Seward Park- Final
For the final, I made the trek to Seward Park, a place that was once an island. I think island ecology can be very interesting-you never know what you might find, even on an isolated island. From what I know about Seward Park, it was an island which gained land access once Lake Washington was drained when the locks were constructed. I grew up in a nearby house and know this area very well. The weather is cold, overcast and muggy. I walked up the trail to the amphitheater and soon followed a path deeper into the forest. I noticed that many species along the trail were the common species I see every time I go hiking. The overall makeup of the island forest is quite similar to the Cougar Mountain Wildland Park. Many similar plants include thimbleberries, Western Red Cedars, Douglas Firs, ferns, buttercups, and oregon grape. I found that I could easily identify many species of plants. The sound of birds singing was ever present on my journey, however, I couldn't identify many of them because I don't know their sounds well enough. I saw and heard many crows-common in an urban park. I saw very small birds that would land on the forest floor frequently, similar to the Savannah Sparrow. I didn't encounter any mammals or amphibians. I also didn't find any visible fungi besides mycelium-I was arduously looking for them under fallen trees and stumps. I noticed there were quite a few non native species such as the California Redwood.