Week 3: Hold your horses, there's a lot of flora coming your way.

Date: Sunday, April 21, 2013

Weather: Pouring rain and windy

Temperature: ~45ºF

Time: 9:00-11:00 AM

Location: Union Bay Natural Area, Seattle, WA

Perhaps it’s just me, but my observation site seems a touch greener every time I visit. Here’s a quick peek at my observation site!

My observation site getting greener by the week!

Despite the pouring rain, I found a relatively dry spot underneath a Black Cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa) to make my observations. Thank goodness for its wide coverage! My presence scared off a White-Crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) who had been perched on a twig of the Black Cottonwood tree. The forest floor was washed clear of the catkins and flower petals I saw last week, so two sights immediately became apparent to me. Firstly, the Common Horsetail field has grown once again and literally every surface my observation site is now covered with its stems. Within the field, two Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) making high-pitched buzzing noises were foraging for food on the ground, but when they met each other, I was surprised to see them aggressively peck at each other and then part ways. Perhaps they were displeased with the sight of another sparrow on “their” territory. Secondly, a Pacific Willow (Salix lucida) has come into view. In fact, it was growing right next to the spot I usually stand at to make observations. It has found an ideal location, right on the bank of Lake Washington.

A new Pacific Willow starting to grow in a cluster.

With the significant amount of rain this week, it was clear that the water level of the marsh has risen and a green plant has begun to proliferate in the water. It looks a type of grass (the leaves are sheathed) and the leaves are oblong with parallel veneration. I believe it is an invasive plant, but it will need to be identified. The extra rain was appreciated by other plants too. Many of the clumps of forest grass have also grown to my calf height in just a week and a patch of Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) have taken root next to the Pacific Willow.

The heavy rain made it difficult to look for birds because they were all hidden among the Broadleaf Cattails, but as a result, I was forced to use my ears for observation. There was quite a cacophony of sound!

The Broadleaf Cattail is home to many birds and a good perching location.

I finally recognized the sound of a Red-Winged Blackbird. Its high pitched cheek-teek-teek sound is something that I have been hearing every time I visit my observation site, but I finally saw it making its call as it flew out of the cattails. In addition, there was a dull thumping noise followed with a pick-pick noise. My best guess is that it was a Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) excavating a tree cavity to build its nest. I also heard the noises of a pair of Canadian Geese. I believe they also have a nest in the cattails because each week I see two Canadian Geese skimming the waters of Lake Washington and swimming to and from the cattails.

And for the finale, it is time to utilize the plant identification skills I have learned within the past two weeks! The pink flowers I had mentioned in my week 1 post are actually Red-Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum). Today I also noticed another invasive plant at the base of the Black Cottonwoods – Himalaya Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). The thicket may also be home to some birds, so I’ll have to make sure to peek inside next week! It is quite amazing to see how well the clusters of Black Cottonwood trees in my observation site are able to grow despite the antagonistic pressures from the English Ivy and Himalaya Blackberry.

An invasive plant to the Pacific Northwest – the Himalaya Blackberry.

A little farther inland I found a shrub of Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) with its classically,  irregularly lobed leaves. It had been hiding among a thicket of Himalaya Blackberry. Its flat leaves provide a perfect surface for water droplets to collect, so I wonder if small birds or insects use this as a water collection source.

A Snowberry shrub with a few mitten-shaped leaves.

Nearby was also a Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) growing underneath a tree that I had trouble identifying. This is the tree I had mentioned in previous weeks with white flowers. It could be a Pacific Crabapple (Malus fusca), but it seems to have bloomed a little earlier than expected, so I might have to wait and see.

A Pacific Crabapple? The white flowers have come and gone.

It seems like the only plant I could recognize initially was the Common Horsetails, but with a few classes in the field, I have found that there are many more plants to recognize and share about. For a field guide to the plants in Union Bay Natural Area, take a look at the new tab that I've created. It’ll be a growing list!

