupine. The leaves grew in clumps of 7-8 (at least the ones I counted), which fits both varieties. The taller growing plants/shrubs were Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum), Hooker’s Willow (Salix hookeriana), and Shore Pine (Pinus contorta var. contorta). All the West-facing sides of these shrubs were bare of leaves. The Evergreen huckleberry was blooming. The Hooker’s Willow’s white tufts were not tight little balls, but elongated and flaky/whispy.
Other life along the same bank: Ladybugs (Coccinellidae), probably about a hundred, were in about 2 feet radius.
Shells: On the beach, close to the water line, I came across Dungeness crab shells and what might have belonged to Margarites pupillus. The crab shells were not attached to bodies or claws, but I did see a few scattered claws.
Birds: There were very few birds out. I saw probably only two seagulls total. One of them was very far away so I could not see it clearly. The seagull that I saw more clearly was all white except for the wings. The wings were a light gray in color, slightly speckled with white. Does this speckled-ness perhaps suggest it was a young bird?
Farther inland where the gravel road (leading to the beach) meets the sand: The brush becomes much denser and taller shrubs and trees become more common. The most common tree was the Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis). Right along the gravel there was Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) and Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella), and what was possibly Sweet Vernalgrass (Anthoxanthum odoratum). I saw a bright, metallic blue fly land on a piece of grass. I have no idea what it was doing. Maybe just resting? I also saw an ant hill (Formica obscuriventris). I did not see many, if any, ants carrying food to the hill. The hill was very active.
I also saw a Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris brassicae) flying alongside the road.

Species list:

-Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius)
-Ladybug (Coccinellidae)
-Seashore Lupine (Lupinus littoralis) or Small-flowered Lupine (Lupinus polycarpus)
-European Beachgrass (Ammophila arenaria)
-Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)
-Hooker’s Willow (Salix hookeriana)
-Shore Pine (Pinus contorta var. contorta)
-Evergreen Huckleberry (Vaccinium ovatum)
-Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
-Dungeness Crab (Metacarcinus magister)
-Field Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense)
-Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)
-Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis)
-Ant (Formica obscuriventris)
-Blue Fly (Eudasyphora)
-Sweet Vernalgrass (Anthoxanthum odoratum) (?)
-Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris brassicae)

-Unknown shell (Margarites pupillus perhaps?)

5.5.12

Location: University of Washington Farm.
Lat: 47.6519999188, Lon: -122.3091417952
Weather: The day was mostly sunny with scattered clouds. I would estimate the temperature to have been about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

I went back to visit the bee hives to take photographs. while I was there I noticed a few things…

The Bombus vosnesenskii: I identified the bee by noting its coloring and pattern (which is noted on paper in my Journal).
Sighting 1-This bee flew from flower to flower, sticking its face deep into each one. The flower type was comfrey (symphytym officinale).
Sighting 2-Walking back to Haggett Hall from the UW honey bee hives, I saw another one of these bees. If flew low to the ground, not pausing to stop. I didn't see any flowers in the near vicinity and the area was shaded by trees.

Honeybee (apis mellifera): Most of the bees carrying pollen on their hind legs carried yellow clumps of pollen. However, others carried red pollen clumps. Does the differing color depend on the flower type? If so, then wouldn't some bees have orange clumps if they mixed yellow with red pollen? I did not notice any that had orange clumps though. Perhaps bees tend to find and pollenate clumps of flowers of the same type.

Date: 4.17.12

Location: Union Bay Natural Area (near the water’s edge rather than in a grove of trees)
Lat: 47.6539772387, Lon: -122.2938638603
Time: 13:00-14:30
Weather: Full sun. The few clouds visible are wispy and high in the sky. A slight wind.

