Week 10. Final Reflection

6/11/2013, Tuesday. Post-rain, sunny with clouds. 67 degrees. 

Before, small spheres of water were falling from the sky.

It seems that the water in the sky has blown to the east.

Now the sun is shining on almost all the land here.

The surface of the water shines along the gentle wave crests.

Interrupting the shine are these round plants.

These green circles rest on the water in clusters.

There's not an isolated one.

Sometimes they appear to be covered by a gentle wave,

But they always reemerge on the top showing off their greenness.

They are about as large as my open hand, stretched out.

Some are slightly larger.

Some are slightly smaller.

The circle gently float along the shoreline.

Bathing in the sunlight.

A giant beast flies out of the brush.

It stretches out its wings, which I can tell are larger than my arms.

It flies about 10 meters high before dipping back down.

Then, suddenly, another just like the first emerges. 

The grayish-blue second beast follows the same flight pattern.

The first one makes a small loop before starting to fly west.

The second follows this pattern.

Originally, their necks were long, but they've tucked them for in for flight.

Now that both have completed the loop, they fly west together.

They are silent, despite being on of the largest beast in the sky.

This species swim slowly across the surface of the water.

If it wanted to, it could take to the skies., but for now it swims.

There are many, perhaps they are family or neighbors.

They are mostly brown with black and gray streaks.

Several have green heads. 

While most swim 10m out in the lake, 

Some swim in shallower waters.

One watches over the young along the shore as they feed.

This species is very communal.

In my 10 prior years in Seattle, I’d never taken the time to explore Union Bay Natural Area. I considered choosing a more familiar spot for my observation site, but I decided to try something new at the back at the beginning of the quarter. I don’t regret the choice at all. I feel like I could learned just as much about a more familiar park, such as Ravenna or Interlaken, but instead I had an opportunity to learn just as much about a foreign ecosystem. Being a rock-geek, I was less familiar with shoreline environments. By returning to UBNA week after week, I had was not only able to (personally) discover new species but to see how life changed in that little niche of Seattle. All always have a fond memory of the time I spent in that park and I plan on making time to return when I’m in the neighborhood.

Prior to this class, I’d only studied the geologic and human history of the Puget Sound region, never the natural history. Now I have a much better idea of the different native species to the area and how they coexist with on another. By taking this class,  I was able to get exposed to many species, learn their names, families, what kinds of environments they like, etc… but we only skimmed the surface. One of the things I learned from this class is every species has it’s own characteristics and way it relates with the outside world. There are so many things that could be extensively studied because of this, such as bubble bee populations in urban environments. This class also reinforced I belief I have that is: “humans need to be more in touch (literally & figuratively) with nature.” 

When I reflect on the Union Bay, I suppose if I were charitable, I could say I know my sit spot intimately. I think to know a natural spot intimately, you not only have to be able to identify the surrounding features within it by name, but you have to have some experiential memories with it. I wouldn’t say I know the natural Puget Sound region intimately. A professional naturalist could visit UBNA for the first time in her life and name every species as well as tell me more than I already know about them. But I have the advantage of having spent time within UBNA. I’ve sat in the rain and watched the grass grow. I’ve watched the shoreline change and mothers feed their ducklings. I’ve overturned logs and have hunted for mushrooms. I’ve seen Great Blue Heron’s land in the lake and listened to House Finches. I’ve watched and listened and sat in UBNA.

Week 8: The East Side

5/25 Saturday. Ellensburg, Sunny with clouds. 62 degrees.

Having a chance to get out of gray Seattle to the the warmer east side of the Cascades to observer the local phenology was a great opportunity. The day started early, but we had nearly reached our destination by 10am. At our first rest stop we were lucky enough to see a Red-Tailed Hawk riding a warm current to get some elevation. When we got to Yakima River Canyon just south of Ellensburg we saw a Great Blue Heron! I cheesy as it sounds, I was really excited to cross the foot bridge to enter the natural area.