**A correction is due thanks to a helpful colleague on iNaturalist! The turtle observed last week is actually an Eastern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta) because of its smooth shell. The Western Pond Turtle has scutes with a mottled color.

Week 2: Drawing Time!

Date: Sunday, April 14, 2013

Weather: Partly cloudy and raining

Temperature: ~50ºF

Time: 3:00-5:00 PM

Location: Union Bay Natural Area, Seattle, WA

It’s a little hard to tell from these far-away pictures, but spring is definitely in the air! While the bird chatter was much more subdued this time around (probably an artifact of visiting my site later in the afternoon), there was still much to see!

 The new view this week of my observation site.

As I reached my observation site with an American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) cawing in the background, I noticed pink buds appearing on a nearby tree. Hopefully it will bloom soon, so I can identify it by its true name! On the leaves of this tree sat a peculiar wasp-like insect that was metallic colored with an orange stripe on its abdomen. That’s one more to add to the list to identify!
It was pleasant to see some familiar faces including the Tree Swallows which continually dart around. They spend a vast amount of time spiraling the area above the Common Cattails. It is their breeding season, so I wonder if there are some nests in that area. Perhaps that will be a new area to explore when the weather clears up a bit. Another familiar face is the Great Blue Heron, which may reside in the Common Cattails in my observation site. It soared right into my line of sight and quickly disappeared back into the same patch of Common Cattails that I had found it in last week.

The ground around me was littered with all sorts of surprises today. The first thing I noticed were horn shaped cones that were spread all over the ground. These act like caps to green catkins that were also nearby. It is a curious addition to the catkin and I have yet to understand its purpose and identify it. There were also a few Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) pecking at the catkins and caps.

Horn shaped ornaments adorning the ground.

In addition, white flower petals scattered the ground. The small white flowers I saw last week had already shed their petals and all that remained were its anthers. I also wanted to see if there might be a good surprise under all of the wet leaves on the ground, but all I found this time was a fat, juicy Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) wriggling around. The ground was also covered with two-fold more Common Horsetails (Equisetum arvense) than last week. It looks like many of the fertile stems have given way to sterile stems!

A comparison between the fertile (left) and sterile (right) stem of the Common Horsetail.

Farther away in the marshy area, an adult male Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) sat on a log, which can be identified by its light yellow throat. It was sitting so still, I almost missed it altogether.

A sunbathing Western Pond Turtle.

I found two more species of birds as I was leaving my observation area. This includes a pair of American Coots (Fulica Americana), which I saw swimming in a lake. They were very in sync, moving their heads with the same pace and every so often would duck their heads underwater for a fish treat. At the very, very top of a tree, I also saw a hummingbird! I think it was a male Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) because of its black head and dark tail, but I couldn’t be sure because the sunlight was directly on the hummingbird. Nonetheless, it was perched very high up and searching around, perhaps for a mate.

At my observation site, I also tested out my art skills with some sketches and identified a few new plants! I wanted to start out something familiar, so I chose to sketch the Common Horsetail. It seemed like a pretty simplistic plant, but the more I stared at it, the more details appeared.

A memory and contour sketch of the Common Horsetail.

A gesture and diagrammatic sketch of the Common Horsetail.

A study drawing of the Common Horsetail. There are so many details to this plant!

I completed four more study sketches of the plants that were around my observation area. The first of which was Purple Deadnettle (Lamium purpureum). Without the close inspection, I wouldn't have even noticed the tiny purple flowers underneath the leaves. I also noticed it had opposite, hairy, and toothed (serrated) margin leaves. The second sketch is of a mystery flower. It had five white petals that were pink colored on the underside and it had a hairy receptacle. It was very pretty, but will need to be identified. The third sketch is of a Red Alder (Alnus rubra) twig. I was able to find a male and female catkin and a sprouting leaf bud. The catkin had well over forty flowers with protruding anthers. The final sketch is of a Willow (it could be a Pacific Willow, but I’m not quite sure) twig. I drew a catkin that only had anthers and no petals. The leaves on the twig were of compound, alternate leaf formation. The leaves also had pinnate leaf veneration, were long-pointed, and were very finely toothed along the margin.

