Week 9

3:30 PM Friday, June 6
Sunny, 75 degrees
Magnuson Park

I was able to enjoy my site for the last time today, however I'm sure I will be back in the future. First I just want to share how much my observation spot has changed over this spring.

Week 9

Week 1

These pictures do not fully account for the amount of change at my observation site. I have watched the composition of species change over time, different invertebrates and birds come and go, and plants bloom are produce pollen. It has been incredible to see these changes on all different scales. I learned so much just from sitting in one spot week after week. During my last trip there today I was still able to document a few phenotypical changes. The water level has gone up quite dramatically, in some places the water is even spilling out onto the trail. I also spotted and American Gold Finch today and was able to look at it for quite some time and listen to its cheery call for quite some time before it flew away. I also noticed something new blooming- a small yellow flower that I believe is bird's-foot trefoil. Also a new species of dragonfly/damselfly showed up at my site today. It had really vibrant blue stripes on its wings, which the picture I drew does not do justice. Its body was black and it stayed in one place for a surprisingly long time.

Dragon fly perched on a branch.

Bird's-foot trefoil

American gold finch among the willow branches.

My next challenge was to describe a plant without using any common words related to plant. I chose to describe a giant horsetail. Here is what I wrote, "Vertical structure, green in color. Long, wispy protrusions at each node. It gently rustles and waves in the wind as it sits in the water."

Next we were to describe a bird in a similar fashion. I came up with this about the american gold finch, "Yellow body and spots of black, a flying creature, crying out cheerily on a nearby willow. Just as quickly as it came, it left, gliding silently out of sight."

For the final part I described the dragonfly I saw: "Four long slender protrusions used for flight, landing motionless on a branch, this creature is vibrant and stands out. Look away for a split second, it is now in flight, its black body zig-zagging above the water."

Finally, after a spring of observing, I would like to share my final thoughts and reflections. As the quarter progressed, I grew more and more fond of my observation site. It became less of an assignment and more of a place I looked forward to going to every week. It has shown me that no matter how many times you visit a place, it will never be predictable. I never knew what I was going to see that day at my site and I think that may be what I enjoyed most of all. It was an adventure, even in a place I grew to know so intimately. I was unsure of how much I would discover in this one spot, and I was surprised by the many new species I encountered each week- even into week nine, I am still discovering new things. I never thought I would find 50 species at my site. But I was able to accomplish that with ease once I knew where to look. Magnuson park will be a place I return to, both for discovering new species and going on an adventure and for just relaxing. 

I have lived in the Puget Sound region my entire life. In the past few years, I have really grown to appreciate the beauty of this region, something that I definitely took for granted before. Now my appreciation has only grown deeper. I feel like I know this region better. From traveling to Olympic National Park, to Eastern WA, to local parks in Seattle, all places I have been before, the amount I learned each time made it feel as if the place was brand new to me. I now know the plants and birds common to this region by their species, they are no longer just simply "bird" and "plant" to me anymore. Not only that but now I am knowledgeable about how this region was formed by glaciers and how it is still changing to this day. Not only do I love where I live but I can tell people about it too. I'm more connected to this region than I was before, and I have realized how important it is to have that connection to the natural world that is around you. I want to slow down and take in this place. I want to identify the species I find on hikes and sit and watch birds, not just hike for the view at the top like I always have.
To intimately know a natural place, you need to get to know it on every scale. From the broad view of the landscape to the tiniest bugs that live in the soil, you need to be aware of them. I don't think this means you have to know every species that places has, because that is nearly impossible. I think it is more of knowing where to look. It is also knowing when things are blooming and changing and what those changes will entail. Someone brought up the idea of our sites being like having a relationship with a friend- you want to get to know it and when you visit it catch up and find out what has been going on since you've last been there. I also found myself getting more comfortable with each visit. I welcomed the sight of the red winged blackbird defending its territory. I looked forward to seeing pollinators on the nootka rose. But most importantly, I developed a sense of excitement for what I would see that day when I was visiting my site. No matter how well I thought I knew Magnuson, I still knew that I could never predict what I would see that day when I visited and I think that is part of the intimacy- I know the unpredictable nature of it, and I am fully aware of the fact that everything that happens is completely out of my control. Magnuson is a spot where I can relax and feel at peace. In the future I know I will come back here to relax and just feel the familiarity of it. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to learn to get to know a natural area.

