Broom In Bloom

Day 231: Scotch Broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a common sight in the Pacific Northwest, often covering vast expanses of open land. In the lowlands, it is regarded by many as an invasive, although it is not presently on a list for eradication. It resembles Gorse (another invasive) but does not have the sharp spines for which that plant is noted.

According to Pojar and MacKinnon in "Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast," Scotch Broom was introduced to Vancouver Island (British Columbia) in 1850 by Capt. Walter Colquhoun. Three of the seeds he planted in Sooke germinated, and all Broom in the Pacific Northwest can be genetically traced back to those original bushes. The color variations shown here are but a few of the natural hybrids to be found in western Washington. Several sterile varieties (generally bearing smaller flowers) are available for domestic gardens.

Red-flowering Dogwood

Day 230: When a friend gave birth to a daughter fifteen years ago, she was living in a small apartment and realized that it might be a long time before she had property of her own. She wanted to plant a tree to mark the occasion of her daughter's entry into the world, and wanted it to be somewhere she could revisit as the child grew older, a place where she could point to it and say, "That's your tree. It was planted when you were born." She asked me if she could put a Dogwood in my yard and I said yes.

She and her husband arrived one drizzly morning with a Red-flowered Dogwood in a ten-gallon pot fresh from the nursery, explaining that they had not been able to find a white variety (the original plan) and we set to work. The old saying goes, "If you buy a five-dollar tree, put it in a ten-dollar hole." We took turns digging earth from the "ten-dollar hole" with shovels, pry bars and my PhD (Post-hole Digger). At last with a small ceremony, the sapling was bedded in a rich mix to give it a good start.

For several years, it bore nothing but leaves with a slight reddish cast to them. Then it made a few flowers one Spring and I thought we were on the road to success. The following year, it again only produced greenery. It has been an on-off situation from that time, and finally this year, it came into full flower. The family situation precludes a visit, so I've taken this photo for the young lady who shall always be "The Dogwood Child" to me.

Protected Species

Day 229: This photo is dedicated to those of you who have been following the story of the Calypso Orchids in the Longmire Volunteer campground from the time of their first budding through the moment when the blossoms began to open to the final, glorious flowering of both color variations. This morning, I was given a roll of caution tape and permission to mark off the areas where this delicate species abounds. It was a happy time for me, even moreso because in my campaign to protect the Calypsos, I made the acquaintance of one of the Park planners. He was present today as I taped off two zones of protection with two more to come, applauding my determination on behalf of these sensitive plants. It made me feel good to know that my voice, quite literally in the wilderness, had been heard.

Jeremiah Was A Columbia Spotted Frog

Day 228 (another special!): On my first circuit of the pond in Cochrane Park, I ran into a little girl with a net who was searching for frogs. As I was talking to her, her brother yelled out, "You gotta see this! It's huge!" By the time the three of us had stormed into the cattails, Frog had taken a powder. The kids went home and I continued on my circumlocution.

A quarter of the way around the loop, I stepped off the trail intending to go in amongst the reeds. My heavy tread startled another frog basking on the bank, so effectively camouflaged that I had not spotted it. Obviously, frog-chasing was going to take more finesse than I'd been using. Opposite the first frog non-sighting, I again entered the cattails by means of a series of large rocks. Again, I heard a splash without seeing the frog. Drat.

By the time I got back to the original spot where the kids had seen their huge frog, it had come out of hiding. I tried to creep up on it carefully. I didn't succeed, but I stopped well short of the second location and managed this capture of what I believe is a Columbia Spotted Frog.

Emboldened by my success, I made several more circuits of the pond, each with the same result. I'd spot a frog in one of the known hangouts, only to have it leap into the water before I could get it in the viewfinder. I am really going to have to hone up my frog-stalking skills.

Western Washington Wildflowers

Day 228: With the exception of Iris tenax (Toughleaf Iris) in the lower left corner, the remaining wildflowers shown in this composite photo are common in most of western Washington. Iris tenax is a prairie habitué and appears both in shady forest and dry grassland. It is a native plant, and the fibers of the leaves were used by the indigenous peoples to make nets and rope.

In the upper left corner, California Poppies (Eschscholtzia californica) make a showy appearance. Often found in drifts, they spread readily. After they are fully dry, the pointed pods burst with force, scattering seed for several yards. Contrary to its misleading name, it is also native to the region. If anyone ever asks you to think of a word with six consonants in a row, "Eschscholzia" will do the trick.

The upper right corner is occupied by Oxeye Daisies (Leucanthemum vulgare), a non-native species familiar to most children as a science project. Add a little food coloring to water, stick a bouquet of daisies in it, and in a few hours, you'll have tinted blossoms.

In the lower right is another non-native, Yellow Flag (Iris pseudacorus). Beautiful though it may be, it is regarded as an invasive species which chokes ponds and waterways. Oddly, these were deliberately planted by the planners of a city park. They must have missed the memo.

All of the flowers shown here were photographed today in the Yelm-Rainier area of Southwestern Washington.

Arctic Skipper, Carterocephalus Palaemon

Day 228 (special edition): My general rule for 365 Caws is that my post photos should be taken on the day of the post. I always post at least one "by the rules," but occasionally I have to make an exception for something I think is noteworthy or otherwise interesting. Such was the case for this photo. I've been waiting for a confirmation of identification from the experts at BugGuide.net and today, these two photos were moved into their main database.

Arctic Skipper is a colorful but rather tiny fellow measuring approximately 5/8" from wingtip to wingtip. To gain a greater appreciation for his size, please observe that he is perched on a chive blossom. He was quite intent on exploring it in preference to any other available flower, only once flying off to investigate a columbine and then returning.

Planting Time

Day 227: It's time. A tray of seedlings has been sitting beneath fluorescent lights atop my washer and drier for almost two months from the time I planted the first seeds, and now the time has come to harden them off for the garden. Today, petunias and ageratum moved into hanging baskets, the orange Non-Stop begonia shifted to its larger and permanent accommodation, and Nigella, Physalis, Gazanias, Rudbeckias and more Ageratum await transplanting to the flowerbeds. Sweet Million cherry tomatoes will move into a ten-gallon tree tub sunk to the waist beside my kitchen door where I can snack on them as the mood strikes.

The growing season is short here near the Mountain. I've had a killing frost as late as the 22d of June. While events such as that are not common, it's wise to remember that they can occur. I'll be keeping an eye on the weather forecast, bubble wrap jackets at the ready to protect tender starts.