Diario de ablevins

Lakeridge Park, Renton, WA. 13:30.

Before this trip, I had never visited Lakeridge Park. In fact, I have only visited Renton a handful of times in my life despite being a natural-born Washingtonian. The park was certainly difficult to find. I drove past the entrance three times before realizing I was even close to being in the right place. Even the employees of a local pizza restaurant (which was only three blocks away from the park's entrance) had no idea what Lakeridge Park was when I asked for directions. That being said, I am quite glad that the park is on the road-less-traveled. It is an oasis in a desert of steel and concrete.

Serene. As soon as I walked into the park from the north entrance It felt as if time itself had stopped. Immediately all of my senses were steeped in the essence of the forest, and I loved every second. My eyes strained to feast upon the opulent greenery in front of me. Streambed rocks could be heard resisting the movement of the waters around them. The scent of fresh, crisp and clean air filled my lungs. The feel of grit and muck encroached upon my shoe from muddy puddles. I was ready.

I began my journey with a copy of Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast by Pojar and Mackinnon in hand, two pencils, a black pen, and my field notebook for sketching. I planned my trip starting at the north end of the park. Upon entering the park I would check out Taylor Creek, which runs through the middle of the valley. Next, I would head south until I reached the end of the park. Then I would double back to the northern entrance again, where I would hike to the top of the valley's west side along a second trail to look for more species.

My first thought: The plant density here is astounding. Off of the beaten path of the valley you cannot see the earth, only the swaying fronds of endless Western Sword Ferns (Polystichum minutum) interspersed with a swath of crimson and gold Salmonberries (Rubus spectabilis). Though ferns are the dominant component of the understory, there are a great number of other plants that simultaneously compete for ground cover as well. Surfeits of Skunk Cabbages (Lysichiton americanus) and herds of Horsetails (Equisetum hyemale) flock to the forest's ample puddles for water. Creeping Buttercups (Ranunculus repens) make their way onto dead logs and out of the shade (some of which had some sort of bug infestation/parasite/disease in the form of yellow fuzzy bulbs on their leaves). Patches of White Clover (Trifolium repens) lay strewn about on the highest edges of the valley, enjoying the sun and enticing insects with their sweet scent. Further muddling the mixture, Trailing Blackberry (Rubus Ursinus) attempts to criss-cross the terrain in every-which-way. Unfortunately, all that they yield are clinging spines that snag clothes and tear skin. They do not yet have delicious fruits, but the Rubus spectabilis has more than made up for that!

There was also a large amount of Fowl Bluegrass (Poa palustris) near the stream in the middle of the valley. In addition, I was able to find a nice patch of healthy, seven-lobed Palmate Coltsfoot (Petasites palmatus) near one of the larger puddles at the base of the valley. I also found two patches of Salal (Gaultheria shallon). One patch was to the eastern side of the valley up a small path, and the other was on top of a Cedar stump in the middle of Taylor Creek. I found it while looking for other species near the water when I was halfway through the valley.

In addition to the Salal, I found three slugs, all of which were found near the stream. There was a small blue one which I identified as Zacoleus idahoensis on an online dichotomous key. One was brown with a black head and had an orange fringe to its foot. This was a European Red Slug (Arion rufus), which I learned about after doing a bit of online research. According to the HistoryLink.com article titled: California naturalist collects non-native European slugs in Seattle on June 24, 1933, I should have immediately killed this slug. They are apparently invasive, terrorize gardens, and are a general blight to our ecology.

The last slug that I found was the European Black Slug (Arion ater). It is also apparently highly invasive and destructive. I remember salting my garden as a kid in order to keep these slugs away from our plants. It is quite interesting that I saw more invasive slugs than domestic ones. Perhaps they are kicking the less aggressive native slugs out of their home-territory?

Other less common species of plants that I saw were three Herb-Robert plants (Geranium robertianum) and two Pacific Rhododendrons (Rhododendron macrophyllum). I found six Dull Oregon-grapes (Mahonia nervosa) in the valley, but no Tall Oregon-grape plants. This is likely due to how moist Lakeridge Park is (According to Pojar, Mahonia aquifolium prefers a dry environment). There were only three Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) plants that I could find. This was fewer than I had expected to find, and only one had a flower on it! I was also fortunate enough to find a Deer Fern (Blechnum spicant) just off of the trail halfway into the park.

