Week 4

Ravenna 

April 29 2:00-3:00

Warm Sunny

Today my observation spot seems twice as green as the first week in April. The invasive English Holly bush has nearly blocked the trail  and is wildly taking over this section of the forest. With the sun out everything seems greener. 

I can now identify all of the trees around me! Nearby is a Red Alder, a Horse Chestnut, Big Leaf Maples, a Western Red Cedar, and a couple of Douglas-firs. The leaves are all out and nearly covering the sky. I keep hearing a bird call like a repeating trill   

Bleeding Hearts 

In the first week of April you could clearly see the  fallen tree across the creek, now it is hidden by abundant Salmonberry and lady ferns.

Week 3

Lake Crescent  and Salt Creek 

April 19-20

After the drive and ferry ride, we made it to the Nature bridge Campus and settled down in our cabins, I slept in the one called Crescent. It was incredible the difference of  just seeing the forest from the side of the road to actually being in it. The thing I noticed most was the abundance of growth especially the moss on the trees. After a warm cup of coffee, we started out on the Moments in Time trail. The first species we saw was the fairy slipper orchid. In this second growth forest, there are many younger trees and a closed canopy, the Douglas-firs are about 30-40 years old. We learned that the mycorrhizal fungi  

forms a symbiotic relationship with the Douglas-fir, decomposing soil and sending nutrients through its roots. 

Fairy Slipper Crchid 

Lake Crescent is estimated to be about 1000 feet deep, well below sea level. It was carved out by glaciers during the last ice age. The lake is nutrient poor and anoxic so not much grows in it. There is one Salmon species endemic to the lake, the Beardslee Trout. 

Lake Crescent 

It was way harder to pay attention and identify species on the way down Storm King. Fatigue was beginning to set in and I was concentrating more on where I was placing my feet and trying not to slide. We made it to the beginning of the Mary Mere falls and had time to explore the river banks looking for newts and mayfly larva. 

Second Growth Forest 

1

• a) Competition: Trees compete for sunlight to grow especially after a disturbance. On the Sword King Trail we notice that on a lot of trees, branches only grew on the side facing out to receive sunlight
• b)Disturbance: Fire, clear signs of burn marks on Douglas-fir bark seen on the Sword King trail. 
• c) Predation: In the tide-pools  there was a clear line where there were no muscles n the rocks, a sign of possible starfish predation
• d) Ripple Effect: Oyster Catchers eat limpets from rocks which in turn allows algae to grow over the rocks. This makes it easy to determine the range of an Oyster Catcher.  

2

• a) Slope Aspect: The West facing slope receives more afternoon sun which makes it a warmer climate and results in dryer condition. We noticed Madrones and Manzanita on Sword King trail which are both dry soil species.  The East facing side is colder and wetter just getting the morning sun. Also the North facing Slope has a colder climate than the south facing slope. 
• b) Elevation: As we climbed higher up Storm King there were visibly less big and old trees. The soil gets rockier and less nutrient rich as you approach the alpine habitat also the weather conditions are harsher. 

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View From Storm King 

• c) Soil Type/ Moisture: Around the river there were more Western Red Cedars  as they prefer the moisture and can't compete with the big Douglas-firs. The Madrones we saw up Storm King are adapted to the dry rocky soil found on the West facing slope. 
• d) Disturbance: Visible signs of fire along the Storm King trail. We noticed clearings with young trees growing fast to fill in the landscape, there were also burn marks on some of the Douglas-firs 

Ochre Sea Star 

Lake Crescent 

Week 2 

Ravenna Park
Tuesday April 15 2014
2:00-3:00
mild, partly sunny 

Western Red Cedar

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Sword Fern unfurling 

I've made it back to my central observation point after spending the morning strolling around identifying tree species. It's my birthday so the birds are singing for me, the sun is out for now and I am excited for some good weather sketching!  This week there are noticeably more leaves overhead, the Big Leaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum mainly is beginning to block out the sky overhead. On the Salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis near the creek there are more flowers and underneath the leaves  you can see the hard light green fruit beginning to develop. Also Lady Fern, Athyrium filix-fermina is more abundant especially near the water. I also noticed some new Sword Fern, Polystichum, munitum beginning to unfurl. The Skunk Cabbage, Lysichoton, americanumis is growing in abundance  in muddy soil near the water and emitting its distinctive smell. I also managed to capture an Eastern gray squirrel on film just before it scampered up a Western Red Cedar, Thuja, plicata. I wish I could get a good look at some of the birds  and match them with their songs, they make up a continuous soundtrack in this area. 

