Well, Dam!

Day 196: Well, dam! I went out for a little hike yesterday, hoping to find Corallorhiza trifida in any of the three locations where I know it to occur. Last year, my botany partners and I failed to locate any, although we admit that we might have come too late upon the scene. Based on my phenological records, it springs up at some point in late April through late May, so I thought to get an early start, knowing full well that I might come home disappointed. As I feared, I was too early, so I set a different goal: visit Secret Falls in its niche just off the Westside Road. However, I experienced another disappointment there. The falls was nearly dry, with just a trickle coming down the cleft in the rock, although the plunge pool (with hardly the volume of a standard bathtub) was full. That said, with plenty of snow feeding its source and record-breaking high temperatures in the forecast for the next two days, it will undoubtedly be flowing more vigorously soon. The only real success story of the day (not counting removal of illegally-planted "memorial" flowers in a site I've been monitoring for several years) was a visit to the old dam above Sunshine Point campground. There are bits of history tucked away in our Park if you know where to look! And because in all, I had a nice walk of roughly five miles, the day wasn't a total bust.

Sunshine Point Water Tower

Day 231: I do not know if the old water tower which served Sunshine Point Campground for many years qualifies as a historic structure or not, but my curiosity about it is growing and I know the people to ask. Given our Pacific Northwe't climate, I'm surprised it's still standing after all this time. The Calypso Orchids and Northern Coralroot which once graced the slope beneath it have almost ceased to appear. Today, one lone Calypso poked up behind a log amid a tangle of broken branches and forest debris, a small and cheerful companion for this old relic. "See? I have not forgotten you. I bloom to recall you to your better days."

Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid On Douglas Fir

Day 274: Some forms of the Cooley Spruce Gall Adelgid (Adelges cooleyi) spend a portion of their life cycle solely on Douglas fir while others migrate from fir to spruce as the insects reach maturity. On spruce, an infestation of Adelges cooleyi may form unsightly galls on branch tips, but these galls do not form on Douglas fir. According to the Oregon Dept. of Forestry, "The conspicuous presence of woolly adelgids on Douglas-fir foliage and the galls produced by this same insect on branch tips of spruce generate more public inquiries than any other forest insect. In natural stands the presence of the Cooley spruce gall adelgid is of little consequence, but severe infestations on ornamental trees, nursery stock, or Christmas trees may justify control. The damage caused by this insect affects only aesthetics and does not threaten tree survival." Adelgids are more likely to occur on stressed trees than on healthy ones, as evidenced by this infestation on a young fir struggling for survival in rocky, dry fill. The white, cottony masses shown in this image are the waxy secretions produced by the insect which helps it adhere to the branch and affords it protection from other insect predators. A few unconcealed Adelgids can be seen here as tiny black spots.

Chrysomela Aeneicollis, Willow Leaf Beetle

Day 266: Not what would immediately spring to mind upon hearing the word "beetle," the larvae of the Willow Leaf Beetle (Chrsomela aeneicollis) look like something from a science-fiction film. The adult insect is readily identifiable as a beetle, although its colour and pattern are highly variable and can range from black with red or brown spots through pale brown with black spots. The colouration tends toward the darker range as distance from the coastal areas increases. Both the larvae and the adults feed on willow species, skeletonizing the leaves by consuming the tenderer tissues and leaving the tougher vein structure.

Tower Lost To Time

Day 210: I have no story to tell about this water tower. I know nothing of its history other than that it once served visitors staying at Sunshine Point Campground. The campground was destroyed by the flood of 2006; was the tower used until then? I don't know.

Sometimes, penetrating deep mysteries destroys their magic. While I entertain a certain degree of curiosity about the tower, I suspect that the romance of its presence might suffer if I delved into its backstory. Without the dry facts, I can imagine that it was built by CCC crews in the 30s, the same workmen who were responsible for a lot of trail and road construction in the Park. The hoop-and-stave architecture is certainly consistent with the period. The pumphouse behind it looks newer, perhaps put in to augment the insufficiency of gravity-feed as visitor usage increased. The tower raises questions in my mind every time I visit this corner of the forest, but its imagined saga is so much more colourful than any details I might unearth if I were to go asking that I am not compelled to do so. I am not inclined to obfuscate my faith in its record with hard and provable truths.