The main tree species in the region are Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) and Bigleaf Maple (Acer Macrophyllum), with the maples far exceeding the amount of cedars. There are also a few Alders (Alnus rubra) and some Douglas Firs (Pseudosuga menziesii), but there is little in the way of diversity outside of those four species.

I was fortunate enough to find some fungi in the valley as well. There was a bit of Hypoxylon on a dead Bigleaf Maple trunk, a single Turkey Tail (Trametes versicolor) on a stump, two Fairy-Rings (Marasmius oreades) on a log in the middle of the creek, a few shelf fungi that looked like Artist's Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) on some dead conifers, and a blanket of white/clear slime mold on a dead Western Red Cedar stump. I really would like to identify the slime mold soon. Perhaps Joe Amminati will be able to help me out.

I saw several birds in the park, including a Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus), an American Robin (Turdus Migratorius), and a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana). Unfortunately, they were too fast for me to capture on camera, but it was still interesting to watch them from afar tweeting to other birds within their own species. It would be nice if my ears were a bit more attuned to the calls of the various other species in the forest, but I cannot verify what birds I cannot see (except for robins). There was also definitely at least one Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) in the area recently as well. I found a stump with several large woodpecker holes in it that were very characteristic of the Pileated Woodpecker.

While I did not see any mammals today other than the woman's dog, there was a log that had scratchings that looked like the markings of the Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). It was very similar to what we were shown in the mammals presentation in class, although I suppose other species do that as well.

At the top of the valley I found a single Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), a Foxglove plant (Digitalis purpurea), a Pacific Ninebark shrub (Physocarpus capitatus), an Agrocybe Praecox and a form of Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). I did not see any of these species elsewhere in the park.

Near my car on my way out of the park I saw an English Holly bush (Ilex aquifolium). It is interesting that this is the only Holly bush that I found, because when I was upstream I found a holly leaf that was partially decayed, but no holly bush was in sight. Hopefully volunteers will be able to keep this species out of Lakeridge Park!

For me, it is a rarity to feel separated from the city...especially when it is less than a mile away. Here, it is easy for me to feel separated from the rest of society altogether, and to be honest, that can be a nice feeling. This is the kind of place that I could see every day and never become tired of. It is a shrine of Gaea. A bastion of nature in an industrialized landscape.

Species Observed:

Plants & Shrubs:
Blechnum spicant
Digitalis purpurea
Equisetum hyemale
Gaultheria shallon
Geranium robertianum
Ilex aquifolium
Lysichiton americanus
Mahonia nervosa
Petasites palmatus
Physocarpus capitatus
Poa palustris
Polystichum minutum
Ranunculus repens
Rhododendron macrophyllum
Rubus spectabilis
Rubus Ursinus
Senecio vulgaris
Taraxacum officinale
Trifolium repens

Trees:
Acer Macrophyllum
Alnus rubra
Arbutus menziesii
Pseudosuga menziesii
Thuja plicata

Animals:
Arion ater
Arion rufus
Certhia americana
Dryocopus pileatus
Troglodytes pacificus
Turdus Migratorius
Zacoleus idahoensis

Fungi:
Agrocybe Praecox
Ganoderma applanatum
Hypoxylon
Marasmius oreades
Trametes versicolor

Small Field Due East of McMahon Hall, University of Washington Seattle Campus. 11:00.

Well, I had planned on coming here when we had a bit of sunny weather, but this will have to do. It is roughly 60 degrees Fahrenheit outside and rainy, but this weather allows me to compare the visit to my previous time here.

It appears that the Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) thicket has spread out in the northwestern and southern parts of the field. Also, I am now noticing Trailing Blackberry (Rubus ursinus) in much of the grass in the area.

Due to a slight northwestern breeze, the large Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) that offered me shelter before is not doing as good of a job. The rain is light, but certainly enough to make a person cold!