Observations and things taught/learned:

General: I sat next to the bank of Lake Washington. There were no trees in the direct vicinity (the nearest trees were about 100 yards away). Most trees cannot grow that close to the water because they would get waterlogged and probably start to rot. I am also guessing that the ground wouldn’t have all the nutrients most trees of the area need to survive (possibly because the water washes it away?). While sitting in the grass, I decided once and for all, I am, in fact, allergic to grass. My legs, started to itch like crazy, and when I got up I had rashes all over. I have sat in grass many times before, but I always rather hoped that I maybe it was just bugs in the grass or something. Alas, that is not the case. What is it in the grass that I am allergic to? Why are so many people allergic to it? If I sat in a field of other kinds of plants, would there be others that I would be allergic to as well?

Individual plant and animal descriptions:
All along the bank (even in the water), as far of the bank I could see in either direction, grew Cattails (Typha latifolia). Many of the top “corn-shaped” flower clusters were fibrous (these fibers, I learned, hold the seeds produced by the female flowers).
Next to the bank in the water, presumably in a relatively shallow area, grew White Water Buttercups (Ranunculus aquatilis). They were not flowering.
Amid the White Water Buttercups were a few, thought not many, of what I think is Fragrant Water Lilies (Nymphaea odorata). These too were not flowering, and so were hard to identify (I judged by leaf shape). They were mostly brown. They appeared to be rotting. I wonder why they appeared this way? There were other water lilies (I am not certain of the type) in the distance along a bank across from mine that were not brown/rotting.
Common Horsetails (Equisetum arvense) grew next to the Cattails, though further inland. They grew amid grass and brambles.
There was a type of buttercup, what I identified as Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens) due to the wet environment in which it grew and the leaf shape, that grew amid the grass. The plants were extremely young. The leaves were a lightish green and very small. They were not flowering.
A field on the side of the gravel path farthest from the water was filled with the dried stalks of Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota).
Young sprouts of Orchard Morning Glory (Convolvulus arvensis) (?) grew next to the bank. The morning glory that grows at home is extremely pervasive. It takes over massive areas quickly, mapping the ground with its white roots. The roots of morning glories (as I have had much experience with since I work on a raspberry and bean farm and thus I do quite a lot of weeding) will sprout when they are chopped up and detached from leaves. Instead of putting them in compost heaps as we do with most weeds, we burn them of put them in wheel barrels to dry out in the sun. They are crazy! Why is it they are so invasive?
I saw a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) flying over the lake. It passed by quickly so I didn’t observe much about it.
I saw many Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). Most of them flitted among the Cattails. Why is it the tops of the wings have bright red and yellow? How can one tell the difference between the males and females?
A crow flew over me that I think to be either a Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) or an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos). I didn’t see it well enough to tell the identify it as one or the other.
Three Bumblebees (Genus Bombus) buzzed by me (further inland) at three separate times as I lay in the grass. Each flew by rather quickly, as if they were on a mission. Normally when I see bumblebees they are “bumbling” around, meaning wavering up and down and landing on leaves, the ground, or flowers, and then flying again to land on something else. There were no flowers in the vicinity, which is probably why there were not interested in staying and “bumbling.”
I also saw several of what I know to be Cormorants (disambiguation). Several dove under the water, probably fishing for food. There were other birds with these cormorants that I thought might be cormorants as well, but black and white rather than just black. These aired and flapped their wings.

Species List:

• Cattail (Typha latifolia)
• White Water Buttercup (Ranunculus aquatilis)
• Fragrant Water Lilies (Nymphaea odorata)
• Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
• Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)
• Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)
• Orchard Morning Glory (Convolvulus arvensis)
• Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
• Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus)
• Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) or American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
• Bumblebee (Genus Bombus)
• Cormorants (disambiguation)

Previous Species Seen:
-Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
-Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
-Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)

Date 4.17.12

Location: Outside Haggett Hall at the University of Washington
Lat: 47.6592165, Lon: -122.3042679
Time: 13:00-14:00
Weather: Cloudy day with light sprinkles. I could not feel much wind, but that could have been because buildings blocked it from reaching the wooded area where I was.

