Week 4

Date: Saturday, April 26, 2014
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Weather: Slight sun, few cumulous clouds
Temperature: 57 F
Location: Wolf Tree Nature Trail - Discovery Park

TO VIEW MY PLANT SPECIES DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE WEEK, GO TO THE "PLANT FIELD GUIDE" TAB. BELOW ARE MY WEEKLY PHENOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS:

The last couple of weeks learning plant species has really paid off! I'm seeing the fruits of my labor as I walk around my site and am able to identify many tree, shrub, and wildflower species. It's a rewarding feeling! Because of this new knowledge, as I walk around my site, I am seeing it through a new lens and noticing interactions and species that were there all along, but had gone unnoticed. My sit spot is dominated by Red Alder and Big Leaf Maple trees with scattered Western Hemlock, Western Red Cedar, and Douglas fir trees around the area. 

Week 1: View from log (sit spot) 

Week 4: View of log 

Week 4: View from log 

There is a patch of Red Alder near my sit spot with trees that are surprisingly close in proximity. Four large Red Alder trees are located within a 10 ft^2 radius (figure 1). This may be because Red Alder are nitrogen fixators and also grow well in nitrogen-rich soil. They create a hostile environment for other plants while creating a rich environment for themselves. One may be curious about how these four trees compete for canopy space and light. Two of their trucks grow vertically while the other two actually grow diagonally to reach an open space in the canopy. Furthermore a nearby Douglas Fir tree has grown diagonally and in invading the Red Alder's natural canopy space. This set-up makes me wonder which trees were established and growing first, and which trees adapted to their environment in response to others. Maybe all five of these tree are adapting to other trees nearby.

Figure 1: Four Red Alder within 10 ft^2 radius

Figure 2: Two Red Alder (right) cross with Douglas Fir (left)

A layer of Wood Sorrel has fully developed on the forest floor at my sit spot creating a carpet of green because the flowers have not yet bloomed (figure 3).

Figure 3. Wood Sorrel without blooms at week 4!

The same Wood Sorrel at Week 1!

Another noticeable aspect is that my sit spot can barely be seen from the trail, which could easily be spotted on week 1. The Salmonberry vegetation has developed plenty of leaves and their flowers are now wilting on their stems. The thick layer of salmonberry leaves hides my sit spot log now. The salmonberry blooms have come and are now wilting on their stems.

Week 4: View of salmonberry to sit spot!

Week 1: The same salmonberry at my sit spot

Week 4: Salmonberry spines on stems

The moss continues to dry up with the season as temperatures warm and precipitation decreases. There are a few saplings growing in the understory and sprouting new growth. I was able to identify a maple sapling and Western Red Cedar sapling (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Western Red Cedar sapling 

As for birds, I was able to recognize a few chickadee calls, several American Robins, a woodpecker, an owl. I am hoping to identify more birds later in the season after we have learned bird species in class.