Some musing I did about the geologic history. The dates were wrong.. (10-15mya)

The east side of the Cascades receives about 20in of rain/year. Because of this the vegetation is quite different. At Yakima Canyon I observed a lot of Sage Brush and Rabbit Brush; I noticed there was a pretty even distribution there. The identifiable difference between the two brushes is the Sage Brush has three little toes at the end of its leafs, whereas the Rabbit Brush as uninterrupted leafs. There’s also Antelope Brush, which has smaller, greener leafs, and is leaf frequent. Along with the brushes, I noticed more rushes mixed in the grassy areas. In a small meadow we found Sarah identified these pretty distinct flowers growing called Yellow Salsifies, which can be identified by their stems which remain cool despite the heat. We also found one cactus in the valley, which looked like the Fragile Prickly Pear from the National Audubon Society Guide., but it could be something else. Other vegetation in the canyon consisted of Nootka Roses and  Pondarosa Pines, which both grew closer to the river. It was cool to see some vegetation that grew on both the west and east sides.

Such a cool flower. Yellow Salsify, Tragopogon dubius  

This was the first cactus I've seen in WA. Could be the Fragile Prickly Pear,  Opuntia fragilis.

 As for the fauna at the canyon site, we did a lot of bird watching. One of the first birds we saw was a Black-Headed Gross Beak, which is orange, black, and white and has a intricate song. We also saw an American Goldfinch and a Lazuli bunting, which looks like a blue-headed sparrow. We spent a lot of time looking for Chats, which we could hear but not find. One eventually flew out, as if to display itself to us, then in less than a minute, dived back into the bushes; they’re so elusive! We managed to see a lot of Cedar Waxwing’s socializing in a dead tree by the river (over five). You could hear crickets the whole time, but they were hard to find in the shade of the bushes. There were quite a few of these small butterflies, which could be the Western Blue-Tail based on their size, location and season. Just before we left, Carter caught a Gardiner Snake which added to the diversity of species observed. 

The Lupine, very pretty. We have these in UBNA as well!

Our second stop was at the top of one a plateau, roughly 1000ft higher than the base of the canyon. The first thing I noticed was how moist the ground was. Everyone was tracking foot prints, it must’ve rained in the past two days. The top of the plateau had just as much Sage Brush but no trees. Some other shrubs in the area were the Lupine, Balsamroot, and Douglas Aster. There was Crustose Lichen on some of the bare rock and shrubs. I quickly noticed the Tent Caterpillar  outbreak and avoided the hives. I’m a slightly terrified of bugs and did not enjoy the outbreak in Seattle about ten years ago. The only bird my group saw at the site was a Sage Thatcher, but we did hear a California Quail which sounds really funny. Apparently the other group found a lizard...

Best shot of the waterfall that I got. I was impressed that the shrubs could grow on the cliffside. The rocks look like they've experienced quite a bit of freeze-thaw weathering.

Our final stop of the day was at the Columnar Basalt Waterfall. I was really excited to see the Basalt columns so I spent most of my time trailblazing to the end. Because we were hiking along a creek, the vegetation was not only more dense, but greener. There was about 100ft along where the trail went through a field of Nootka Roses. Most of the trees were Pondarosa Pines, but towards the end of the trail I noticed a couple of Douglas Firs. The waterfall was only about 30ft tall but fell into a small quarry shaped depression. I liked Tim’s suggestion that the bowl like shaped could’ve been formed by a fault. I spent my final moments at the end of the trail journaling about what I’d seen over the course of the day. It was long, but the east side is beautiful, which makes being outside quite enjoyable. Thanks for another great trip!

I like to sit on rocks and think about life!

Week 7: Fungus and more Birds

5/19 4pm. Weather: sunny with clouds. 63 degrees.

White hymenium is distinctive of the Artist's Bracket. It's not yet sporing.

This week we studied fungus in class so I’m supposed to look for fungus around UBNA. After looking around much of the park, I was only able to find one growth of fungus, which I identified as an Artist’s Bracket, Ganoderma applanatum. The  Bracket was on the east side of the park about 60ft south of the main trail in a wooded area. I three growths of it on a fallen log. At first it looked kind of foreign and ominous, but I quickly identified it because of the it’s unique shape and size. The one I found was roughly 20in wide. The white hymenium made the identification that much easier as well. After spending a few moments identifying the fungus, I’d developed slightly more appreciation for it, partially because of the layers it appeared to have, and partially because it was the only fungus I was able to find.

It hasn’t rained much over the past week and it’s starting to show. Although it drizzled a little on Saturday, and there was that crazy storm on Monday, the water in the ponds is lower. Some of the streams that the ponds into the lake are dry. When I went to the shoreline behind my spot to look for ducks, I noticed this green scum in the water. I think this might be caused by the landfill that UBNA is built over, but I imagine the lack of rain doesn’t help keep the water fresh. 

