Observations by lhuynh10

Growing on a log, they're commonly found all over the world. The name comes from the resemblance of the tail of a wild turkey and the variation of colors on the mushroom. This fungi is popular to moths and caterpillars. It is considered a medicinal mushroom in eastern medicine. These were small in size, found in an area that is a wetland part of the year. The area is occupied by pollinators, ducks, native and migratory birds, Great Blue Herons, and most commonly crows.

Found on a piece of land that was previous a toxic site. The inside of these flowers are waxy or glossy, kind of like the finish of butter. There are five overlapping petals. They produce seeds, they're invasive, and toxic to grazing animals. Mostly, animals taste them and move on due to their bad taste. Sometimes, a few grazing animals develop a taste for buttercups and consume them in lethal amounts. Buttercups are listed under the Weed of Concern list.

Soon to bloom, this plant was found on a flat area of land. The land was dominated with grass, weeds, and booming with pollinators. This plant is attractive to butterflies and wasps although I didn't see any butterflies out. Their flowers are white, and the roots may be edible when young. The crushed seeds were once thought to be a form of birth control.

Found on a plant with evidence of spittlebugs. This one was found in the Union Bay Natural Area, next to the University of Washington's campus, previously a garbage dump site. The area was flat and part of the year, a wetland. The surrounding vegetations are mostly grass and weeds, young deciduous trees, and forbs such as the daucus carota. The area on a sunny like today was blooming with pollinators.

I got absolutely excited seeing this woodpecker on my walk to the Union Bay Natural Area, off of UW's campus. Mostly, because I've never seen one a couple feet from me, but for other reasons because I've never seen them at work. The red stripe on this woodpecker's head immediately made me think that it is a pileated woodpecker. It was about the size of a crow, pecking at a trunk of a deciduous tree submerged in pond water. I believe it was scouring for insects, not sure if it was a male or female, but I air on it being a female. There didn't seem to have a red line from the bill to the throat like males have. The surrounding vegetations were cattails, deciduous trees with small birds and many ducks. The woodpecker was out probably because it was a sunny day, high in the 60s; the weather for insects.