Environmental Study Of Lechtenberg Park

[Turtle]

I knew something didn't smell right. (That's a double entendre, btw) ;)

 

:hyper:

 

Trillium parviflorum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org

 

That looks about right judging from the photo, but scale can distort. You got a measurement on that fruit?

 

In the case of sessile, it's easy to see why you got confused as both can carry the common name of small flower trillium. It also doesn't help that the bracts of parviflorum are sessile. :eek_big:

 

Cheers! :)

 

roger all. went looking a bit more & found there is a trillium whose common name is sessile, but not the species name, and one whose species name is sessile but not its common name. :eek_big: neither of my fieldguides have the smallflower trillium, which as i say i found at that Burke Museum website.

 

the fruit was about 1 1/2" tall and about 1" wide. i left the ruler out of the photo as i figured my fingers gave good enough scale. your link says 1cm fruit, which doesn't fit what i found (1 12/" = ~4cm). :shrug: reading at your link though, i see the matter of identifying this species is not settled at all, and that there is considerable variation in its size. and what the heck does 2n = 10 mean there? :shrug: thanks for the new plant site too; will be favoriting that. :thumbs_up

 

Trillium parviflorum in Flora of North America @ efloras.org

...Some western botanists, more experienced with local populations than I, do not consider Trillium parviflorum to be distinct from T. albidum. They point out that since there is an extensive region of apparent intergradation (as indeed there is, well supported by herbarium vouchers), there exists a morphological cline from the long- and wide-petaled T. albidum to the narrower- and generally shorter-petaled T. parviflorum, and that T. parviflorum, therefore, should not be considered a separate species but rather a subspecies or a variety. Since no one to date has treated T. parviflorum at the subspecific or varietal level, and since in my own limited experience it does appear as a distinct species in Washington north of the Columbia River, I include it here as treated by Soukup. ...

[Turtle]

:hihi: seeds of Smallflower Trillium - Trillium parviflorum Soukup

minor scale divisions 1/32"

[Turtle]

spent an hour in the park today, mainly trying to catch indian plum blooming as i heard they do so around here in mid february. never visited mid-winter so off i went. so the indian plums are budding/leaving out all over the place and make for much of the surprising amount of green i saw. no blooms yet however. :lol: :D :doh: ferns, moss, oregon grape, and fringecup made up most of the rest of the greenage. i did gather some usnea, though it is so pale of a green as to appear grayish in the mostly brown forest. :hyper:

 

i was alarmed to see fresh sign of beaver activity & have put together a short vid of some of it. (quality may get better with age says oo-ttoob. :lol: let me know if it sucks. :Alien:)

the first damaged tree is on the bank of a side-channel of the creek which is running as high as i have ever seen it. the smaller felled tree is about 100 yards from the creek and judging by the congealed sap seen on the stump was living not long ago. anyway, the park is only 40 acres and if they stay they will kill all the trees and make it a marsh. i did contact a wsu extension guy a while back about the park, but he just referred me to someone else. :hyper: maybe i'll look for a state wildlife biologist. :) oh yeah; the vid. :eek: got more stuff, but better here we go thens with this . . . . :( :D

 

YouTube - Lacamas Creek beaver damage in Lechtenberg Park http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJ8s25_e_nM

[Turtle]

i see i have this plant already in the index in post #1, but this was a nice specimen about 6 feet off the ground mid-winter so the shot is on. :) (not sure if i posted a shot before but will look. :rolleyes:) :rolleyes: . . . . . :phones:

 

Polypodium glycyrrhiza - WTU Herbarium Image Collection

 

Licorice Fern - Polypodium glycyrrhiza

February 5, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington - native

 

[Turtle]

two days ago, this very specimen was 2 to 3 times as big. cussin' myself for not photographing it then. :rant: ;) anyway, it swells up when it's wet & shrinks up when it drys. went back for a couple hours today & got a lot photographed and such; will take me a couple days to get it all worked up.

 

 

jelly fungus - Dacrymyces palmatus

february 7, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington -native

 

California Fungi: Dacrymyces palmatus

 

 

[freeztar]

That looks like witch's butter to me.