The Salal (Gaultheria shallon) that also makes up the Blackberry thicket seems to be healthy, but it is not spreading as fast as the Blackberry. I wonder why there is so little plant diversity in the middle of the field? Perhaps the Blackberry would dominate the whole place if it were not for anthropogenic intervention.

There are no more Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) heads to be seen right now. It appears as though they are done fruiting for the Spring season.

There are three American Crows (Corvus brachryrhynchos) picking at the ground and another cawing on top of a fence. It looks as though the Crow on the fence is keeping lookout for the others.

There is a bit of Scotchbroom (Cytisus scoparius) here around the edges of the field as well. It was not here last time I visited. Perhaps we will see more of it next year/during the summer?

I look forward to coming back here in a few months to see the future developments of plant succession!

Species Observed:

Cytisus scoparius
Gaultheria shallon
Rubus armeniacus
Rubus ursinus
Taraxacum officinale
Thuja plicata

Corvus brachyrhynchos

Wollochet Bay Estuary Park, Gig Harbor, WA. 16:30.

Today on our way back from Olympia, my girlfriend and I stopped by my father's house to say hello before heading back up to Seattle for dead week. On our way our I decided it would be a good idea to make one more stop at a small local estuary that I used to volunteer at when I was in middle school. It is called Wollochet Estuary Park, and is located near the northwesternmost portion of Wollochet Bay. It is a pretty little estuary, but is also very close to several houses and roads, which makes it difficult to keep healthy. Not to mention that there is a large amount of motorized boat traffic nearby which causes a large amount of pollution in the water. Fortunately, in recent years there have been regulations passed to prevent wakes of boats in the mile leading up to the park. This helps protect what little there is of the park left. The estuary is home to several species of important animals and plants that are worth protecting, and the bay's feeder, Artondale Creek, is a salmon and trout run.

The estuary is only about 20 acres, and one of the most limiting factors is that a road was built over the creek that feeds into Wollochet Bay before the impacts were understood. This led to important microcosmic changes in the area that were only rectified when a pipe was installed underneath to allow the passage of the stream. Here is an aerial map from PenMet Parks, the organization that recruits volunteers for park maintenance that helps describe the location
http://www.penmetparks.org/media//DIR_14401/Wollochet$2BHermanson$20Parcels.pdf

My job when I was working there was primarily to remove invasive species, such as Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) and English Ivy (Hedera helix) from the region. Fortunately it had been combated against for the most part and has nearly been eradicated from inside the park, but it grows all over the place just outside of its borders on neighboring properties. This means that constant maintenance of the area is a requirement, and takes many volunteers. Especially so during the spring and summer, when the Blackberry grows fastest.

In addition to those invasives, there are several Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata) on the estuary, a few Blue Elderberry bushes (Sambucus cerulea), some Pacific Coast Red Elderberries (Sambucus callicarpa). The estuary also has some Douglas Firs (Pseudosuga menziesii), and several large Bigleaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum) The understory used to be a giant tangle of thick Himalayan Blackberry until my friend and I cleared it out starting in 2003. Now it is a bit more diverse, being made up of the Elderberries, Cattails (Typha latifolia), Salal (Gaultheria shallon) and a considerable amount of Sword Ferns (Polystichum minutum).

I didn't witness any today, but the Artondale Creek is a run for Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), Chum Salmon (Oncorhynchus keta), and Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkii). It is also the home of several Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) (of which I saw one), and Chipmunks (Tamias). There is an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nest at the top of a large Douglas Fir in the estuary, and many Robins (Turdus migratorius) also nest in the area. I also saw one Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) searching for food above the Bay. It made several dives into the bay, but I did not see it bring anything up.

While the estuary appears to be in a healthy state, it is

Species Observed:

Sciurus carolinensis
Tamias

Megaceryle alcyon
Pandion haliaetus
Turdus migratorius

Gaultheria shallon
Hedera helix
Polystichum minutum
Rubus armeniacus
Sambucus callicarpa
Sambucus cerulea
Typha latifolia

Acer macrophyllum
Pseudosuga Menziesii
Thuja plicata

Steamboat Island, Olympia, WA. 14:40.

