Diario de ablevins

Carkeek Park, Seattle, WA. 16:20.

Today on my way back from Edmonds, WA (where my Grandparents live), my girlfriend and I decided to check out Carkeek Park, in the Broadview neighborhood of north Seattle. Although it is slightly rainy, we thought it would be a good chance to get out and stretch our legs after eating a few too many hearty bowls of my Grandmother's family-secret-recipe oyster stew.

Typical mottled-gray clouds littered the sky like thousands of dirty cottonballs. At least it is not that rainy...at least not yet. As we pulled into the parking lot of the park we saw two small Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) running underneath some of the other parked cars. We nearly ran over another that was in the spot I was trying to park in. We were not moving very fast, it just seemed as though it did not want to move. On a nearby embankment of dirt are some lush, green Sword Ferns (Polystichum munitum) along with some foraging American Robins (Turdus Migratorius).

As I approached the Robins they flew away towards a nearby Alder (Alnus) for refuge. This particular Alder must be about 15 meters tall and is surrounded by a mixture of other Alders, some Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), many Bigleaf Maples (Acer macrophyllum), and a few Western Red Cedars (Thuja plicata). The understory mainly consists of different kinds of Sedges (Cyperaceae) and Salal (Gaultheria shallon). This forest appears to be fairly well established, but none of the trees appear to be incredibly old. Perhaps they were cleared out when settlers came?

We did not make it to the beach area or the ravine today, but I would certainly enjoy returning to Carkeek in the future. It would be gorgeous on a nice day!

Species Present:

Turdus Migratorius

Sciurus carolinensis

Acer macrophyllum
Alnus
Arbutus menziesii
Cyperaceae
Gaultheria shallon
Polystichum munitum
Thuja plicata

Ravenna Park, Seattle, WA. 11:00.

I decided that I would go on a run today...For the first time in two months. While the idea seemed excruciating at the time, it was simply too nice outside to pass up the opportunity. I stretched for around twenty minutes in the beautiful 60 degree weather and took off. I did not know where I was going to go, but then I realized I could go to Ravenna, run the trails, and when I got too tired I could keel over into the grass and do some Natural History.

This is exactly what I ended up doing. When I had rested enough, I set out and participated in categorizing my environment. I decided that the best means of doing so would be to follow the path that I had ran. I started out at the southeastern entrance to the park and meandered inwards. First I was able to see a dense understory of Sword Ferns (Polystichum munitum), Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Stinging Nettles (Urtica doica) and various wild grasses (Poaceae).

Amongst the understory was a variety of Bigleaf Maple (Acer Macrophyllum), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), and Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata). These trees in general seemed to dominate the landscape, and appeared to be doing quite well in spite of being in the middle of a vast and harsh cityscape.

In addition to the flora present, I also saw a variety of animals as well. These included four Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), two of which were in the understory of the park searching for food amidst the Salal, one of which was in a Western Red Cedar, and the last of which was in the picnic area bounding through the grass.

I also saw a Raccoon (Procyon lotor) hiding in a tree above a trash can in the park watching me intently. Perhaps it was hoping that I would drop a snack of some kind outside of the garbage can (the can appeared to be very well taken care of. Perhaps the raccoon was hoarding the trash, or maybe there was little trash to begin with).

I also saw an Opossum crossing the road on my way back home. It was around 1/2m long and was moving very quickly. This is the second time that I ever remember seeing a live Opossum. It had no young with it, so I assumed it to be a male.

I head a variety of birds, but the only ones that I could pick our were Crows, Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia), and American Robins (Turdus migratorius).

Corvus brachyrhynchos
Melospiza melodia
Turdus migratorius

Didelphimorphia
Procyon lotor
Sciurus carolinensis

Gaultheria shallon
Poaceae
Polystichum munitum
Urtica doica

Acer Macrophyllum
Arbutus menziesii
Pseudotsuga menziesii
Thuja plicata

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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