Observations and things taught/learned:

This day, I simply went to a small wooded area right in front of my dorm. The variety of trees was extensive. There were Bigleaf Maples, Cedars, Douglas Firs, and Madrones. But the ones I would most like to talk about and noted, were the trees that I have seen and mentioned the least since starting this journal…
Buckeye (Aesculus) was one of the many trees that formed the canopy. Its leaves were fully formed (not dropping or particularly young). I believe there were some remnants of white flowers blooming, but it was hard to tell because they were so high up. The leaves are very distinctive in that they grow linked in (and splayed out) in groups of five.
I found that Pacific Crab Apple (Malus fusca) grew in a variety of heights. Some appeared almost to be bushes while others grew much taller (30-40 ft). I saw the remnants of white flowers; it must have just been blooming not too long before.
The Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) (maybe just general Birch, Genus Betula) trees had rather small leaves. The shape of the leaves reminded me of an aspen, except that these had small ridges while the quaking aspen leaves were smooth along the edges. The bark was mostly white and appeared to peal in horizontal lines along the trunk every so often. I cannot help but think of the poem "Birches" by Robert Frost. I wonder if the type of Birch tree he describes in the poem is different? Because in the poem he describes them as having flexible branches. Are these flexible as well? I will have to test it.

English Ivy (Hedera helix) covered most of the understory of the wooded area. It grew thickly on the ground. One area, I noticed a few days earlier, had been cleared of ivy by a group of students. The leaves feel durable and thick. The plant is definitely extremely pervasive.
The Rhododendron (Azalea, Genus Rhododendron) was in full bloom. (I do not know what type of Rhododendron, probably not Pacific Rhododendron). The flowers were a brilliant pink. It grew in the shade under a canopy of trees. The area around its roots was mostly clear of underbrush. When I was a little kid, my back yard had a line of massive rhododendron bushes that grew along the fence of an alley. My best friend and I played games and climbed on he branches of the bush. The ground over the roots was clear then too. The leaves of these were soft and look almost matted (verses glossy).
Another bush I saw was I have no idea what it was, so I posted it on iNaturalist. Hopefully someone can help me identify it. These berries were dark blue, but they did not form like blueberries where the bottom has formed a ring (where the berry has dropped the flower); there was only a little dot. The berries were also slightly elongated, oval in shape.
I thought I saw quite a few Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) (some areas the ground for 10 square feet were almost completely covered by them), but I found it strange how much they hugged the ground. Richard Olmstead corrected me on iNaturalist informing me that it’s Symphoricarpos (probably S. alba). They were rarely taller than a 3 ft. I saw no flowers or seeds, just leaves. Each leaf is a couple centimeters in diameter. The area underneath many of them was clear, someone probably cleared the area of Ivy, or the soil was lacking in nutrients, or the roots of the huckleberries took up the space that Ivy would need to grow, and/or light blockage prevents the Ivy from thriving underneath.
At first glance I thought that the Trailing black current (Ribes laxiflorum) was a Red-flowering currant, but then that didn't seem to fit. It grew lower to the ground than the ones I'd previously seen, it's flowers were slightly lighter in color, and the flowers did not grow in as large of clumps (in groups of 3-4 max rather than 10-15).

Species list:

• Trailing black current (Ribes laxiflorum)
• Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis).
• Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera) (Or just general Birch, Genus Betula)
• Azalea (Genus Rhododendron)
• Pacific Crab Apple (Malus fusca)
• Snowberry (Symphoricarpos probably S. alba)
• English Ivy (Hedera helix)
• Buckeye (Aesculus)
• One unknown

Previously Mentioned species seen:
-Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
-Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata)
-Madrones (Arbutus menziesii)
-Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Date 4.14.12

Location: The Trail next to parking lot E5 at the University of Washington.
Latand long
Time: 13:30-15:30 PM
Weather: The day has been mostly sunny with scattered clouds. However, at around 1 o’clock, clouds prevailed. Slight winds. No rain as of yet (though it probably came soon after).