 

Tremella mesenterica: Witch's Butter (MushroomExpert.Com)

 

Have you looked at this species as a possible ID?

[Turtle]

That looks like witch's butter to me.

 

Tremella mesenterica: Witch's Butter (MushroomExpert.Com)

 

Have you looked at this species as a possible ID?

 

roger. this is on either a doug fir or possibly a hemlock, but definitely not a hardwood & i read witch's butter is hardwood only.

 

Dacrymyces palmatus is a yellow-orange jelly fungus which closely mimics Tremella aurantia, the common Witch's Butter. The two taxa are best told apart in the field by differences in habit and substrate. Tremella aurantia is a parasite of Stereum species and typically fruits with its host on hardwoods usually with intact bark. In contrast, Dacrymyces palmatus occurs on decorticated conifer wood and is not associated with Stereum species. ...

http://www.mykoweb.com/CAF/species/Dacrymyces_palmatus.html

 

i have other fungi yet to come, & it might be that Stereum stuff too, but first this message on the oaks. :D

 

so i headed straight into the thickets & explored ground new even to moi. the old forest did not disappoint. i discovered the largest yet garry oak, a whopping 42" in diameter at chest height & 126" in circumference at same. :eek: that's a whopper by any estimation, & mine is that it is between 300 & 600 years old. my habitual on-line local herbarium gives this species credit only for boles to 1 meter. Quercus garryana - WTU Herbarium Image Collection

 

 

garry oak - Quercus garryana (aka oregon white oak)

february 7, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington -native

 

diameter @ cross-stick 41.5 inches

circumference at cross-stick height 126 inches

 

so just yards away from that, a twinned oak with a dead twin & walking round that what do i find but a chainsaw-plunge-cut square about 2 feet off the ground. ;) the plug was still there & pushed back 4" into the rotted core. i collected it & will prepare a section for dendrochronological analysis. oh serendipity & your kisses full on my mouth. :rant: :lol: more fungi & mosses & lichens oh my to come. . . . . .

 

?? old plunch-cut plug hole in failed twin: living twin in back is 25" diameter @ chest-high

 

 

here you can see the big 'un in the background. green foliage is oregon grape.

 

[Turtle]

found this growing along with mosses on a drooping branch of an understory tree. (sorry, no leaves & i'm not so up on the barks so don't know what the tree was for sure. :rant: :lol:) my washington herbariam seems to have no lichens listed, & the usda source has no pics & several names for this it looks like?

 

PLANTS Profile for Lobaria pulmonaria (lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS : lung lichen

or

PLANTS Profile for Lobaria scrobiculata (lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS : lung lichen Lobaria scrobiculata (Scop.) DC.

 

ooo; i know! Lobaria oregana ! >> PLANTS Profile for Lobaria oregana (Oregon lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS

 

Celebrating Wildflowers - Lichen Habitat

 

;)

 

lung lichen - Lobaria ??

february 7, 2010

lechtenberg park

clark county washington - native

 

 

 

closeup showing veins:

 

[freeztar]

At TESC, there is a class specific to lichens. The class size was something like 23 people max. Unfortunately, because of lots of different reasons beyond my control (multiple transfer credits, preferential enrollment, out-of-state status, etc.), I was unable to take this class, or the mycology class. :rant:

 

That said, I'll try to help. :D

 

found this growing along with mosses on a drooping branch of an understory tree. (sorry, no leaves & i'm not so up on the barks so don't know what the tree was for sure. :eek:)

 

Do trees have bark in the PNW? I thought they just grew green beards instead.

Seriously, bark ID in the PNW is "spotty" at best. (or is that splotchy?)

 

It's all about the twigs, dude. As they say, a growing twig gathers no moss.

 

But serioufly, twigs give enough clues. I've had to result to twigs to confirm IDs. The funny thing is that even when you have leaves, the twigs are still more reliable for some species (as far as visual observation goes). Even dead twigs can give great clues such as alternate vs. opposite, vascular bundles, etc.

 

my washington herbariam seems to have no lichens listed, & the usda source has no pics & several names for this it looks like?