Unfortunately for my girlfriend's nephew Noah, we were not able to go to a park today...instead, we explored my girlfriend's back yard. Their house sits atop a cliff facing the northwest side of Steamboat Island, which is an island about twenty minutes outside of Olympia, WA. They own about six acres of beautiful forest and cliff-face that culminates in a stunning view of Puget Sound. Fortunately for my naturalist catalog, my girlfriend's father is adamant about preserving nature as it is, as a true Olympian should be. Thus, I was given the opportunity to witness the beautiful natural landscape of Steamboat Island.

Two minute's walk to the west of my girlfriend's house is a beautiful forest of Alder (Alnus), Douglas Fir (Pseudosuga menziesii), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), and Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata). The forest floor is mainly composed of small shrubs and plants, including Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium), English Holly (Ilex aquifolium), English Ivy (Hedera helix), Salal (Gaultheria Shallon), Sword Ferns (Polystichum minutum), and Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). The invasive species have unfortunately consumed most of the territory surrounding the native species, but it is interesting to see the interaction between them.

I saw four Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) that appeared to be foraging for food, a Raven (Corvus corax) flying overhead through the canopy, two Brown Creepers (Certhia americana) which were feasting on the bark of a Douglas Fir and a trio of Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia). One of the Song Sparrows was sitting on a 10m tall branch of a Western Red Cedar chirping. The other two were flying between the lower shrubs and plants in search of food.

I also was able to identify a series of Artist's Conks (Ganoderma applanatum) that were on a downed conifer and some Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) on the bark of a standing Douglas Fir. I wonder if they were eating away at it from the inside?

Noah in particular had fun looking for animals, and was quite excited to learn the names of the species that we saw. I had a lot of entertainment hearing him pronounce the scientific names!

Species Observed:

Sciurus carolinensis

Certhia americana
Corvus corax
Melospiza melodia

Ganoderma applanatum
Pleurotus ostreatus

Gaultheria Shallon
Hedera helix
Ilex aquifolium
Mahonia aquifolium
Polystichum minutum
Rubus armeniacus

Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Pseudosuga menziesii
Thuja plicata

Priest Point, Olympia, WA. 13:00.

It is about 60 degrees and raining in Olympia, WA right now. I will be at my girlfriend's house here for the next two days, and plan on visiting some of the local parks and forests to catalog some natural history.

Today, we are watching my girlfriend's nephew, who just turned 6. He is a ball of energy and we decided that despite the rain, it could be fun to go to a park.

Because we were in downtown Olympia, we decided to go to one that was nearby. Fortunately, there is a nice park right on the waterfront called Priest Point Park.

There was quite a bit of bird activity in the area. Some nesting Great Blue Herons (Ardea herodias) were making quite a large ruckus in a stand of large Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata). I saw a Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus) about 15 feet high up on a Douglas Fir (Pseudosuga Menziesii), but it seemed to be keeping to itself and pecking at the tree. They really are loud! We saw a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) up high at the top of another Douglas Fir as well. It appeared to be an adult, and was keeping watch on the park. There were also seven Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) near the shore washing themselves. Three were males, and four of them were females.

In addition to those birds, I saw a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) spiraling down a Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) flying out from a short patch of English Holly (Ilex aquifolium) about twenty feet over to a short Alder (Alnus). It sat on one of the limbs and tweeted for about a minute and then took off to an unknown location.

We did not stay for much longer because my girlfriend and I started to get a bit too wet (we were wearing sweatshirts). My girlfriend's nephew on the other hand, was very sad to be leaving and wanted to stick around. We promised him that we would go exploring at another park tomorrow. I would like to see more of what Olympia has to offer!

Species Observed:

Anas platyrhynchos
Ardea herodias
Certhia americana
Dryocopus pileatus
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Regulus calendula

Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Ilex aquifolium
Pseudosuga Menziesii
Thuja plicata

Union Bay Natural Area, University of Washington - Seattle Campus, Seattle, WA. 15:30.

Yet again, we were able to meet up with Joe for another tour of the University of Washington Campus. This time...with moisture! I now am able to fully understand the variance that can occur in present species of fungi based on moisture levels alone. With a bit of water, we were able to see many emergent species.