As I’ve mentioned previously the grass has grown considerably. I passed by the spot that we all practiced sketching in UBNA this week. The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but if we were to return to the same spot and sit in a circle, the grass would easily exceed our heads.

yuk... That doesn't look good for anyone

For the rest of my time in UBNA this week, I observed birds. From my spot, I saw the same Red Winged Blackbird that I’d mentioned in previous weeks that has a territory is the tree and cattails in front of me. I also noticed two Great Blue Herons that flew over Lake Washington towards a likely nest east of my spot. I saw a Song Sparrow close to the entrance of the park. I wasn’t able to identify it at the time because it was so far away, but I took a short video of it so I could match the call later. WARNING, the video is very quiet, so adjust volume accordingly before/after listing to it. Finally I watched these three Tree Swallows flying together very harmoniously. I noticed a lot of Nat swarms around the park, so they could’ve been hunting but it almost looked like they were playing. They were flying very fast so I couldn’t take a picture but I tried to sketch their shape. I’m not positive about the idea, but they were great flyers with dark backs and white chests, which fits the Tree Swallow description pretty well.

Supposed to be a Tree swallow in flight.

Well, that’s all for now. Til next time. 

Week 6: Sketches and Photos

Got a good picture of a Mallard tucking its bill into it's wing by the lake [WA] shore.

Nootka Roses are now in bloom at UNBA.

Fig. 1 A diagram of the Red-Winged Blackbird's territory. The RWBb flew back and forth three times while I was observing it.

Fig. 2 Three different birds I observed. Couldn't I identify the one in the left corner. The right corner is a Savannah Sparrow. The bottom is a diagram of a American Robin.

Fig. 3 The bird that supported itself on the cattail. (photo uploaded sideways)

Week 6, i think..: Birds

Date: 5/12/13, Sunday 

Time: 1PM.

Weather: Overcast

Temperature: 66F

It seems like most of the grass has grown since last week. Some of the grass is as tall as my shoulders (5ft). This week I’m supposed to observe birds. Here are some of the song/calls I can hear from my spot.

Song/Call	Likely Species	Relative Location
Zit zit zit zeee zaaay	Savannah Sparrow	Directly north (behind me) In Pacific Willow
Conk-a-ree, check check check	Red Winged Blackbird	Due south of the bench in the cattails and tree.
Jeer (descending)	House Finch	50(ish)yards to the west of me.

There’s this Red-Winged Blackbird, Ageluis phoenicues, that has a territory in this tree in the front of my spot. I haven’t properly identified the tree yet, He’s currently perched close to the center of the tree, possible for protection (see diagram). He occasionally let’s out his familiar song: “Conk-a-treee!” But he makes a lot of calls between his songs: “Check, chech, check!” I’ve noticed him leave his tree to fly to the cattails due east and the grassy area below, possibly for food our to establish his territory.

Diagram of the RWBb’s Territory fig.1

Then I did some sketching of birds. In the left corner, I believe I saw a bird?In the right corner I believe I saw a the Savannah Sparrow I mentioned earlier; picking at its’ wing. On the Bottom is a diagram of a American Robin’s flight style. fig.2

Next I accounted for this bird I took to be a House Finch

This bird has a red chest. like a robin but smaller. There are two now, probably a male and female on the same branch, singing in harmony. It looked like the red one (male) was sticking it’s beak into the females mouth.

As I was walking along the path I noticed this small (4in) bird with brown stripes. It would jog along the path in front of me then fly a further distance ahead if I got too close. This went on for about 20 yards. 

As I walked to a different southwest side of UBNA I heard all of these bird calls from the cattails. I could tell where the nest was from the commotion but could not see it. Then I saw this little guy holding himself to the side of a cattail. fig.3

On my way out of the park, heading towards the soccer field, I saw a Yellow Warbler. I suspected it to be the same Warbler I saw in a location nearby on Tuesday with the class, but I could be wrong. I was kind of a muggy day. I thought I saw a turtle in one of the ponds today but the splash could have been from a duck.

Week 5: Invertebrates

I decided to try something a little different this week and upload my journal directly. I tried to put a little more effort into the layout and the legibility of my handwriting. Enjoy the old-school!

Week 4: Olympic Peninsula, Day 2

4/28. Overcast with light showers. 47 degrees.