 

Lichens are tricky, from what I've heard. I've always seen them as vast classifications, because that's utilitarian. You can survive on lichen and many pioneers knew the value of that. As far as edibility, it's pretty much all game, but some are better than others. I've only nibbled on some lichen in the Alabama Appalachians, but I could totally envision them in soups and stews.

 

PLANTS Profile for Lobaria pulmonaria (lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS : lung lichen

>> PLANTS Profile for Lobaria scrobiculata (lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS : lung lichen Lobaria scrobiculata (Scop.) DC.

 

ooo; i know! Lobaria oregana ! >> PLANTS Profile for Lobaria oregana (Oregon lung lichen) | USDA PLANTS

Sure. :lol:

 

Celebrating Wildflowers - Lichen Habitat

Good link! I wonder if anyone else is reading this?

 

Ah well, lung lichen looks like a good match. As for a perfect match, I'm not sure. Lobaria would be good enough for me, but there's no reason we should stop at acceptable. ;)

[Turtle]

...

 

That said, I'll try to help. :)

:)

 

Do trees have bark in the PNW? I thought they just grew green beards instead. :hihi:

 

Seriously, bark ID in the PNW is "spotty" at best. (or is that splotchy?) :rant:

but you said, erhm... will say, that we shouldn't stop at acceptable!? spotty is just acceptable with limits. :doh: i did take a couple shots of the indian plum bark; one of the larger/older part of the stem and one of a smaller twig. just didn't post them as too much is, well, too much. :lol: i got 'em if ya need 'em.

 

It's all about the twigs, dude. As they say, a growing twig gathers no moss.

acknowledged. i resolve to pay some attention to twiggage now. :D

 

Good link! I wonder if anyone else is reading this?

 

Ah well, lung lichen looks like a good match. As for a perfect match, I'm not sure. Lobaria would be good enough for me, but there's no reason we should stop at acceptable.

 

rats!! that link is offline just now, but i think it was that one that said the lung lichen is an indicator species of undisturbed habitat. they didn't qualify that but i gathered it meant it only grows in undisturbed habitat. ;) like i didn't know about lechtenberg being undisturbed storehouse already. it's what all this is about after all. . . . . .

 

so, more from undisturbedia.

 

this beaver gnawing was so fresh that i may have actually interrupted it. bad beaver!! :lol:

 

 

these two fungi were growing beneath a large doug fir in the stand where the herons nest. (no sign of them yet. ) the leafy lobes upper center are fringecup coming up and it's leafing out similarly throughout the forest.

 

 

found this bunny head nestled in a crotch of a root ball of a large fallen tree. ( forgot to check species of tree. :doh: :eek:) is this enough to id the species of rabbit? what predator saves the head?

 

 

 

that oughta hold us a bit. more to come at a turtle's pace. . . . . . . ... . . .

[Turtle]

alrighty thens; forensics. i checked out my audubon guide to n. american mammals & they they give 5 possibilities in their range chart for washington state. they are: Pygmy Rabbit, Mountain Cottontail, Snowshoe Hare, Black-tailed Jackrabbit, & White-tailed Jackrabbit.

 

the ears on the specimen are small, so out with the hares & jackrabbits. then, it looks too big, what's left anyway, to be a Pygmy, leaving Mountain Cottontail. i cropped & zoomed in on the ears and marked out a black ear tip on outside & furry inside; telltail signs of Mountain Cottontail, also called Nuttall's Cottontail, according to my field guide.

 

so tentatively, i id it as Mountain Cottontail - Sylvilagus nutallii oui/no?

 

[JMJones0424]

My vastly novice experience leads me to agree with your tentative identification of the rabbit species.

 

As for the predator, I am not familiar with your area, but (well-fed) coyotes commonly ignore (misplace?) the heads of their prey after biting completely through the neck.

