Campanula Scouleri, Scouler's Harebell

Day 268: Although Campanula scouleri isn't particularly rare, it is somewhat ephemeral and therefore difficult to find in good condition. My botany partners in Team Biota reported it blooming at a location in Mount Rainier National Park last year, an isolated specimen. Two days after they saw it, I made a trip to the site, but its flowers had already dropped. This year, we organized a mission, and every week, at least one team member visited the site in the hopes of finding it. Joe and Sharon spotted it on Tuesday, not quite open. Wednesday's warm temperatures seemed encouraging, so Joe took today off and I arranged to go to work a couple of hours late. The hunt for Scouler's Harebell was on!

Getting stuck in a construction zone confused our plans to meet at a pre-arranged site and, not knowing whether Joe and Sharon had gotten ahead of me when I got stuck behind the flagger or whether they were somewhere far behind, I went on to the site alone. Only minutes after I found the plant, they pulled in, and Sharon called out as they were walking up, "Did you find it?" I replied, "Why do you think I'm plastered to this rock wall?" We took turns photographing our prey and searching crevices for any sign of more. We think we may have found some just beyond the cotyledon stage, but will have to go back next week to check.

Kalmia Microphylla, Alpine Laurel

Day 267: Kalmia microphylla is a delightful little native plant, and as its common name "Alpine Laurel" implies, it generally prefers to grow at higher elevations although can sometimes be found at lower altitudes. Like its larger, shrubby garden cousin, its saucer-shaped flowers display five points, the edges of which roll slightly toward the center. Some references separate our local Kalmias into two species, microphylla and polifolia, but other sources (the WTU database and our own Park herbarium) support lumping them as a single species with variations in the growth habit. For once, taxonomists are a house divided, so until further genetic research settles the issue one way or another, your correspondent won't make a distinction.

Pontia Beckerii On Plantago Lanceolata

Day 266: Another score for Team Biota! During one of our recent botanizing exploits, we were minutely examining a rock wall near Box Canyon when something near ground level caught my eye: a white butterfly on an inflorescence of Buckhorn, Plantago lanceolata. The similarity in colour to the individual Buckhorn flowers was striking, a pale yellowish green which seemed almost luminescent. The butterfly was perfectly motionless, so I sneaked in for a close-up even though I figured I wouldn't be able to identify it without a dorsal view. When I got home, I submitted the photo to BugGuide.net. Their response took a little longer than usual, and before I received it, I got a note from Joe and Sharon (my botany partners) saying that they had shown their photos to an entomologist who had identified it as Pontia beckerii (Becker's White). A few minutes later, I had confirmation from BugGuide. Joe later got an email from a contact at BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of North America). In his words, "...this is probably a first county record for Pontia beckerii in  Lewis County, so it's a great find!"


When you're out hiking, don't just look at the broad views. Sometimes the greatest sights are those within arm's reach.

Fourth Of July Parade

Day 265: You've got to love small-town parades. The citizenry of Eatonville lined the streets along the one-mile route despite cooler than usual temperatures. We had a good turnout of Parkies and their families, and even brought the Park's fire engine down off the Mountain to bring up the rear behind a patrol car. Superintendent Randy King led the way, carrying the Park's banner with the assistance of Junior Ranger Logan, and following right behind them, Mount Rainier National Park's BioBlitz dance team repeated their energetic routine at every intersection and stop along the way to the tune of "Bird Machine (feat Alesia)". A grand time was had by all, but it may take me until July 4, 2017 to recover!

Things My Mother Taught Me

Day 264: In a roundabout way, my mother is responsible for instilling in me a preference for Latin names. Y'see, her dad came from the Midwest where a very similar flower to our native Columbia Lily goes by the name of "Turk's-cap." He was ignorant of the distinction between Lilium superbum and Lilium columbianum, and therefore applied the common name to the flowers he saw blooming here. My mother grew up calling Lilium columbianum by the wrong common name, so inevitably, that was what I came to call them as well. I was in my early twenties when I discovered the error, but the name was so deeply ingrained in my memory that I spoke of them as "Turk's-caps" more often than not, backing up to correct myself each time it happened. Then one day, I hit upon a solution to the problem. I had already learned enough about wildflowers to appreciate the value of Latin names to distinctly identify species often covered by a much broader common name (there are dozens of Penstemons, for example), so it was a fairly easy shift to say "Lilium columbianum" for our regionally-unique "tiger-lily."

It is common for Columbia Lily to have 3-5 blossoms per stem, but don't be surprised if you see more. In my own experience with the species, I counted a whopping 13 flowers on a single stalk near Windy Gap, and have seen quite a few "11s" during my career, both in the Park and in Flatland. Lilium columbianum is not selective with regard to altitude. It blooms from sea level through most of the subalpine zone, and shows up just in time to present a botanical fireworks display for the Fourth of July.

Hypericum Anagalloides, Tinker's Penny

Day 263: Local field guides may refer to Hypericum anagalloides (Tinker's Penny) as "common," but it is not often found in Mount Rainier National Park. It was only by chance that we discovered it while searching for the Fungus of Worldwide Concern (FOWC), several small patches almost entirely hidden by the dominant sedge. As its scientific name implies, it is a member of the same genus as common St. John's Wort, but unlike its weedy roadside cousin, it is native to the state. It is a tiny plant with stems no more than 8 cm. long and blossoms ca. 4 mm and so intensely yellow that they put buttercups to shame. Unfortunately, your correspondent neglected to place her reference penny beside the Tinker's Penny for comparison, thoroughly distracted by the FOWCs and the need to document them for posterity.

Camoufrogged

Day 262: Watching where you step is very important when you're searching for rare plants and the occasional Fungus of Worldwide Concern ("FOWC"). While glopping through the gloopy mud at the edge of a bog, I was mildly startled when several brownish-green blobs leapt for the safety of the denser forest. Although I'd had my eyes peeled for Cascades Frogs (Rana cascadae), I had not spotted them until they moved, and then they seemed to be everywhere. Fortunately, my footfalls set off vibrations in the soil well in plenty of time to alert them, but of course that made approaching one for a close-up all the more difficult. Still, sometimes stillness is the best adjunct to camouflage, and this fine froggy froze in place. I moved in slowly, careful to keep my shadow from falling on my photographic prey as I knelt down in the wet. When I stood up again, I noted how effective this species' markings are in making it blend in with its environment. Only the symmetry of the eye gives it away.