Diario de eajohnson6

These somewhat blurry photos are of a few American Robins, or Turdus migratorius, that were in a family member's yard this afternoon. I thought that they were super cute and I realized that I had not given birds any attention thus far on iNaturalist! They looked like they were eating berries or something off of a tree that was near to where I was standing. The only issue was that my dog scared them away before I could take better photos. In a post from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's website page titled "Alaska's Backyard Birds: American Robin", the author explains that "robins entering Southeast Alaska in early April and arriving at Shageluk, Alaska, almost 700 miles north on April 26.". On top of that, the robin migrates in the summertime and the span of its all the way up to the Brooks Range and out to the Aleutian Island chain (Bird Viewing: Alaska's Backyard Birds--American Robin). The timing of the arrival of the robins makes sense, though, because if I remember correctly, they usually have been in the Ketchikan area for a few weeks at this point. In the past, I have seen robin nests in some trees at this same yard. It may be worth checking out again to see if there are more.

Also, in my research for this post, I found a very helpful website for bird watching purposes titled “Cornell Lab All About Birds”. It has slides of different close-up images that are really helpful for identification, maps of the species’ migration and sightings, as well as an area with different bird sounds to help identify them. I will link the website below.

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=birdviewing.backyardbirds&species=thrush

Works Cited

“American Robin Overview.” Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_robin/overview. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

“Bird Viewing: Alaska’s Backyard Birds--American Robin.” State of Alaska, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=birdviewing.backyardbirds&species=thrush#anchor. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

This Alpine Haircap Moss, or Polytrichastrum alpinum, is a moss species that I had not seen before! Although it is naturally occurring, I have also seen it planted in landscaping and gardening uses—especially in a potted flower arrangement. I observed this species when I was getting back into my car after a hike on the Lunch Creek Trail outside of Ketchikan. While on the hike, it occurred to me that there are not a lot of wildlife, plants, or just wild specimens across the board that are new to me or I haven’t seen before in the Ketchikan area. As a matter of fact, I tried to find something new to me on the hike but could not come up with anything. Then, when I thought that I had failed at my mission, I found this specimen about twenty feet in front of where my car was parked. Sometimes, that is the way that life works! Although I could not find a ton about this species, I did find that something unique to this type of moss is that it has fewer leaves around the base of the plant (Fretwell et al.). I have seen similar types of moss in other areas of the United States, but not this specific species. When looking at the species, it looks less like a moss and more like some low-growing cover plant, but it is indeed a moss. I attempted to research if this plant was a domestic plant or if it was introduced from elsewhere but could not find anything that said one way or another.

Works Cited
Fretwell, Kelly, et al. “Alpine Haircap Moss • Polytrichastrum Alpinum.” Biodiversity of the Central Coast, 2014, www.centralcoastbiodiversity.org/alpine-haircap-moss-bull-polytrichastrum-alpinum.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2024.

This specimen is one that I have been waiting to upload on iNaturalist. Skunk Cabbage is a quintessential marker of spring time in Southeast Alaska. When the first hint of yellow begins to emerge through the marsh, muskeg, or forest floor, I have found that my social media feed is often filled with sightings of Skunk Cabbage buds. I have often wondered if Skunk Cabbage is even related to the cabbage that can be found in the grocery store, and, as it turns out, it is actually a relative to the taro plant—both of which are in the Arum family of plants (Forest Service National Website). Growing up, I heard stories of people eating Skunk Cabbage (either out of necessity or by choice) and having extreme stomach pains and becoming ill—often to the point of needing medical intervention. According to the United States Forest Services’ article titled Yellow Skunk Cabbage, the plant itself is actually edible, however, the plant contains calcium oxalate which can cause the consumer to have a “stinging, burning sensation in the mouth when chewed raw” (Forest Service National Website). The abovementioned article also notes that Indigenous peoples learned to prepare the roots by roasting and drying them so that they be able to be used and alleviate the ill-effects that the plant may have. As a child, I can remember having “Skunk Cabbage fights” with my brother that often resulted in us being covered in the juice that Skunk Cabbage leaves ooze. Said fights often resulted in tears from one of us and our mom making us shower and put on clean clothes that did not smell like a skunk.