The second day started very early for my standards. After a night of light sleep, I woke up around 6:30 and proceeded to wander down to Lake Crescent before breakfast. I took a moment to stand on the shore, take in the tranquility, and reflect on the activities of the past day. The Mule Deer were taking advantage of the quite to graze on the lawn of Naturebridge. The pines and leaves of the Douglas Firs, Madrones, and Western Hemlocks were rustling in the wind behind me. It was very peaceful, I was reminded that I have a lot to be grateful for.

After breakfast, I took advantage of the hour of free time to hike to Merymere Falls with some classmates. We were in a hurry so we didn’t spend too much time identifying species, but I noticed a grove of Devil’s Clubs by the Barnes Creek. After taking a moment at the falls and a moment watching a woodpecker on Cedar, we returned to Naturebridge.

We left Naturebridge for the inner tidal zone of the Straight of Juan de Fuca at Salt Creek Recreation area. I know less about tidal zones but thanks to the guest lecture by Bob Paine, I had a better idea of what to expect. The tidal zone was an ecosystem with a different kind of complexity based on the elements like: 1) competition, 2) predation, 3)symbiosis, and 4) disturbance. The tide was especially low at the point cause of the full moon and there were lots of other beach walkers out for the weekend. On our way down to the pools, we noticed two Bald Eagles which was a treat. Once at the pools the first element I noticed was competition. The were California Mussels, Blue Mussels, Pacific Goose Barnacles and Dall’s Acorn Barnacles all competing for rock space. Usually a population would dominate an area of rock, but were two populations met the was a mix competing for space. Covering the other areas of rock was a mixture of Winged Kelp, Bull Kelp, and Pacific Rockweed to name a few types of algae. Needless to say, this abundance of life made it difficult to walk across the uneven rock and boulders. If you turned over almost any large rock, you could see Purple Shore Crabs and tiny Hermit Crabs scampering away. I noticed a few Lined Chiton on some of the rocks sucking the algae off. Of course, a lot of the disturbance in this environment comes from the tides and force of the ocean bearing down on the shore. Besides the birds, I the only signs of predation I saw came was from the starfish. I saw three different kinds of starfish, a tiny variety (less than 2in across), the Sunflower Star, and some Ochre Sea Star. Robbie, Claire and I found an Ochre eating a mussel for lunch, which reminded us it was about time to eat lunch ourselves. 

We manage to fit almost the entire class on one rock for lunch, maybe we learned from the tidal zone about sharing a small area of space. Just before leaving for the Elwha, the sun came out and we almost saw a whale, which might’ve been worth it for the laughs. I was particularly excited to see the Elwha in person because it was one of the locations I went the last time I was on the peninsula. Once we got to the river, we hiked a short distance for a good viewing point. Part of the problem with the dam removal was it unleashed an extremely, unnaturally large sediment load that had accumulated in the dammed lake. The sediment had washed down the Elwha making it impossible for Salmon to swim upstream to lay eggs (salmon need a specific  rock size, larger than sand). Ideally though, by the end of the decade, most of the sediment will have washed out to the Straight of Juan de Fuca and the salmon populations can return in greater numbers, given the longer river. The land once under-lake water is already starting to revegetate, the grasses have already come in, I suspect the Alders will be next. It’ll be interesting to track how the forest changes with the addition nutrients that the salmon will provide it.

After leaving the Elwha, we made one more stop on Hurricane Ridge before heading to the ferry. Unfortunately, there was weather so we didn’t have any panoramic views, but we had a chance to see an old-growth forest existing at a higher elevation on a steep slope. The forest didn’t appear as old because the soil wasn’t as nutritious with an underlying layer of basalt and the slope didn’t help development. After looking for some Silver Firs, we headed out for the Kingston ferry, ha. I had a great time on this Week 4 Field Trip. I know I always appreciate nature after spending some time out in it, though, a healthy balance of indoor time doesn’t hurt. This trip was a breath of fresh air and I’m glad I got a chance to connect with my other classmates. Can’t wait for the east Cascades trip!

Week 4: Olympic Peninsula, Day 1

4/27 Overcast with sun breaks and light rain. 52 degrees.
(pictures will be in their own tab)

Olympic NP is one of my favorite places in the world. It's espcially significant to me because four years ago I came to Lake Crescent with my first Environmental Science class. My high school started offering environmental science my senior year as an alternative to physics. In many ways taking that class was a defining moment that helped me become the naturalist I am today. Four years ago, I remember visiting the Elwha and learning about some of the challenges with dam deconstruction. Since then I've studied the geologic history of the Olympic Range, learned about the different species in the ecosystem, and read the ethical considerations that go into maintaining a unique natural treasure. I want to say I've come full circle, but I really foresee myself returning here throughout my life to see what's remained the same and what's changed.