For My Field Sketching I chose to focus on Salmonberry. 

1. Memory Sketch

2. Contour/Continuous Line Sketch

3. Gesture Sketch

4. Diagrammatic Drawing

5. Pencil Line

6. Study Drawing 

Other Sketches 

Sword Fern

Thimbleberry

Pacific Crabapple

Lady Fern

I definitely had the most trouble with the memory sketches, I like to keep looking back at what  I am drawing hopefully with practice I will hone my observation skill. I also haven't tried sketching a moving animal yet which I think will be challenging. I found it is important to keep focused on a single aspect of a species or else you will become overwhelmed with detail, all the leaves are so intricate! This weekend our class is going to the Olympic Peninsula, More on that to come!!

Rosy

Week 1
Ravenna Park
Tuesday April 8 2014
1:00-2:00 pm
Mild, cloudy

Once I arrived at Ravenna park, I first set out to find a central observation spot. I walked through the mowed lawn and play set to the wild landscape on either side of Ravenna creek and found a quiet spot on the hill sloping downwards. Although in the midst of natural species in the Pacific Northwest, I was still well aware of the human presence in the urban park by the man-made trails, concrete bridge and sound of traffic overhead. Looking down at my location, the ground was covered with brown dead leaves and a mass of English Ivy, Hedera helix spreading across the area. To my right there was a large bush of English Holly, Ilex aquifolium identifiable by its dark green glossy and jagged edges. Both the English holly and ivy are considered invasive species or noxious weeds in the area and there are efforts to remove them to allow the native species to thrive. Nearby there is also a small Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus identified by the toothed and hairy leaves, no flowers  have begun to bloom yet. Looking further around the area I noticed many ferns, I identified the Western Sword Fern from the coarse tapered fronds. The tips of the ferns were brown and curled up gradually becoming greener closer to the roots. 

Looking up at the canopy above I noticed some bright green newly forming buds on some of the trees I think I was looking at a Bigleaf Maple, Acer macrophyllum. As well as the branches of a large Douglas Fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii. The trunk of the maple was covered in moss and some of the English Ivy. As I continued to explore the area surrounding my central spot, I made my way down to Ravenna creek. Close to the water I saw a bush with a few fuchsia blossoms that looked like Salmonberry, Rubus spectabilis. I didn't notice too many birds in my observation area although I spotted an American Robin, Turdus migratorius briefly and heard many different bird calls along with the occasional sound of traffic on the bridge. I also noticed a squirrel, The Eastern Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis I think. I am excited to return to this spot throughout the next couple of months and gain a better understanding of the native species as well as how to identify them. 

See you next week Ravenna,
Rosy





Experience With Nature

One huge part of my childhood involved annual road trips each summer across the country into Eastern Canada. Each year brought with it new adventures camping, hiking and sight seeing. At the same time, being cramped up in a van with four siblings and a limited number of novels to read often resulted in hours of simply gazing out the window. As a result I have spent many hours noticing the change of landscape across the country. Starting in Spokane, Washington with the abundance of pine trees heading East through the Idaho panhandle, across the Rocky Mountains and the wide expanse of Montana. Then through the Dakotas and flat lands which turned into Minnesota and Wisconsin where not pines but deciduous trees lined the highways. All the way to Prince Edward Island dominated by sandy beaches and known for its red soil. From a young age I had always been curious about how and why the landscape changes so dramatically across the country. I always liked to picture what an area would be like with no human contact and man made objects, just off the side of the road into a vast forest. When I was about seven I remembered we stopped at Badlands National Park and I actually thought we had been transported back to a prehistoric age where dinosaurs still roamed the land. 

My Grandparent's farm on the Island was always the ultimate destination for me and my brother and sister. It was so isolated  and nothing like the suburban setting I had grown up in. We had to drive down a muddy pathway surrounded with overgrown vegetation to reach the old farmhouse. The property was surrounded by marshy woods, I remember exploring them with my brother being eaten by mosquitos and always wary of coyotes. One of my favorite things to do was pick vegetables with my grandmother in the garden. I felt vey connected to nature shelling peas and picking gooseberries for pies. I also remember going to the beaches in the afternoon and being amazed with the different animals we found in the tide pools. When I was young I thought seaweed was actually sea creatures and didn't believe that the barnacles and muscles on the sides of rocks were living. Looking back on my childhood I think I was pretty lucky to spend so much time outdoors and experience so many different encounters with nature.