While sketching may not be my forte, it was definitely useful and fun to take the extra time to appreciate the beautiful intricacies of each plant!

A study drawing of a Purple Deadnettle, mystery flower, Red Alder twig, and Willow twig.

Week 1: Nature and I...

...have never had a tight relationship. As a child, I made beautiful mud pies in my backyard and visited some nearby parks and farms, but outside of books, I had little knowledge of the natural world around me. Nature and I coexisted as mere acquaintances.

Me, pretending to camouflage myself among the many other tulips at the Skagit Tulip Festival.

Two events during my undergraduate career at UW prompted a change in that relationship. First, I am involved in undergraduate research at UW and one of my research focuses is the genetic basis of speciation.  It is a peculiar and fascinating notion to me that over time, nature prompts changes in something (for example, a species) that was working just fine beforehand. My undergraduate research utilizes the model organism, Drosophila melanogaster, and I became curious to see the biodiversity my research was trying to understand outside of my model organism. Secondly, I went on my first backpacking trip last year on the Chelan Lakeshore Trail. I finally had a chance to observe and absorb the amazing natural history Washington State has to offer. The fellow hikers/backpackers I met were enthused naturalists, who had incredibly interesting stories to share. The trip was a sensory overload, but I loved it. Together, these incidences have motivated me to apply for a travel fellowship to observe the biodiversity around the world!

View of Lake Chelan on a gorgeous sunny day!

Week 1: Where's my adventurer hat?

Date: Sunday, April 7, 2013

Weather: Pouring rain

Temperature: ~40ºF

Time: 9:30-10:30 AM

Location: Union Bay Natural Area, Seattle, WA

I had a sinking feeling. I was about to start an unfamiliar exercise and I had no idea what to expect. And, as I located my arbitrary observation site, I felt myself literally sinking into the mud since the ground was saturated with the previous day’s rain. Alas, a task had to be done and once I got my bearings, curiosity kicked in and my adventures in the Union Bay Natural Area began.

Combined, these two pictures represent a 180 degree view of my observation site.

The Union Bay Natural Area is a secluded area behind the University of Washington’s (UW) Intramural Activities Building (IMA). It is a former landfill that has been slowly restored to its natural beauty.

As I approached my observation site, breeding Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) were darting around me. The conversations of these social birds were joined by many other whistles and chirps as I reached my destination. Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) couples, like me, were also enjoying a morning walk along the trail. Up in the sky, Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) flew in flocks. At my site, I observed small, blooming pink and white flowers and English Ivy (Hedera helix) acting as a bully (it truly is an invasive plant to the Pacific Northwest), trying to conquer the landscape.

Beautiful pink flowers that are yet to be identified.

Meanwhile, along the water were many peculiar shoots that still remain a mystery to me. Some of the striped ones reminded me of something you would find in a Dr. Seuss book! I am excited to see these shoots grow throughout the quarter. An American Robin (Turdus migratorius) also found these shoots quite intriguing as it hopped around.

Shoots in my observation site to be identified.

As I looked up from the shoots, among the swaying Broadleaf Cattail (Typha latifolia) stepped out the star of the show, a Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias). It was ready for some breakfast and slowly paced along a floating log. Unaffected by the heavy rain that had begun to fall, it plumped up its feathers, elegantly captured some small fish, smacked its lips, and resumed its hunt. While the heron enjoyed its breakfast, it appeared that some small black birds (to be identified) played hopscotch above as they bounded from one cattail to another.

A Great Blue Heron has identified its breakfast and is posed to strike.

These morning activities were a delight to see and as I was about to exit the area, my eye was drawn to a bright red color. Far out in a pond, two male Red-Winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were catching up about the previous day’s activities. What a sight to see!

It was a lovely morning outing and after a little more botany background, I hope to be able to discern specific plants from the lush green that populates the Union Bay Natural Area.

After some social time, one red-winged blackbird remains, enjoying the dancing raindrops.