I met with the UW Fungi group down at the UBNA bridge, and to my great surprise Joe was there as well! Ross had asked him to join us, and he was on a break from writing a paper, so he did! We began our search. First, we went back to the patch that we had visited last Thursday to the north of Conibear Shellhouse. There we saw a few familiar faces. First off, we witnessed more Inky Caps (Coprinopsis) some Agrocybe praecox, and many Leratiomyces percevalii.

We set out along the UBNA trails over the bridge to the northeast, and went to a place where Ross had said he found a nice group of Artist's Conks (Ganoderma applanatum) in a forested region of the UBNA just north of the main trail. While we were there we found around 10 Conks, but the real goldmine of fungi was about 50m to the east, where we found a large amount of whiterot fungi. These included a series of black Hypoxylon, many turkey tails, and one brownrot fungus, Gloeophyllum sepiarium. All of these fungi were on a single log! It is interesting because these fungi were all on some kind of downed conifer log, but there were other logs nearby that were not being parasitized (as far as I could tell).

We found another patch of mycorrhizal fungi below a group of Aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees. These were called Laccaria laccata, or Deceiver mushrooms, and will be an ideal candidate for discussing the ecological functions of mycorrhizal fungi in general!

We decided today that because we have four distinct stations to teach at near the UBNA, I would host a fifth which would talk about the evolutionary history of fungi and their role in the ecology of the greater UW, Seattle campus. I am quite excited to teach this role, and to learn more about fungi on my own!

The UBNA is assuredly going to be one of our tour locations for the tours tomorrow. Hopefully they will go well!

Species Observed:

Agrocybe praecox
Coprinopsis
Ganoderma applanatum
Hypoxylon
Laccaria laccata
Leratiomyces percevalii

Populus tremuloides

Union Bay Natural Area, University of Washington - Seattle Campus, Seattle, WA. 15:50.

Yet again we were fortunate enough to be able to meet up with Joe for another tour of the University of Washington. We hoped to have some moisture, which we did not have the previous week. Upon meeting up with Joe in his office on the second floor of Johnson Hall it was time to head out towards the Union Bay Natural Area.

It was decided upon that our path would weave through the UW campus in order to see the maximum amount of wood chip piles, so as to see what kinds of mushrooms would be present.

Alas, there simply was no moisture in the air. The fungi had not seen water, and thus they were not fruiting. Those that had already fruited, such as the many Agrocybe praecox on campus were nearly all fractured and crisp from the intense sunlight overhead. Save for a few individuals in shaded areas, there was not much to see. Joe seemed to be very disappointed that there were hardly any healthy mushrooms around. We resolved to continue towards the Union Bay Natural Area, where there would perhaps be a bit of hope for our project.

We started our UBNA tour looking at a patch of wood chips to the north of Conibear Shellhouse, the UW crew headquarters. Whilst we were there we saw many small Leratiomyces percevalii, some of which were adults and some of which were growing as young buds. We also saw many Coprinopsis, or Inky Caps growing amongst the Leratiomyces. There seemed to be fewer of them, but all of the mushrooms in the patch seemed to be doing okay despite the lack of moisture...perhaps because it is located so close to the water? We did not see much else today, but the Conibear patch has given us hope for the UBNA. If we find more next Wednesday we will assuredly be bringing our classmates back for our tour. I think all of us in the group are crossing our fingers for a bit of rain before then!

Species Observed:

Agrocybe Praecox
Coprinopsis
Leratiomyces percevalii

University of Washington - Seattle Campus, Seattle, WA. 15:50.

Today the UW Fungi project group was fortunate enough to meet up with Joe Ammirati. He is a professional Mycologist at the University of Washington, Seattle campus and was gracious enough to accompany us in a search for fungi. The purpose of the research project is to be able to identify the fungi on campus, catalog them into a website, and educate the public on the fungi themselves, and how they fit into the greater schematic of UW's ecology. Certainly a daunting task, but with Joe's help, it will be much easier.

We met up with him twice today. First with the rest of the class, where we saw a huge amount of Agrocybe praecox everywhere, some mycorrhizal fungi at the UW farm, some Turkey Tails (Trametes versicolor) near the UW farm, Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) on a rotting stump at the UW farm, Hollyhock Rust (Puccinia malvacearum), and several Artist's Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) along Steven's Way.

