WEEK 7

Date: Monday, May 20, 2013
Weather: Parting clouds, sunshine and a light mist
Temperature: ~50 degrees F
Time: 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Location: Ravenna Park

A repeat view of my site 

Part 1: Weekly Site Phenology 

What a struggle it has been to pull myself together and continue productive habits throughout this quarter, and particularly this week. With family trips, mid-terms, papers and the incessant reminder that summer is just around the corner, time-management is consistently one of my largest battles to overcome. However, in the mess of planning and rainy days, I was gladly able to take myself away from the material world once again, and enter the tranquil nature realm I call  my home  "Observation Site" at Ravenna Park.  

This week, the sun began to peek through the clouds and cascade through the flourishing Bigleaf Maples to shower my site in patches of sunlight and warmth. The sparse clouds left in the sky were persistent in raining on my parade, yet left me with only light showers and a comfortable, refreshing mist. Compared to the mass flooding that occurred at my site after the torrential downpour last week, Ravenna Creek was performing at its finest. The water was crystal clear and without the characteristic littering and pollution I typically observe at the site (a pleasant surprise). I always peer into water hoping to see a small fish, but have yet to find one. 

The fauna and foliage at my site thrives in these temperate conditions, growing greener and taller than ever before. Examples of this can be seen with the increase of leaf size in species such as the Beaked Hazelnut, Bigleaf Maple, Salmonberry, and ferns featured in the images below. I saw hints of berries growing on the Salmonberry in weeks past, but this was the first time I have seen a fully-developed, ripe berry. Though most of the berries accessible to the pathway had been picked over and eaten, good berries were still visible above my head, and also deep within the thorny thicket of the Salmonberry stems. The berry is a salmon color (duh), a light coral, and although I did not eat the few I found, they are known to have a bitter, yet pleasing taste. The Horse Chestnut has also shown exciting new growth. This new growth was easy to identify because it is smaller in size, lighter in color, softer in texture and has less-defined veins and serrated edges. Continued growth can also be seen in the towering Giant Horsetail stalks, and the (possibly invasive) grasses that flourish next to the creek's edge.

Given the drastic advances in growth in the past week, I have also found two new species, identifiable by their recently blooming buds. I identified my first small flower to be a Western Buttercup, with glossy yellow petals, many stamens, and branched stems. They are known to bloom between April and June and are commonly found in large patches. The second flower I found, I have yet to identify. With a woody stem, I cannot tell if this is a large shrub or a small tree. The leaves are silky and smooth, about three inches in length and have defined veins on the underside. They sprout clusters of small white flowers that each have five petals and are quite cute. I plan to ID this species next week with Cindy Luskus to be sure. 

Ravenna Creek in all its glory! After a light rain, the water was especially clear,
quite unlike the murkey flooded water after my last visit. 

(More clear water)
 I can't wait until the weather warms up so that I can dip my toes in. 

Beautiful Beaked Hazelnut (Corylus cornuta)! The leaves have grown almost twice
their original size.

A Bigleaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) ... The leaves are finally big!

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) leaves also growing larger than ever seen before.
Keep it up big guy! 

Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) has berries now! Way to go!
Berries are a light coral color (salmon-colored), and most had been eaten. 

Western Sword Fern(s), looking vibrant and lively.

Lady Fern, also a gem! Its arching fronds have grown unthinkable large.

*New growth* on my Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) tree! So exciting.
Identifiable by lighter color and smaller size. 

Mature Horse Chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) leaves.
(Compare to the new growth featured above)

They grow up so fast :')
Just last week I was taken aback by how tall my  Giant Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia) has come to be since Week 1, and again I am amazing, as its growth has now surpassed my kneecaps. 

Growth on my  Common Velvetgrass (Holcus lanatus)
... with nodes!

A close-up of my sweet-sprouting-swap-grass!

*New species*, the Western Buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis)
Identifiable by its glossy yellow petals, blooming April-June. 

Close-up image of the Western Buttercup (Ranunculus occidentalis)

*Unidentified Species*!
Small, white flowers with 5 petals each, ~1 cm in size. 

*Unidentified species*!
The leaf of the species featured above, undulating edges, woody stem, about 3 in. in length.

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Part II: Fungi & Lichen Identification

Let's start the party with some good ol' moss! 

Popularly found on my Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia), Big Shaggy Moss is all over the lower branches of this creek-side tree. This moss is light green in color, with mats of narrow and sprawling irregular branches. The tiny leaves can be seen in the images below, with red-brown stems and a horizontal spore case. The moss is soft to the touch and great at absorbing and retaining water, much like a sponge. This moss is reminiscent of the extraordinary Old Man's Beard that I saw while in the Olympic National forest. 

I'm likin' those lichens!

My first identified lichen is Oakmoss Lichen. Fallen from a towering tree (possibly a Grand Fir), this lichen is small at approximately one inch in diameter, with soft white, gray, and yellowish forking branches. It has no fruiting bodies and is commonly found on twigs, like that featured in the images below. 

What I had thought to be Lung Liverwort in my previous observations, I now understand to be Veined Lichen. After picking some of the lichen off of the erratic, turning it over in my hands, and slowly picking it apart, the color, texture, and features clearly tell me that this lichen has been mislabeled. The Veined Lichen, rather, has gray to brown lobes, down-turned edges, raised veins on the underside and extended lobe tips. Commonly found on soil, rocks, and rotting wood, the Veined Lichen is a common occurrence in Pacific Northwest Forests such as the one found in Ravenna Park. 

Mushroom Madness! What more could a person want?

Help! They could want help in identifying such a cool mushroom! After numerous failed attempts of finding this mushroom on the match-maker site that guest speaker, Noelle suggested, and failed accounts in the field guide, my identification for this beautiful species will have to wait until next week. What I have to go-off of now are purely visual identifiers. For example, the mushroom is dominated by white, cream, and light-gray colored gills and lacks a covered cap. It has no ring on the stalk and a bubbled, fuzzy, molded-looking base. It is about four inches in length with a cap that is approximately one inch in diameter. I look forward to working with Cindy Luskus in the week to come to find out more! 

Although this tree is not directly on my "Observation Site" location, the mushrooms sprouting from its sides were too cool to pass up. This Artist's Fungus (Ganoderma applanatum) also known as "Artist's Conk" can grow to 16 inches with a flat, shiny, dark brown cap, and semicircular, white underside. They grow all year-round and are most common on the trunks of dead, and dying trees. (i.e. The sad-looking Grand Fir featured below)

Lastly, I believe this mushroom to be the Fairy Ring Mushroom. With a relatively small size, only about an inch tall in my hand, and found on its own, this mushroom has a tan cap with a central bump and exaggerated gills. The edges are white with cream and light brown gills, and it is known to grow in especially rainy, damp areas. I plan on checking the accuracy of this identification with Cindy Luskus in the week to come as well. 

~ The End ~