Archway

Day 206: "Arch!" No, I'm not in the holodeck on the Enterprise NCC-1701D. I'm in Pack Forest, and I'm ducking under an arch of Vine Maple (Acer circinatum), one of many which curve over the trails. This small-leaved species is common in Pacific Northwest lowland forests, and is more of a shrub than a tree, although a very leggy one. Its branches are very bendy when fresh, and were used by native peoples to make baskets similar to those made with willow withies. When it arches like the example in the photo, it may self-layer where the tip touches the ground to form a new cluster of trunks still connected to the parent tree. Like other maples, it produces samaras, winged "helicopter" seeds which animals and birds both enjoy. Its hardwood trunks seldom attain a diameter of more than a few inches, although roots may be larger. In fact, I have a lathe-turned vase of Vine Maple made by a former neighbour which is 8" tall and 4" in diameter.

Lathyrus Polyphyllus

Day 204: Well, pea! "One of Those Days" seems to be continuing, so why don't we just have a pea before my head explodes? Of the seventeen Lathyrus species found in Washington, six are introduced and problematic, but dainty Lathyrus polyphyllus (Leafy Peavine) is native. It occurs largely in the western lowlands, and is characterized by a subopposite or alternate leaf structure with 10-16 leaflets. Certainly, its invasive cousins overshadow it, cropping up in mounds along roadsides and, although it's not particularly uncommon, it is often passed over as a vetch (Vicia) because of the shape of the flowers and leaf arrangement. Finding a few examples in bloom along the lower Hugo Peak trail was a treat for me because it was a species I had not yet photographed for the WTU Herbarium. This addition brings my total contribution to 239 photos covering 132 taxa. Science, people! To quote a Life Is Good t-shirt, "Science is like magic, but real."

Macro Walk

Day 203: Yesterday was One of Those Days. I spent 45 minutes on the phone with a "virtual assistant" trying to install a new key fob for my alarm system, and we never managed to get through the first step. I finally told her I simply wanted to return it for a refund, so she transferred me to another department. The process there took half an hour or more, and by the time we were done, I was at my wits' end. The mail came, bringing with it a squashed and mangled box of Merry's broths, and since my order had gone through a third-party seller, another half hour in a chat session never successfully resolved the issue. Next pictures and story, I poured my slipper full of chicken blood when I took the thawed meat out of the refrigerator to make dinner. After supper, I sat down to put some photos on the computer and couldn't get the data cable to acknowledge the camera's existence. It's been failing for some time, and finally just gave up. As did I. I said, "Screw this!" and went to bed cross at the entire world. This morning, I decided to follow a friend's advice and went into the woods, despite it being Saturday. I turned a mile-and-a-half ramble into a Macro Walk to bring you this selection of wildflowers and weeds blooming along the lower reach of Pack Forest's Hugo Peak trail. I'm not going to identify them for you. They're all fairly common except the Calypso Orchids which were really the highlight of my walk.

The Calocera Cornea Club

Day 48: Per "Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest" by Steve Trudell and Joe Ammirati, the growth of Calocera cornea "in large troops on rotting logs and small size set it apart from the other club-fungi." Just how small? Well, I didn't have a penny, so used a dime instead to show that the tallest of these might have reached a towering 4 mm. I discovered it along the Hugo Peak Trail in Pack Forest, first time I have observed it there. The species is not uncommon and occurs around the globe, fruiting in late summer and autumn. A member of the order Dacrymycetales, it is characterized by the Y-shape of its basidia (spore-producing bodies). Despite the similarity in appearance to the coral fungi, DNA analysis has shown that the clubs form a second, unrelated evolutionary group. It's a private club, no corals allowed.

Short Pack Walk

Day 47: At a loss for a blog post but having a parcel which needed to be mailed from a larger post office, I took a brief detour to Pack Forest for a short walk. I had only gone a little way on the Hugo Peak trail when my phone rang. Kevin was done setting up my new laptop (or at least he thought he was), and asked if I'd like to stop by to pick it up. I'd already gotten a few pictures, although none of them was of anything new or particularly exciting, so I asked him to give me an hour and continued up the trail. That didn't leave time to get up Hugo, so I snapped this scenic view from one of the few open spaces and shortly thereafter, discovered a colony of fungi which will appear in tomorrow's post. No, the computer didn't make it home with me yet, but we're close.

Tellima Grandiflora, Fringe-Cup

Day 213: So here's the thought process...I'm out in the woods and I see a tall, slightly hairy stem with little green bells hanging more or less off one side of it. The top ones aren't open yet (that's a clue, especially given the height) and there's a slight pink tinge to some of the lower ones (that's another clue). The leaves are also slightly hairy and remind me of Heuchera which, aggravatingly, I have no problem remembering. I say to myself, "Mitella...no, that's not right. That's Mitrewort. This is...that other thing, the one that looks kinda like it." Then the mental search begins in earnest, and the first item to mind is Tiarella. Just that fast, I follow with reproach, "No, bonehead, that's Foamflower."

Having successfully remembered Mitella, Heuchera and Tiarella, you'd think I'd be able to pull this one out of the hat, but the scientific name eludes me. A tenth of a mile further down the trail, the common name pops into my head, "Fringe-cup! Okay, got that part...now what? Tia...Teme...Melitta...that's a coffee pot...dammit. WHY can't I ever remember that word?" And to add insult to injury, a quarter mile beyond the specimen with the annoyingly elusive name, I recall having read somewhere that it's an anagram of "Mitella." I'm remembering a lot, just not what I really NEED to remember. For example, I remember that Mitrewort's petals are more lacy and look "fringier" than those of Fringe-cup, but that doesn't help. I know what the plant is. I just can't say the name. It may take me a full mile, but eventually, I get it: Tellima. The "grandiflora" part comes easily on its heels. There's no mistaking how much more "grandi" its "flora" are than those of Mitella.

Tellima grandiflora...I'd like to get my hands on the taxonomist who anagrammed the name of a similar plant to get that one...a little botanical joke on the rest of us who have to try to delve it up from the old cerebral database.

Me And My Shadow

Day 212: It's easy to see how Pacific Starflower (Trientalis latifolia) got its common name. Often seen in moist lowland forests, Starflower prefers partial shade. When the sun does peek through the canopy and falls on its white or pinkish-white blossoms, they shine with stellar beauty. The flowers (one or two) are held aloft on thready stems arising from the center of whorled leaves, appearing almost detached from the plant itself. Curiously, although the flower usually has six points, the number of petals can vary from 5-7. The next time you're out and about in Starflower country, amuse yourself with a "four-leaf clover" hunt for blossoms with odd numbers of petals.