The first day of the trip we spent mostly at Naturebridge and the area on the south side of Lake Crescent. It should be noted we stopped on the Klallum Reservation to learn about how the native tribes were the first natural historians. Once we got settled at Naturebridge, we began to explore the rainforest on the Moments in Time Trail. Once on the trail, you immediately get a feel of what an old growth rainforest in the pacific northwest is. The sheer amount of vibrant, green, biomass is very unique to this region. A key aspect of the forest is that it is largely undeveloped, unlike many other places in the US. We took a few moments to absorb the sensation of the forest, then got to work identifying species...

There are many ways to explain this complexity of the Hoh temperate rainforest, but a particular way we covered was three elements every ecosystem has: 1) structure, 2) function, and 3) composition. The structure is how the different species in the ecosystem are organized and interrelated to one another in time and space. The function is the different physical, chemical, and biological processes of the species and the ecosystem so it can regulate and maintain itself. The composition is the specific species that make up any given ecosystem. For the rainforest we were in, the keystone species, or the defining species of the ecosystem, are the Douglas Fir trees. The Douglas Firs can live up to 300 years, providing a great canopy for Western Hemlocks and other shade tolerant plants to develop and make up the understory. In the forest we observe Douglas Firs that had re-sprouted their dormant branches which provides a habitat like Licorice Ferns and Downy Woodpecker's. After Douglas Firs die, and other trees for this matter, they provide nutrients to shrubs, trees, mosses and small fowl, thus enriching the species of the forest floor. Along with Douglas Firs, there was a good deal of Grand Firs, Western Red Cedars, Pacific Madrones, Western Hemlocks, Red Cedars, and Big Leaf Maples. While the distribution of the trees was mostly even, there were several niches were one species would thrive, such as a swamp that was so moist, that the only trees that were growing were the Cedars.

Besides the trees, there are many shrubs, lichens, mosses, and some fungi coating the forest floor. The most common shrubs were Sword Ferns, [dull and tall] Oregon Grapes, and Salals. In terms of structure, I noticed that Salals did particularly well on the slope of Mt. Stormking, whereas there were more Ferns and Oregon Grapes where the slope was more level. Some other shrubs I noticed were Lady Ferns, Vanilla Leafs, Baldhip Roses, Coltsfoots (in wet areas), Salmonberries, and Red Huckleberries. While I'd seen a similar composition of species before at Ravenna Park (though the rainforest was much more dense), I'd never seen so much moss. I noticed at least four different kinds of moss, some that resembled Fern Moss and Big Shaggy Moss, and some which I couldn't identify. The mosses did particularly well on the bare pillow basalt on Stormking. According to the National Audobon's guide, lichens help identify a healthy ecosystem, and the rainforest had plenty of lichen, but I mostly noticed Old Man's Bread in the trees and Lettuce Leaf. In terms of fungus, there was Artist's Foot growing on the end of many host logs as well as a patch of mushrooms, which I couldn't identify. Between the trees that make up the canopy and the different species on the forest floor, the rainforest can be considered an old-growth forest. Old-growth forest are measured by complexity, not age, although the rainforest has both. The abundance of precipitation allows life to flourish, and there are plenty of species who's function is to consume the dead organisms leading to a cycle of nutrients.

While there's a great deal of wild animals in the park, the only ones I noticed on by the end of the day were the Band-Tailed Pigeons, a Rufous Hummingbird, a Common Raven, a Douglas Squirrel and the Mule Deer. I can't recall ever seeing a raven before so it was quite a treat to see how elegant and quiet it was while we were hiking Stormking. It's not too surprising we didn't see to many animals  because we stayed so closes to Naturebridge, which typically has people that animals might be interested in avoiding.

At the end of the first day, we met after dinner to discuss some of the history of the region. European explores started coming to the northwest as early as 1778 to trade with the natives, the original natural historians. It wasn't until about a hundred years later that the first parties went deep into what is now Olympic National Park to explore, in the winter at that. I was pretty tired after hiking Mt. Stormking, which was the highlight of my day, but I can't imagine what Lewis, Clark, and Charles Barnes went through.

Week 3

Sunday, 5:50pm, 4/21. 54 degrees, Sunny with clouds.