Observations and things taught/learned:
For recording one’s surroundings for a Naturalist project by sketching, three styles of drawing were suggested: gesture, contour, and diagrammatic sketching. Gesture drawing is getting the basic shape (proportionally) of something quickly, sometimes with added details if one has the time. Contour is a record of the outline of subjects, where things come together. Diagrammatic drawing helps to show how something works. (I think that these forms of drawing can be mixed). Pay attention to proportion by using scale comparisons (such as a pencil or “viewfinder”), squinting sometimes helps. Pay attention to rhythms and directional forces as well.
I stopped to draw in a grove of miscellaneous trees. All of the trees were young and thin (trunks within about 5 inches on average). There were a variety of trees growing. I later identified three main species of trees: Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides),
Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), and White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia). The understory was thick with Himalayan Blackberries and Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum). On the outskirts of the grove grew a kind of Apple (Malus domestica).
I identified the Quaking Aspen by the shape of its leaves and the way in in which they “quake.” When the wind blows through them, the rustling sounds like the light pattering of rain. I noticed that unlike the Bigleaf Maple, the Aspen’s branches curve upwards rather than forming a straight angle.
I saw an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) land on the branch of a Bigleaf Maple for a few moments.

Other:

Species List:
-Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
-Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)
-White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia)
-Red Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum)
-Apple (Malus domestica)
-American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

Species Previously Mentioned:
-Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)

Date: 4.9.12

Location: A wooded area at the end of Elm Street in Raymond, WA.
Time: 12:00
Weather: The day was veiled by a thin layer of brightly illuminated clouds. The air was warm, about 70 degrees with brief slight cooler breezes. The days previous were cloudy, but much cooler probably in the mid 50-60 degrees.

Observations and things taught/learned:
Most of the forest is comprised of young Red Alders (Alnus rubra) about 10” or less in diameter. They are spaced about 2-15’ from each other. A few Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata) are mixed in with these alders. The area has clearly been clear-cut and the first things to grow (or were planted) were the alders. The understory consists of common lawn grasses, False Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), young European Holly (Ilex aquifolium), thickly layered Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus), Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), and what I believe to be False Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum). There was a couple of another unknown bush/trees that I have not yet identified [posted on iNaturalist]. I heard the buzzing of bees. One, a Bumblebee (disambiguation), flew towards me and circled me about 5 times and then flew away again. They are appropriately named “bumblebee” because they seem to “bumble” along as they fly, wavering up and down in irregular patterns. Two Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus) jumped out of the brush and into the clearing of the pathway about 20 feet away from where I was standing. The deer of this area are surprisingly unafraid of people. I have had previous experience in this particular neighborhood and surrounding woods and neighborhoods. They are used to seeing humans and thus have become less cautious than they should be (though in this particular instance I wasn’t going to complain). They jumped away again in great, leaping bounds in which all of their feet were off the ground. A few minutes later I heard the harsh braying of a deer and then saw a head pop up in the distance as a deer (I think one of the ones I saw earlier) leap over the brush (I think it was another deer calling to the one that I saw leaping). While walking back, alongside the road I saw many Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowering and Hairy Cat's-Ear (Hypochaeris radicata), which was not yet flowering.

Other:
-Why do bumblebees (and other bees/hornets) circle people?
-When and why do deer choose to use their bray-noise/thing?

Species List:
-False Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)
-European Holly (Ilex aquifolium)
-Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus)
-Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
-False Lily-of-the-Valley (Maianthemum dilatatum)
-Bumblebee (disambiguation)
-Black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
-Common Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
-Hairy Cat's-Ear (Hypochaeris radicata),

Previously Listed Species Present:
-Red Alders (Alnus rubra)
-Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata)
-Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)

Date: 4.1.12
Location: Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, Washington
Weather: The day was overcast. It rained/sprinkled off and on for the couple hours we were there.
Climate: Moist, but mild coast-like climate.

