Ravenna Park 4/17
Tim and I went to Ravenna Park near the University District. It was wet, and there were about an equal distribution of coniferous and deciduous trees, spotting species like the pacific crab apple with its white flowers and many long branches, madrone, douglas fir, western red cedar, and hemlocks as well as what we identified as a shore pine, with very large and sharp needles with bunches of cones at the branch tips, with the cones being much harder and less flaky than douglas firs, with little pokey thorn like things located on each cone scale. The needles were probably about four inches long. We also saw a couple of western yews, with red, flaky bark and no branches coming from the lower part of the trunk. We observed a lot of ivy on the floor, as well as sword ferns, salaal, and oregon grape of both varieties. We also found a tree with pink flowers and multiple layers of pedals that appeared a couple times that we were not able to identify with the Northwest Plants book, perhaps because it was not a native species. The leaves were lightly serrated, and both sides folded up from the middle, clumping more densely around the flowers. We also found a shrub we were unable to identify with light green leaves that were opposite branching. Herb-Robert was also very prevalent on the ground, growing only about six inches off the ground with leaves in sets of five, light green and a hairy, reddish stalk. The leaves were very rounded. We also observed saskatoon with remnants of berries and dark green, oval shaped leaves with alternate branching. One thing that was very abundant that we were unable to identify was a flower with four purple pedals that grew about one to two feet off the ground, with the flowers occurring in a large clump near the top of the stalk. The leaves were serrated on the edges, being the dominant part of the plant until the very top. The flowers got almost a light blue color very close to the middle. Perhaps they are not native to the northwest, as I tried to find it in the Plant sof the Northwest book for a while and was unsuccessful. My guess is the were about twenty of the flowers at the top of the plant.
Species List:
herb-robert
mardone
douglas fir
shore pine
red cedar
pacific crab aple
salaal
saskatoon
snowberry
hemlock
western yew
oregon grape
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Light green fern found growing 1-2 feet off of the ground covered in english ivy. The fronds were still curled at the end, and the leaves are very thin compared to the stalk. Most likely still young and growing.
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Ivy (Hedera helix)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Dark green leaves, shaped with about five points on each leaf, all coming of of long stems that form a tangle. Very prevalent, dominating most of the forest floor with interspersed shrubs, ferns, and some flowers. Also seen winding its way up multiple trees in order to get more sunlight.
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Medium height dense shrub 4-6 feet tall with light green, oval shaped leaves that exhibit opposite branching. No flowers or berries present at this time, very common on the ground interspersed with ivy.
Photos / Sounds
What
Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Very distinctive rounded leaves shaped in a sort of fern pattern in groups of about five, with several different groups per plant. Light green and very close to the ground. It had a reddish, hairy stalk and was not budding or flowering at this time.
Photos / Sounds
What
Tribe MaleaeObserver
drwlyonsDescription
Dark green leaves with finely toothed edges and slight splotches of dark brown and a sort of red, exhibiting alternate branching off of the stalk. A couple dark red berries present that appear to be mostly dying and remnants from earlier. The stalk was a reddish brown
Photos / Sounds
What
Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Very tall, gave out that distinctive cedar smell with the red-brown bark that peels vertically. The branches dip down and then go back up, with scale like needles coming off of the branches.
Photos / Sounds
What
Shore Pine (Pinus contorta var. contorta)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
A pine with very long needles, about 2 inches long, and very distinctive cones with a pokey sort of thorn coming out of each cone segment/scale. The trunk was bending upward, and the bark was of a scaly type.
Photos / Sounds
What
Pacific Crab Apple (Malus fusca)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
A small tree with many white flowers with five petals in large clusters with interspersed leaves that bend upward at the venter crease and are very finely serrated. The trunk was slightly curved with many branches branching off in no particular pattern.
Photos / Sounds
What
Pacific Yew (Taxus brevifolia)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Not a tall tree, it had the distinctive flaky red bark and thin, relatively short needles that came off the branch flat. No red seeds visible at this time.
Photos / Sounds
What
Japanese Cherry (Prunus serrulata)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
What appeared to be either a small tree or a large tree like shrub, it had many pink flowers with many layered petals with interspersed fuzzy leaves that were green on the top and had a sort of orange tinge on the bottom and folded upwards.
Photos / Sounds
What
Pissblumm (Taraxacum officinale)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Opening yellow flower on top of a green stalk, about 6 inches or so off of the ground, with leaves on the ground that are long and fuzzy, rounded at the end, and go out in all directions from the base of the flower
Photos / Sounds
What
Annual Honesty (Lunaria annua)Observer
drwlyonsDescription
Unable to find it in the plants of the pacific northwest book, this flower was very common. It was about 1-2 feet tall, with green leaves that make a sort of heart shape, ending in a point at the tip. Near the top half of the plant the flowers begin to appear, four petaled and purple, that fade into almost a sort of blue near the center. They cluster at the top, with many flowers present on each plant.
Comments
Add a Comment