Since it was so warm out that day (See Leavsonworth journal entry), there were many lizards sun bathing on the large dark boulders. This one was a male lizard that we caught. It seemed that he also had a few ticks on him.
This form is typically found in open meadow environments. It has broad leaves and and a long upward-growing stalk with a grouping of white flowers at the end.
This large bush has the distinct maple leaves. It's about 6 feet tall.
These bugs produce produce a froth like layer of plant sap while they're nymphs. This sap looks like spit. They are found typically in grassy areas.
This plant can be a remedy to tooth aches and nose bleeds. It has about 12 inches tall. It has purple flowers that contain 5 petals. The leaves of the plant have a very distinctive shape that reminds me of baby arugula.
This slug was found underneath some fallen leaves on the ground. It was about 2 inches long.
These creatures live IN the creek (There are a LOT of them, I would guess about 5-15 per square foot). They cling to pebbles and shuffle around. Their casings appear to be made out of the sand, dirt, leaves, rocks, etc. around them and is "glued" together.
What are these creatures? How do they make their shell? How do they stay under water for so long? How do they breathe?
These were the only plants growing in the thick gravel along the bank. I noticed that the leaves of these horsetail slope towards the ground rather than reaching upward.
I saw this white-tailed deer at South Beach on San Juan Island, WA. This is a very unique ecosystem, with prairie near the ocean. There are many invasive grasses on the prairie, and deer are found very close to the beach. This particular deer was in a group of 4 in the tall grass, approximately 500 feet from the water.
I know this is not a very good picture, but there are many ravens near our home on San Juan Island, WA. There is a spot near Roche Harbor where they feed the eagles on Friday evenings. There is usually quite the assortment of birds, including these black ravens. They resemble crows, only bigger, with shaggy, shiny black feathers and a black beak. This one was diving for a scrap of meat left over by the bald eagles. Ravens are very smart and have a strong predatory nature. The ravens on the island are known for raiding seabird colonies.
This turkey tail was found among many other fungi on a single log. Many of the fungi were brackets but the white surface is the porous white material from Trametes. One can make medicinal tea from this fungi.
A garter snake was found slithering through the brush off of the gravel trail. It was hiding underneath patches of tall grass when it was caught by one of the students. It was about 1.5 feet long.
Two canada geese were spotted off the boardwalk at the Nisqually estuary. They were walking on a grassy patch surrounded by various leaf-less trees.
I saw this Pacific Madrone near Lime Kiln Point on San Juan Island, WA. I recognized it by the peeling red bark, revealing a light yellow/beige wood underneath. The tree has a somewhat round silhouette and the leaves are broad. This tree is native to the Pacific coast. It is pollinated by bees and has round shell flowers.
The day was rather warm and sunny, so the hives were pretty active. I noticed that most of the pollen clumps on the hind legs of the worker bees were yellow, but some were red (as shown by the second photo, sorry for it being out of focus). Why is it that some pollen clumps were red? Is the pollen of some kinds of flowers simply a different color, and it is mostly that flower type that that bee visited?
Juvenile red-tailed hawk perched above the boardwalk in a tree. It didn't seem too concerned with the presence of people but was noticeably aware of us. It was perched observing the vast landscape of plains and various, though mostly leaf-less, trees.
This frog was found crawling through the tall grass off of the gravel path. It was about 3 inches big.
Based on the fronds, I believe this is lady fern, but I could be wrong. Anyone?
Another lovely flower I saw in the UW Botany Greenhouse...I can't find where I wrote down the name...
This trillium had three flowers in the middle of the path in the forest. The stem fades from light at the top to dark green at the bottom. The flower itself was bright white with longer, curly petals. Trillium are ephemeral and bloom for a short while before 'hibernating' below ground for the rest of the year.
This slug was found at the entrance of the trail. It's black and has deep grooves on it's hind area. I haven't been able to identify it specifically based on these deep grooves and how dark it is.