Works Cited
“Yellow Skunk Cabbage.” Forest Service National Website, Idaho Panhandle National Forests - Learning Center, www.fs.usda.gov/detail/ipnf/learning/?cid=fsm9_019161#:~:text=Edible%20and%20medicinal%20value%3A%20The,able%20to%20use%20this%20plant. Accessed 13 Apr. 2024.

For this week's iNaturalist post, I decided to share with you all something that has made me extremely excited for the last few days--budding huckleberries! As a quick disclaimer, I am unsure if these are blueberries or huckleberries as it is difficult to tell this early on in their budding. However, given the location typically having an abundance of huckleberries, I feel fairly confident in this specimen's identification. I found this lovely budding shrub while walking around Ward Lake in the Ketchikan area. It immediately caught my eye as I was walking past; largely because of its bright reddish pink hue among the green rainforest. Spotting this shrub has made me very excited because it is one of the first noticeable signs of spring that I watch for around Southeast Alaska. That, and skunk cabbage blooms, of course. ;)

As far as historical uses of the species are concerned, I found a lovely article written by Vivian Faith Prescott for the Capital City Weekly titled "Planet Alaska: Red Huckleberries: Food for Songbirds" that shares the author's experiences with the species as well as some facts. Something in the article that particularly stuck out to me was the Tlingit saying that Prescott shared: "Tleikatánk kanat’á een yak’éi: Red huckleberries are good with blueberries." Another tidbit of information that was found in the article was how the Indigenous peoples across the Pacific Northwest region of America used red huckleberry leaves in a medicinal setting. Not only do these bits of information relate to the species, but they also connect to last week's learnings about connecting Indigenous knowledge with modern ways of living.

Works Cited

Prescott, Vivian Faith. “Planet Alaska: Red Huckleberries: Food for Songbirds.” Juneau Empire, 31 Oct. 2019, www.juneauempire.com/news/planet-alaska-red-huckleberries-food-for-songbirds/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2024.

I found this lichen, which I believe to be Reindeer Lichen, or Cladonia rangiferina (scientific name), while on my hike this afternoon up to Perseverance Lake. The trail is one of my very favorite hikes in Southeast Alaska and is something that I try to do throughout the seasons. It has excellent bird watching, diverse landscapes, and the lake at the top is a nice reward after strenuous hills! I found this group of lichen in a mossy marsh/muskeg area that was adjacent to a small creek. Although similar, this particular lichen is not to be confused Old Mans’ Beard or Usnea Longissima as they are completely different other than both belonging to the lichen family.

Although I found this specimen in the Ketchikan area, I found some interesting facts about this species that I would like to include in this journal entry. The scientific section of the Brittanica Library writes that it is used by mammals such as musk oxen and caribou in more northern ecosystems. On top of that, the same Library included that the lichen is used in Scandinavian countries in alcohol production. This is something that I find to be very interesting! I work at a distillery that produces its own spirits and I cannot imagine using lichen as part of the distilling process—mainly because of its high-water content. The last fact that I have about this species is that it is very slow growing and tends to grow between 0.12 to 0.2 inches per year (Petruzello). That is not a lot of growth!

Works Cited
“Reindeer Lichen.” Edited by Melissa Petruzello, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., www.britannica.com/science/reindeer-lichen. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

I found this specimen in my actual back yard and decided to submit it for this weeks' post! Growing up in Southeast Alaska and spending ample time in the outdoors, I have always been drawn to moss and lichens for some odd reason. Maybe because of the vast species available or their role in the eco-system absorbing carbon, but who really knows? At first glance, their visual appearance is nothing special. Often times, it just looks like a green fuzzy blob on the forest floor. In an article depicting different types of moss found across the State of Alaska, which was written by the United States Department of Agriculture, I learned that mosses and liverworts (all known as bryophytes) all lack a stalk and root systems. In addition, the article taught me that many of the different species that fall into the bryophyte class fall into a "male" or "female" classification for reproduction purposes. This was new information to me, and I thought that I might share it with the class; a "fun fact" if you will.

