Diario de chimeravo

Date: 3.31.12
Location: Pack Forest, Washington
Weather: The sky was covered by a heavy blanket of thick clouds. There were a few sprinkles of rain, but not much. The temperature was in the mid 50s I would guess.
Climate: The forest was lush (very little, if any, area uncovered by either thick plants or mosses), mostly green/browns, and moist. I would therefore conclude that the climate of that region is fairly mild.

Observations and things taught/learned:

On the drive to Pack Forest, I learned that lichen is a combination of fungus and algae, (they wrap around each other to form what we know as lichen) and therefore, they are more susceptible to pollution (which is why lichen are less common in the city because whichever sensitivities one has the other reacts to as well and also partly the reason they thrive in Packwood forest).

The canopy of the forest was formed predominantly by Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia) trees overhead. Douglass fir needles spiral around the branches and have pointy buds. Hemlock needles are softer, and rather than spiraling, they form platform-like flat structures. The top of Western Hemlock trees, when seen from a distance, often droop. Below the canopy were various bushy plants: Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis), Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis), Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium), and Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum). All of these were blooming except for the Red Huckleberry. The understory below these taller shrubs consisted mostly of Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Common Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), Dull Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa), English Ivy (Hedera helix), and various mosses and lichen. (though Salal, Common Bearberry, Dull Oregon Grape, and are considered a shrub, they were considerably lower to the ground than the others).

Farther up the slightly sloping trail (about ¼ mile), the soil became more wet and marshy. This is where we first start seeing Madrones (Arbutus menziesii) mixed into the canopy. Little streams ran about 40ft wide across the slope, making crossing the area without wetting shoes and socks difficult. The water emerged from little holes directly from the ground or just ran over the ground winding its way through the plants. Growing in the water I/we discovered an unidentifiable black/brown-topped mushroom (posted on iNaturalist). The marshy area had a lesser number of coniferous trees, a lesser density of understory plants, and a slight increase in fallen trees and branches. Most of the trees in this area were Red Alders (Alnus rubra). [Perhaps the conifers need firmer soil because of weaker root structures? Or maybe the water washes away some of the nitrogen in the soil making it harder for them to get the nutrients they need? Perhaps the alders acquire oxygen more easily than conifers enabling them to live in wet regions while the conifers cannot?]. A few minutes later I discovered a stream about 1-2ft wide farther up the slope where most of the water originated. I also found a three-leafed plant with a white flower budding growing right next to the 1-2ft stream. I believe the plant to possibly be Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum) (also posted on iNaturalist).

Other miscellaneous notes:
-Packwood forest is a glacial area.
-The red tops of alders are male catkins.
-Robins peck in mowed, grassy fields.
-Holes about 2-5 inches wide in dead tree trunks are homes for some kind of owl.
-Why was it someone said the Hemlock would not prevail?

Species list mentioned in Daily Journal:
-Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
-Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia)
-Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis)
-Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis)
-Red Huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium)
-Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum)
-Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
-Common Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
-Dull Oregon Grape (Mahonia nervosa)
-English Ivy (Hedera helix)
-Madrones (Arbutus menziesii)
-Red Alders (Alnus rubra)

• Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum)

Other Species seen:
-Hooded Bone Lichen (Hypogumnia physodes)
-Tree-Ruffle Liverwort (Porella navicularis)
-Common Witch's Hair (Alectoria sarmentosa)
-Lungwort (Lobaria pulmonaria)

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)

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: 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 4.14.12

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 4.17.12

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: 4.17.12

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)