Observations and things taught/learned: The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge is located at the end of the Nisqually River where it meets the sound. The area is a wetland. Most of the path was a boardwalk or elevated, graveled trail. Here, we mostly identified birds. I saw Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), a Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), a flock of Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis), and an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus). I also saw a smaller bird, perhaps a wren of some kind, though I’m not sure [posted on iNaturalist], living in near the wetlands. The mallards swam on the river, the Red-tailed Hawk sat midway up in what I believe was a Red Alder. The Hawk, though there were about twenty of us within 20ft from it, was not startled by our presence. The Canadian Geese, of which there were hundreds, slept, cleaned themselves, and pecked at the ground in a grassy, red muddy land that protruded out into the river [what is this kind of grassland known as?]. As I walked toward them, the ones closest to move walked in a horizontal straight line in the other direction. There were two other geese that I had noticed at the beginning of the trail, these two were not with the large flock [why?]. The Osprey flew over grassy lands like those that the geese grazed on. This grassland, however, was broken up by more streams and had a few bare, scraggly brown bushes all in a row next to a stream. There were also various tall tree trunks spread over the grassland [posted on iNaturalist]. Slithering its way through the grass, a classmate found a Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans). We also, on two separate occasions, found a Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla). The first tree frog hid under leaves.

Other: Why were there dead trunks protruding from the wettest grasslands? Why are the trees so evenly spread out rather than clumped together? What type of tree were they? Why did they grow there? Were they there before that area flooded?

Species List:
-Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
-Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
-Canadian Geese (Branta canadensis)
-Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
-Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla)
-Western Terrestrial Garter Snake (Thamnophis elegans).
-an unknown bird [to be identified on iNaturalist]

Date: 3.31.12
Location: Trail of Shadows, Longmire, Washington
Weather: As we got higher in elevation, the sky cleared considerably. Most of the sky was clear except for a few puffy clouds.
Climate: Considering this area is high in elevation and that it is the end of March and there is about 2 feet of snow on the ground under the trees (when I stepped off the trail I sunk down quite a distance; it was hard to get out), I would deem it safe to conclude that snow covers the ground approximately 7-8 months a year.

Observations and things taught/learned:
Most of the canopy in the wooded area consisted of Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia), and Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata). However, we also saw Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia). The undergrowth, in comparison to Packwood Forest that we saw earlier the same day, was almost non-existent. Most of the ground was covered by 1-2 feet of snow. The snow could have hidden some of the lower growing understory.
The trail loops around a marshy area where beavers have built a multiple layered dam [on iNaturalist]. The mud is extremely red and bubbles issue in streams from under the water. The bubbles are CO2. [I do not know what Susan said was the cause of the Co2 forming? iNaturalist]. On the water in the middle of the marsh/pond I saw 2-4 Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) swimming on the water. There was definitely one male and one female. A reddish/grassy/sedge-like plant grew extensively in the water. It grew in clumps and spread from about 5-20ft into the beaver pond. In a different, slightly more shaded area (an area where the pond started forming streams) grew Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus). There were few other plants around it.

Other:
-A tree grew straight up, made a 90 degree angle, and then grew upward again. Why? Normally strange bends like that are caused by the earth the tree is growing on to be slanted against the sun, but I do not think this is the case in the scenario? [question asked on iNaturalist].
-Why do beavers build multiple layers of dams within the same marsh/pond?
-I saw a tree with Horizontal lines of small holes (about a cm wide or less) about 5-10 ft from the base of the tree, either a Hemlock or Douglass Fir (I didn't take note, but I think I have seen similar holes in both types of trees). Inside the holes there were collections of an unknown grayish/white material, perhaps bark (though the coloring looked different than that of the surrounding bark)? What could the material be? I would like to find out some day.

Species list mentioned in journal:
-Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
-Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia)
-Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata)
-Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
-Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus)
-Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
-White Beak-Rush (Rhynchospora alba)?

Other species:
-Lipstick Cladonia (Cladonia maccilenta)