For the self-reflection portion of this post, I wanted to touch on how this species has played a role in my sense of place as it relates to my home in Southeast Alaska. This will be a common theme in the remaining iNaturalist posts, but I can vividly remember being a child, playing in the forest with my friends, and using this species to make forts, pillows, potions, and everything in between. Reflecting on this species brought back such good memories and I hope that future posts/species that I write about will as well!

Works Cited
“Mosses and Liverworts of the National Forests in Alaska.” United States Department of Agriculture , Forest Service Alaska Region, Sept. 2008, www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev3_069239.pdf. Accessed 20 Mar. 2024.

For this week’s species, I chose to photograph Naupaka papa (Scaevola coriacea, dwarf naupaka). As you may have noticed, this plant does not look like something that occurs in Southeast Alaska! I am currently in Hawaii and this is an Indigenous plant to the region. In fact, it only occurs in the state of Hawaii making it an endemic species to the region (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Pacific Islands). As far as growing climates are concerned, I have personally only seen it grow at really sandy beaches and away from any water source. The species prefers a hot, dry climate, and, beach naupaka is the only (of eight different species) that lives in coastal conditions. In the article that is referenced in this journal entry, the authors note that this is an endangered species and although it used to be on nearly all of the Hawaiian islands, now it just occurs on a few islands. This particular island is not one of them, however, I was asking a friend who lives on the island about finding this species and she said that the University of Hawaii has begun to plant the species in a revitalization program in areas where it is likely to grow/thrive. Although I am traveling, I did call Hawaii my second home for three years of my adulthood. Living in Hawaii shared a few similarities with living in Southeast Alaska and a lot of differences. Finding this species and photographing it brought back memories of living nearby and having this type of foliage in my (relative) backyard.

Works Cited
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Pacific Islands. “Naupaka Papa and Native Hawaiian Plant Month: A Celebration of Rare and Endemic Plants in Hawaiʻi.” Medium, Conservation in the Pacific Islands, 17 Feb. 2022, medium.com/usfwspacificislands/naupaka-papa-and-native-hawaiian-plant-month-a-celebration-of-rare-and-endemic-plants-in-hawai%CA%BBi-10bf10c46eac. Accessed 10 Mar. 2024.

I found this moose roaming around Kincaid Park in Anchorage, Alaska. I have family that lives in Anchorage, so we made moose scouting a family affair, and found this male having a snack. After some research, I discovered that the moose found in this region belong to the Alaska-Yukon race of moose and their scientific name is Alces alces gigas. A fun fact that I did not know, was that moose are the largest of all deer species and are herbivores (National Geographic). In general, moose tend to be pretty dangerous when approached and have been known to trample and ram people with their massive horns. A safety issue in places that have moose is them being hit by cars and going through windshields. For that reason, the pictures show the moose eating the trees, and I observed from a safe distance. Traditionally, moose have been hunted for their meat, hide, and antlers. The average set of moose antlers (only males grow antlers) weighs between 40-50 pounds, but the heaviest recorded weighed about 75 pounds (U.S. National Parks Service). They shed their antlers once a year. In fact, when moose are fully matured, their antlers may grow up to an inch a day which is roughly a pound of antler a day! Moose can be found across the State, but primarily in the main part of the State. They are not as common is Southeast Alaska, for instance, Revillagigedo Island, which Ketchikan is on, does not have any moose. On the other hand, Wrangell Island, which is home to Wrangell, Alaska, does have moose.

Works Cited

“Moose: Did You Know? (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/moose-did-you-know.htm. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.
“Moose: National Geographic.” Animals, National Geographic , www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/moose. Accessed 27 Feb. 2024.