5/12 - Index, WA · iNaturalist Ecuador

The next stop was Index, WA, a short drive from Gold Bar. The weather stayed about the same, continuing the cloudless sky with a slightly increasing temperature (~55 degrees Fahrenheit) as the day went on. Despite being a relatively short distance from the previous location, there was quite a large difference in vegetation. We learned this was due to the amount of rainfall; Index receives around twice as much rain as Gold Bar. Moss was growing from most trees and licorice ferns could be seen hanging from sides of trunks. I thought the previous location had dense vegetation, but this forest seemed to have no clearings at all; the trees were huge and cast an almost complete shadow over most of the forest floor. Despite this, there was still a decent amount of shrubs and low-lying vegetation. There were plenty of insects buzzing around, including a large number (5-10) of butterflies in the area. We did not see any mammals in the area, but I was told mice and other small mammals live in the decaying leaves and fallen trees on the ground. One interesting find was the artist conk. It is a large mushroom, but unlike most it is woody, with a layer of white flesh on one side. If one is to scratch into the flesh it will leave a brown bruise, which will remain permanent. This is where it derives its name, as those who have a knack for art will scratch elaborate works into the fungus and will them use them for decoration. It can also be used for tea for health benefits.

I wonder what effect the amount of rain has on the small mammals on the area? The vegetation is so dense that they must be able to hide and feed much easier than they would be able to in other areas.

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