Week Eight- Field Trip to Eastern WA

Everytime I drive over the pass to Eastern WA I feel like I'm not in Washington anymore. Having lived in Western WA my entire life, I associate typical Washington vegetation with an abundance of conifers, grasses and very leafy green plants. However this is not at all the case when heading east of the Cascades. At our first destination, Yakima Canyon, we came across multiple shrubs we do not see on the west side. One was tall sage brush and the other was bitter brush. It is interesting how they are adapted to the drier climate- they can conserve water by growing very slowly, and they have an extensive root system to maximize water uptake. Additionally they do not have dark green leaves like plants of Western WA do, as they are not doing as much photosynthesis as another means of water conservation. We also saw a prickly pear cactus in bloom. The cacti are also masters of water conservation- their white "spines" are actually modified leaves. The large green part of the cacti is where water storage and conservation takes place. This area gets 20-30 inches of rain per year and can practically be considered a desert, so it was awesome to see plants adapted to that type of climate.

Tall Sagebrush

Bitter Brush

Flowering Prickly Pear Cacti

I also saw/heard some familiar and unfamiliar birds at this stop. One was the lazuli bunting, which I had only seen before in the filed guide. I was able to see it in the scope, which was awesome because its a beautiful bird, and I also was able to use the zoom on my camera to get a pretty decent picture of it! We also saw ravens and turkey vultures, two other birds I have not often seen. Additionally we heard a chickadee call- it sounded different than the black capped chickadee we hear in Seattle, so it could either have a different dialect or it could have been the mountain chickadee. Additionally there were a lot of cliff swallows flying under the bridge- we think they could have possibly been nesting there and bringing food back to their babies. 

Lazuli Bunting 

At our second stop, Umtanum Ridge, we talked about how the area was not formed  by glaciers but rather by volcanoes- I thought this was very interesting, I did not know that before. At this stop we were also able to see some wildflowers. I found it amazing that anything can even grow there. It was so dry and dusty and so easily disturbed by us walking through. We found a few lone bitterroot flowers, as well as smaller species of sagebrushes- they do not have the water availability to grow much taller than what they are, and also by being low to the ground they are more protected from high winds that go through that area. We also saw many "nests" of tent caterpillars, which I think is just a result of where they all hatched as eggs from. I also saw a really cool western bluebird and heard a meadowlark- I thought the meadowlark had one of the most cheerful calls I have heard from a bird. Meadowlarks can also be found in Western WA so when I'm out and about I'm going to keep my ears open for it!

Western Bluebird

Not sure the exact species of wildflower, but this was growing quite a bit. 

Short sagebrush, mechanism of protection from the wind. 

Nest of tent caterpillars. 

Bitterroot flower

I also do not know the species for this wildflower, but it was really cool to me!

Our final stop was nearby, but the vegetation had changed dramatically. I think this is due to it being a western facing slope rather than eastern facing. This I felt was much more characteristic of Western WA to me. There were many of species there that we commonly see, including cottonwood, redwinged blackbird, alder (although sitka instead of red), ponderosa pine, douglas fir. There were also a few species that really stood out to me, one of which was rocky mountain iris, as well as the abundance of quaking aspen. Quaking aspen is probably my favorite tree species, so it was cool to see a place where it grows naturally and was not planted for aesthetics.  Everything in this area seemed greener, and these plants did not have as many adaptations for water storage. Also the waterfall was pretty neat, and I was able to see and hear a few cool birds. One was the house wren, and another was what I think was a western tanager.

A lot of green!

The waterfall

Rocky Mountain Iris

This was a fun field trip, as I have not done a huge amount of hiking/exploring in Eastern WA. I enjoyed being able to see both similarities and differences with the pacific northwest, and I hope to do some more exploring in that area soon!