Nature Reflections from a Wolf: Week Five

Date: Sunday May 5th, 2013
Weather: Sunny, no clouds
Temperature: 72 degrees F
Time: 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: Discovery Park

YES! Finally, we got a beautiful day to do our observations. Without a cloud in the sky and a comfortable temperature, we set off to find some arthropods and record some phenological changes. But not without first stopping to review our arthropods to figure out what we might see! After looking over our notes and munching on a Twix, we then set off. While we were advised to look at creeks and streams for aquatic insects, there isn't much surface moisture that I know of in Discovery Park, other than the shoreline. So we simply decided that we'd blaze a new path and see what we could find.

This picture does not do justice to the Olympic Mountains
but gives you an idea of our backdrop while making our observations

Almost right away, we started to see new things! A lot of grasses are now flowering. Unfortunately, I never really look closely enough to get enough information to identify them. Maybe because their flowers are so dang small?

Moving on, my partner nearly stumbled into a big ditch, which led us to stumbling upon a new plant! I know we were supposed to focus on arthropods this post, but we keep finding new plants! This plant seemed only to be growing in this ditch, which afforded the soil it was in some shade. Maybe that means it is a plant that requires cool soil? Maybe a wetland plant? Either way, it seemed to be doing rather well for just a herbaceous plant, standing almost four feet tall! Unfortunately, it isn't in flower so it is a little hard to ID. Also nearby was some Elderberry that was fruiting!

Can't tell from this picture, but this plant is probably 4 ft tall in a foot deep ditch

Judging from its leaves, it is probably in the Apiaceae (Carrot Family)

The immature Elderberry fruits... Youngin'berrys?

After our near ankle breaking experience, we moved into a more grassland/meadow ecological niche, and began finding new species accordingly! I found something in the Caryophyllaceae (Pink/Carnation Family) that I was unfamiliar with. At first I thought it had 10 petals, but after looking at this picture I realized that it was just 5 petals that have two very defined lobes! I'm not sure what it is, but I tentatively place it in Siliene (the Campion genus). Interesting tid-bit: these type of flowers were placed on champions at public games. We also managed to find a new species of Spiraea spp.

Stellaria media: Check out the 3 lobed stigma!

Some species of Spirea perhaps? Definitely Rosaceae

This is for sure a cultivated Spirea

As we came more clearly into the fields, we came across a Rosemary bush. This was a pollinator jackpot! Crawling all over this 6 foot tall bush were Yellow-faced Bumblebees and Honey bees! All these guys are in the Hymenoptera.

Some sort of Bumblebee - look at the pollen collected on its legs!

A honey bee

Yellow-faced Bumblebee, doing its buzzy thang

Also nearby, we managed to find a Western Yellow Jacket. I was a little scared to get a picture, but managed to snap one while it was crawling on the ground.

Please.... I just want a picture... don't sting me!

We were so distracted with trying to get photographs of the bees that we almost ran straight into a pair of Lepidoptera! From the glimpse that we got of them, we thought they were Indra Swallowtails, and were a mated pair. Apparently they feed on anything in the Apiaceae (Carrot family), but I haven't really seen any Apiaceae in flower? Maybe the vegetative parts are enough? We also saw some Cabbage White briefly. Apparently they feed on things in the Brassicaceae (Mustard family). While I kind of knew it, I didn't fully realize how diverse yet specialized different butterflies are in their diet.

I wonder if the two dots at the bottom are supposed to imitate eyes?

While we were caught up in all this excitement, a House Fly landed on my partner's leg.

I also saw yet another new plant! Once again, I couldn't find it in Pojar, but it is clearly in the Asteraceae. The leaves seem fairly distinctive.

Flowers from last year

Almost cedar like leaves

Moving further into a field, we saw Rumex acetosella (Sheep Sorrel/ Sour Weed). You see this stuff everywhere, especially around human settlements. We also saw Victoria arvensis (Corn Speedwell)! This species is interesting because they only have two stamens, and asymmetrical flowers with 4 petals. Apparently quite a few species of Victoria can outcompete grasses. Crazy, and I thought nothing could outcompete grasses.

Victoria arvensis: Look at the two stamens!

Also managed to find something in the Fabaceae. For the millionth time, Pojar didn't have it. It is teeny-tiny! We found it in a lawn, and it can probably compete with the grasses because it is likely nitrogen fixing, like most things in the Fabaceae.

Looking closely at the ground can reward you with flowers!

Since it was so windy on the grasslands, we decided to see if we could find any insects in a more forested area, since our search so far had not been very fruitful on that front. Under the shade of some conifers, we managed to find Claytonia sibirica (Candy Flower/ Siberian Miner's-Lettuce). Apparently the Tlingit mixed it with a few other things to treat syphilis sores. Other tribes used it for a variety of things, like making babies soft, inducing labor, constipation, and headaches. We also saw a Pacific Dogwood finally in flower!

Those big white things are actually bracts, not petals (or sepals)!

Also growing under some conifers were some Myosotis laxa (Small-flowered Forget-Me-Not). Myth has it that steel tempered with the juice of forget-me-nots are strong enough to cut stone. Yeah....

The yellow structure in the middle of the flowers is called a corona. Cue beer joke.

Also saw some Dicentra formosa (Pacific Bleeding-heart), Deer fern, Geum macrophyllum (Large-leaved Avens), Salix sitchensis (Sitka Willow), Rubus discolor (Himalayan Blackberry), Camassia quamash (Common Camas), Lupinus polyphyllus (Large-leaved Lupin), Acer circinatum (Vine Maple), Cedrus deodara (Cedar of Lebanon), maybe Iris tenax (Oregon Iris) and quite a few species of Columbine, including Aquilegia atrata (Dark Columbine) and Aquilegia fragrens (Fragrant Columbine).

Hummingbirds love those spurs

Columbine!

Also, I found Youth-on-Age (Tolemia menziesii):

I'm done with plants! I swear! We finally managed to find a few other arthropods crawling around, such as some sort of spider in Arachnida and some ants, possibly Western Thatching Ant?