On our second tour with Joe, we saw very few other fungi. What we did see were more Agrocybe praecox which seemed to be suffering from a lack of moisture, Powdery Mildew (Blumeria) on grass near Denny Hall, another Artist's Conk, a Panther Cap (Amanita pantherina) near Denny Hall coming off of a Douglas Fir (Pseudosuga menziesii) root, and several Violet Cups (Peziza violacea) which were in the woods to the southeast of Drumheller Fountain. We decided that next week we would go to the Union Bay Natural Area to check for other fungi, because we did not find the abundance of fungi that we would need to teach the class new and interesting information that they had not already heard from Joe.

We learned that fungi will still try and perform their basic functions wherever they are, regardless of whether it is in a city or not. Essentially, apart from groundskeeper mowings of grass and human interaction, fungi at the UW play the same role they would elsewhere. That is, they are generally decomposers.

It was very interesting to hear from Joe that there are nearly 100 different species of mushrooming species that can be seen throughout the year, and many more nonfruiting fungi overall. He said that the wood chips that are brought in for garden beds on campus will often be carriers for various spores of exotic fungal species from all over the world. Because of this, you never really know what you will find at the University of Washington.

Species Observed:

Agrocybe praecox
Amanita pantherina
Blumeria
Ganoderma applanatum
Peziza violacea
Pleurotus ostreatus
Puccinia malvacearum
Trametes versicolor

Pseudosuga menziesii

Cutt's (Dead Man's) Island, Gig Harbor, WA. 12:00.

Another gorgeous day in Gig Harbor. The sun in shining at 73 degrees, I have just been on a boat, and have been hanging out on Cutt's Island. It is a favorite place to go for seafaring folk, and it also proved to be an interesting location for Natural History as well! We set out from Wollochet Bay via boat and drove for approx. 30 minutes before arriving at our destination. The cool breeze whisking past us was the perfect compliment to the warm rays of the sun. When we anchored the boat near the sand bar of Cutt's Island State Park, which faces Northeast. From here, you get a scenic vista of the Olympic Mountain range, and this radiant section of Puget Sound.

Looking into the water from the boat, I saw a 6 inch wide Pacific Rock Crab (Cancer productus) scuttling across some rocks. I jumped out of the boat into the water and waded to shore. The makeup of the spit oriented to the northeast of the island is mainly made up of broken calcium carbonate seashells that have been bleached white by the sun. These shells sit upon a mixture of sand and small rocks. When the tide is low, it is possible to wade along the spit for around 1/4 mile to the shore of Raft Island. I have never done this, but I have seen people attempt it. I have also seen deep-hulled watercraft attempt to drive over the spit unknowingly. If the tide is low, it can be an interesting sight to see, as they literally do not know what is happening to their boats most of the time! There should probably be a warning sign out there now that I think of it.

Cutts island is the shape of an avocado more or less, and southwest of the spit there is a constantly eroding landmass that sits at least 15m above the shore of the island. It is said that with rising sea levels, it will surely erode entirely. Fortunately, that has not happened yet, and Cutt's Island is still home to a variety of different plants and animals.

The plant life is very similar to the surrounding landmasses, with a variety of trees, including Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), Alder (Alnus), and Douglas Fir (Pseudosuga menziesii). The local legend surrounding the island was that the Native Americans that used to inhabit the surrounding land would hang their dead in the trees of Cutt's Island in order to release their spirits with greater east. Thus, the island is colloquially known as Dead Man's Island. It would be interesting to learn more about the legend from a person that knows the Puget Sound Native history.

In addition to the trees, the island sports an immense amount of Western Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum) as a child. It is almost everywhere, so it is a good idea to not stray from the paths atop the island bluff. There are many mosses, grasses, and Sword Ferns (Polystichum munitum) there as well. I was able to identify one variety of liverwort as well, the Tree-Ruffle Liverwort (Porella navicularis) and a variety of Horsetail, the Northern Scouring-Rush (Equisetum hyemale).

