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?)
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)