“It’s unsafe to go in the tall grass alone.” Those were the words of Professor Oak in the original versions of Poke’mon.I was reflecting on the Poke’mon games I used to play as a kid for a number of reasons this week. First off, the most noticeable difference in UBNA this week was the height of the grass. The grasses and rushes around my journaling spot and elsewhere are much taller. I probably wouldn’t have noticed this difference if I hadn’t returned to the same spot every week. It rained a lot this past week, so it makes sense that the grass is taller. The plants are growing, the environment is changing.

As corny as it sounds, Poke’mon helped me become a naturalist in a way. Besides the battling aspect of the game, you explore the world identifying different species and looking for new ones. The types are like our version of genus’s. iNaturalist is kind of like the Poke’dex. I remember wanting to get out of the classroom and explore so much as a ten year old kid.

It’s nice being back in UBNA now that I have better knowledge of the wildlife here. Thanks to my time with the TA’s, Tessa and Oli, I have corrected some species I wrongly identified, such as Queen Anne’s Lace and the Yellow Flag Iris. I saw a lot of the same birds this week that I’d seen before, such as the Canadian Goose, Mallards, and the Red WInged Blackbirds. I noticed four different Red Winged Blackbirds today, apparently, they’re kind of territorial. I saw a new bird today on the path behind my spot that looked like a gray jay or a chickadee, but I can’t be sure. I was only able to do a quick sketch of it before it flew away. I also saw a Barrow’s Goldeneye in fishing in Lake Washington. 

Overall, it was nice to spend the afternoon in UBNA today. I feel much more comfortable here now because the plants seem less foreign, and I can spend time focusing on the ones I don’t know, or looking for birds or changes in the plants I know. 

Happy Earth Day! (though, everyday should really be an earth day)

Photos of UBNA

I'll try to incorporate my photos with my blog posts better in the future. I have been taking photos though and would like to share some.

Cattails, typha latifolia, on a sunny day. Lake washington behind. In the foreground is some kind of grass that's dominate in the area, though I haven't been able to pin down an ID on it yet.

One of the few plants I didn't have to look up, the Himalayan Blackberry, rubus armeniacus. I've pulled many of these out of parks with Earthcorp.  

This looked like a Cow Parsnip, heracleum sphondylium,  to me. Not positive though, I just went off the shape of the flower. It looked kind of dead. The National Audubon Society says it blooms May-July.

Waterfowl flocking. I definitely noticed some Mallards,  anas platyrhynchos.

This conifer was growing on the east edge of UBNA and seemed kind of out of place. I thought it might be a douglas fir because the bristles were on all sides of the stems, but it could be a Nolbe Fir or something else...

Sketching Plants

I originally had some technical difficulties uploading my weekly blog posts with images from my iPhone, so I decided to try two separate posts. Here it goes...

This is the plant I attempted to sketch. I identified it as Lady's Ttesses, spiranthes romanzoffiana, using the Cascades & Olympics Field Guide. I could easily be wrong, I don't have much experience in plant ID. The guide says the Tresses like moist places and is between 2"-10" which checks out. 

First and second sketch attempts. Tried to sketch from memory and using the single line.

Third and fourth attempts. Tried using shading and diagrams to capture the unique aspects of the plant.

My final attempt, with as much detail as I could capture.

Week 2

Sunday, 3pm, 4/14. Sunny with clouds. 52 degrees.

I’d say I now have a much better idea of why all the ENVIRO students are doing this journal project. We’re documenting our observations of the natural world. It’s important for us to spend a lot of time in one place because it takes time for the detail to sink in.

This is my second week at my spot and I feel like I’ve only noticed a few more species. However, this is about as good as the weather gets in the spring in Seattle, so I can dedicate more tine to this journal entry. My goal in this post is to describe my surroundings in great detail and to practice sketching plants (in order to fully observe them). 

My spot is just off the outer loop trail of UBNA. If you were to walk counterclockwise around the loop, the second bench facing Lake Washington is a good landmark for my spot. Short grass surrounds the bench and three rocks lie in front of it. There’s a small trail about 20m long that leads through the Bluebunch Wheatgrass down to Lake Washington. There are many Broad-Leafed Cattails along the waters edge. To the right of the bench there is a small pond, which drains into Lake Washington via a small creek. The plant diversity along the creek is greater than much of the rest of the diversity around the rest of my spot which is dominated by grass, so many of my species ID’s will come from the creek-side. Both Scouring Rush and Giant Horsetails grow near along the creek-side. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of Himalayan Blackberry bushes around the water-proximal zones of my spot. Based on what I’ve heard about the history of this park, I imagine there was once a lot more [blackberry], but it’s still sad to see an invasive species thrive. I haven’t noticed any mammals yet and the only insects I’ve seen are small gnats. Fortunately, there are many birds in this park and even though I’ve only seen a few species, including the Red-Winged Blackbird two weeks in a row, I can hear many more [bird species]. 