I was able to see twenty-or-so Pacific Gulls (Larus pacificus) as well in various places on the island. I also saw a murder of six American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) up in an Alder tree.

Along the beach I saw a man digging for Geoducks (Panopea generosa) using a 50 gallon steel drum with its bottoms cut out. He would lodge the bucket around the Geoduck so an influx of water would not aid it in its attempt at escape as he dug it out. To be honest I am not sure if it is legal to hunt Geoducks or if there is a season, but he said that they are delicious!

Species Observed:

Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Arbutus menziesii
Pseudosuga menziesii
Thuja plicata
Tsuga heterophylla

Equisetum hyemale
Polystichum munitum
Porella navicularis
Toxicodendron diversilobum

Corvus brachyrhynchos
Larus pacificus

Cancer productus
Panopea generosa

Kopachuck State Park, Gig Harbor, WA. 13:50.

It had been several years since I had last visited the State Park nearest my home in Gig Harbor. Kopachuck has offered me many special memories: camping, day-camp as a kindergartener, runs in physical education during middle school, and the occasional weekend visit with friends and family. This park is beautiful, and is also threatened by a lack of state funding for maintenance fees.

Fortunately, when I was in high school, one of my friends set up a volunteer system for the removal of invasive species, such as English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale). His efforts to my knowledge have held in legacy because the park currently looks to be in quite good shape. I only saw a few patches of English Ivy overall, but there were many Dandelions, but they were mainly in the man-made grassy picnic areas. It would be a shame to see the park be overrun with Ivy, and that is what could happen in the future if there is still a lack of state funding. Upon talking with an elderly couple who was enjoying the 70 degree weather, I learned that the State is looking at hiring people to clear out some of the diseased trees in the area. They claimed that many of the trees in the area, including Douglas Firs (Pseudosuga Menziesii) were afflicted with diseases that eat their roots. This leaves unstable, but healthy looking trees that are potentially dangerous to people in the park. I commend the government for thinking about putting resources aside for the park in an effort to keep it safe and enjoyable for the public. I was disappointed to learn, however, that there is no funding in the budget for the campgrounds, and that they will likely be closed indefinitely. This was a shocking blow to me, as I have fond childhood memories of that park. Perhaps even more concerning, is that if people are not buying supplies and supporting the park through camping, the park will have further budgetary limitations. They will never have the capacity of being profitable.

The park was beautiful despite these concerns, and as I made my way down the now-unkempt trails I was delighted to smell, hear, and see, and feel the forest of my childhood. There were a variety of trees including Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata), Douglas Firs, Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum), and Alder (Alnus). I saw a couple of Pacific Madrones (Arbutus menziesii) closer to the beach, but the variety of trees here is quite large. Without fires, I have heard that Madrones have a difficult time competing with other trees because of their natural advantage in post-fire successional stages (they are hard to burn and will usually still stand in a fire).

The understory in the area is mainly dense Salal (Gaultheria shallon) and a variety of ferns, including Licorice Ferns (Polypodium glycyrrhiza) and Sword Ferns (Polystichum munitum). There was also the occasional Pacific Rhododendron (Rhododendron macrophyllum), and several patches of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) plant as well. It was really interesting to see the interaction between many of the trees and the Licorice Ferns as well. It appeared that they would somehow supplant themselves in the crevasses of tree bark on nearly all of the species of trees in the area and grow with wild abandon. They had to compete with some mosses as well, but they were up high and were difficult to identify.

I saw five different Chipmunks (Tamias), four of which were on trees, and one of which was scurrying along in front of me while I was walking. I saw a Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) being chased by an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as well, which was very exciting to watch! It was a beautiful day overall to be down at Kopachuck and I was lucky enough to be home for the nice weather over the weekend. It is my intent to go to Cutt's Island with my father and brother tomorrow. It should be exciting!

Species Observed:

Digitalis purpurea
Gaultheria shallon
Hedera helix
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Polystichum munitum
Rhododendron macrophyllum
Taraxacum officinale

Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Arbutus menziesii
Pseudosuga Menziesii
Thuja plicata
Tsuga heterophylla

Tamias

Corvus brachyrhynchos
Pandion haliaetus