 

Coyote Management Guidelines

Prey Remains. When prey killed by coyotes is found and examined before it can be consumed or scavenged by other species, the appearance of the carcass may give clear evidence that coyotes were responsible. Coyotes usually kill small mammalian prey such as rabbits, young kid goats, and small lambs by biting them through the head or neck. The size and spacing of puncture wounds from the coyotes’ canine teeth is sometimes apparent; the spacing between a coyote’s canine teeth is typically 1 to 1-3/8 inches. A coyote’s carnassial (“cheek”) teeth are capable of making clean, knifelike cuts through carcasses, as coyotes sometimes dismember prey in order to transport portions to their den to feed pups. Municipal authorities and homeowners have sometimes found remains of dead house cats and mistakenly assumed they were mutilated by people practicing animal sacrifices, when in fact they were killed by coyotes.

 

I am unfamiliar with wolves, mountain lions, or any other prey animals that may be in your area.

[Turtle]

My vastly ;) novice experience leads me to agree with your tentative identification of the rabbit species.

 

As for the predator, I am not familiar with your area, but (well-fed) coyotes commonly ignore (misplace?) the heads of their prey after biting completely through the neck.

 

Coyote Management Guidelines

 

 

I am unfamiliar with wolves, mountain lions, or any other prey animals that may be in your area.

 

 

nice call! no wolves here, but mountain lions (called cougars here), black bear (found prints of one the first year i visited the park. ), racoons, bald eagles, turkey vultures (i have seen them in the park on the ground; posted somewhere earlier in the thread. ), hawks, owls, et al. lions & tigers & bears...oh my! :rant:

 

anyway, i have to get off the machine here for the owner so will come back later for q&A & just post new images of a bracket fungus colony i tentatively id as...

 

Many-colored Polypore - Coriolus versicolor

 

 

 

 

[Turtle]

alrighty thens. all settled in?

 

so the first image is what drew me to this colony as i bushed through trackless tangles. notice how the fungi have grown around twigs? the horizontal one curled back & i had to take care not to step on it & rip the whole thing up. :eek: sorry about the glare on my rule & no divisions visible! :doh: anyway, it's 6" long.

 

second shot is a detail shot, mainly cause i wanted to get the weblets & droplets. only this evening did i find that the alternating bands of "hairy" and smooth zones is an id feature to look for according to my source. *

 

third shot is the majority of the colony which i found on the back of the log the first group grew on. :) seems i managed to glare the rule again. i took an "art shot" with no rule, but i had to whittle 20+ shots down to the best 4 i gave for study purposes.

 

fourth shot i took to show the green bands on most of the backside members; possibly an algal colony?

 

* so my source is Reader's Digest North American Wildlife, © 1982. when i just went to do a web search for Coriolus versicolor, i got a colon load of cancer-drug sellers. :eek: after 2 pages of that, i left off looking for an authoritive source. anybody? :eek2:

[freeztar]

The first mushroom looks like a reishi, but I'm not sure. Are the margins smooth?

[Turtle]

The first mushroom looks like a reishi, but I'm not sure. Are the margins smooth?

 

mmmm...not sure. presuming you mean the pair of big round brown fungi on the ground, i just grabbed that shot as i passed by and didn't examine them further. i get a little distracted out there sometimes. if i get back, i'll look for details. i didn't touch any of these bracket fungi as i didn't want to damage them.

 

what bothers me is that this is the kind of stuff people will go find specifically to rip up for sale if they know it's there. any attention i bring to the park in order to protect it, is also advertising to those who would exploit it & hasten its demise. damned if i do, damned if i don't. who ya gonna call. :eek:

 

anyway, got some work to go do & i have photos of another fungi or two and some moss still to post. be back when i be back. . . . . . . .

 

ps oh ok...but just one more this morning. this little colony was on a twig broken out of high perch. :)

 

un-identified fungus among us: :eek2:

 

[Turtle]

mmm....mmm...mosses...this is as tough as lichens. :eek_big: no luck on-line yet on this species, or even genera, & my book give only 2 even close & looking closer, these be not they. :eek:

 

scale divisions here 1/16". from my little reading so far, id tips we can get from this are the ovate leaf, leaf size, a mid-rib on the leaves, and that bristly tip has got to be unique i'd say.

 

 

here is a side shot showing the spore cases & some of the expanse of this expansive patch. (no; i forgot to note what kind of log or limb that it was growing on. :doh: ) :D