With the exception of the weather it doesn’t appear much has changed here in the past week. Perhaps I’ll try to come at different times of the day in future weeks to see it that makes a difference in which bird species  I see... That’s all for now, time to sketch!

iNaturalist

I'm going to begin cataloging all the species I identify on the site iNaturalist. Here's a link to my observation page: http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/smith329

I'll primarily be using my iPhone 3GS to photograph the species so I can't promise phenomenal images. My plan is to repost the better images on this blog along with some catchy descriptions. For now though, here's a picture of the boulder that marks my observation spot. As mentioned before, I'm pretty positive it's granite transported from the last glaciation in the region 12,000ish years ago. The white stripe is either a dike (volcanic origin) or a calcite vein (caused by weathering processes).

First Post

4/7/13, 4pm, 46 degrees, raining

Today I sat in the rain. I suppose that’s not that uncommon for Pacific Northwest (PNW) folk though... I’m not the best at introductions or beginnings, so here it goes...

I love nature and probably always will. I can be a very skeptical and unsure person but I’m pretty sure of this. I don’t believe it’s any coincidence either. But how I came to appreciate the outdoors probably better told inside because I’m currently sick and sitting in a downpour isn’t helping...

(typed later)

Looking back, my love for nature did not come from one particular event, but a sequence of many. As a child in elementary school, I’d go sledding on snow-days in Indiana and search for frogs in the woods by our house during summer vacation. I remember fantasizing about going on long journeys into the wild from a very young age. When I moved out to Washington, I had many more chances to go camping with my family and close friends. Some of our favorite spots near Seattle are Lake Kachees and Iron Creek. A significant journey my family took in 2005 was to visit the Canadian Rockies. We went around Lake Okanagan, up to Jasper and down to Banff. The mountains and the forests seemed to create a harmonious balance. After my senior year of high school, we journeyed to Glacier National Park, just south of the Canadian Rockies. By that time, I had become an outdoor enthusiast. I wanted to hike the mountain trails in the summer and ski down the slopes in the winter. In college, quickly took interest in geology because it valued field work to collect data. Understanding how some of the most marvelous features came to be has become one of my goals. My most recent great adventure was a trip I took around Iceland in the summer of 2011. If the Grand Canyon is the Mecca of sedimentary rocks, Iceland is the Mecca of igneous rocks. Of course, I’ve had many other great experiences with nature that are just as significant to me, but these select journeys come to mind when I reflect on how I came to appreciate the natural world.

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So how did I find myself here? I’m here because of an assignment I have for a course I’m in, ENVIRO 280: Natural History. My professor believes we might gain some further appreciation for nature by journaling in a natural area. I think he could be right, but it remains to be seen. Currently I’m wet and I have to be out here to complete my homework.

Why did I choose Union Bay Natural Area (UBNA)? My background is in geology. I love mountains and the rocks they’re made of, so I typically find myself at higher altitudes. Swamps, being the geographic low, generally are more confusing to me. Oddly enough, the abundant mess of life here makes me feel smaller than standing on top of a mountain.

I had never been to UBNA before today which is a shame. As a Seattle local, I’ve experienced many of the parks the city has to offer but as I mentioned before, swamps make me feel a bit out of place. I spent some time wandering around the park before settling on a spot to journal in. My spot is roughly 20m from the shoreline of Lake Washington, so I have a good view of the cat tails, water and 520 bridge. Roughly 10m behind my spot is a creek which feeds the lake. Many shrubberies cover the creek giving it a shady swampy feel. Mostly I chose my spot because of the granitic boulder I saw. A boulder of this size (3 cubic feet) is too burdensome to move, so I figured it must be a remanent from the last glaciation. Having a giant rock in my journaling spot makes me feel slightly more at home.

I find myself here because I try to be a person who’s open to new experiences and I’ve heard swamps can be rather mystical. But for now, I’m leaving.