gnangeletti's Journal

Yet again I have stumbled across something that I had no idea existed. While walking a dog I am dog sitting I came across this plant that caught my eye right away. It was the most brightly colored plant among all of the plants in that area because it was the only thing that didn’t appear to be dying. I later discovered that this very brightly colored plant I am talking about is called a Rose Spiraea (Spiraea douglasii). The reason that they are so brightly colored is that they actually began to flower from June to September. You can find Rose Spiraea “naturally from southern Alaska south to northern California and east to western Montana” (USDA) and are typically found in “damp meadows, riparian zones, bogs, marshes, open swamps, and the margins of ponds and lakes” (USDA). I found this very interesting because I found them in a relatively dry place right next to the University of Alaska Southeast Upper Housing Lodge, so it makes me wonder if they were planted here or if they are truly part of the natural plants within that area. While researching these I was a little worried that I wasn’t going to be able to find a way that people use these because at first look the only thing I thought they could be used for is pigment because of their bright colors. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth. As it turns out Rose Spirea has many uses for people. “Native Americans made minor use of this plant. At least one tribe used the seeds to make a tea for the treatment of diarrhea. The branches were used to spread and cook salmon, hang salmon for drying and smoking, and make brooms” (USDA). Unfortunately, I was unable to figure out which tribe used them, however, I am still hoping to figure it out.

Citation:

USDA. Rose Spirea Plant Fact Sheet, plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/factsheet/pdf/fs_spdo.pdf. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.

While I was on my way to a friend's house to babysit for them I came across this caterpillar that I had never seen before walking along the sidewalk. I personally know absolutely nothing about caterpillars except for their life cycle, so I was very excited to find this one so I could learn a bit about them. This specific caterpillar is a bedstraw hawk-moth (Hyles gallii). The caterpillars can easily be identified by a “dark brown-ish green, with bright yellow spots along the body and a red horn above the tail” (Butterfly Conservation). Now I know the photos that I have posted here are just the caterpillar and finding information on just the caterpillar has proven to be very difficult. Because of this, I will be talking about bedstraw hawk moths as a whole, but mainly in their adult final form. We as humans don’t interact with bedstraw hawk moths directly, but they are extremely useful to us indirectly. “Here in Juneau, we sometimes see the bedstraw hawk moth (Hyles gallii) as the adults visit fireweed and other flowers…carrying pollen on its fairly long proboscis (about an inch long)” (Juneau Empire), because they are some of our biggest pollinators. Pollinators are extremely important because “more than 80 percent of the world's flowering plants need a pollinator to reproduce, and we need pollinators too since most of our food comes from flowering plants. One out of every three bites of our food, including fruits, vegetables, chocolate, coffee, nuts, and spices, is created with the help of pollinators” (Randall).

Citations:
“Bedstraw Hawk-Moth.” Butterfly Conservation, butterfly-conservation.org/moths/bedstraw-hawk-moth. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

Mary F. Willson For the Juneau Empire Tuesday. “Hawk Moths in Southeast Alaska.” Juneau Empire, 20 Aug. 2019, www.juneauempire.com/news/hawk-moths-in-southeast-alaska/. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

Randall, Brianna. “The Value of Birds and Bees.” Farmers.Gov, 6 June 2022, www.farmers.gov/blog/value-birds-and-bees#:~:text=More%20than%2080%20percent%20of,with%20the%20help%20of%20pollinators. Accessed 12 Sept. 2024.

The reason I chose to post about chum salmon is because I have fallen in love with salmon through working as a Lead Guide at DIPAC this summer. I knew that The Shrine of St. Therese had a true natural wild salmon run from talking to locals while working, so I wanted to see it for myself. While on my way there I was hoping and praying that I would get to see some because I knew that the chum were at the end of their session. When I finally arrived, it was extremely easy for me to find them, because all I had to do was walk down a marked path. If you know nothing about salmon and their life cycle none of this probably makes sense to you. Which is completely fine because I’m hoping that you will get to learn about them here through me.

Chum salmon are anadromous fish, meaning that they hatch in freshwater streams/rivers and then migrate to the ocean to feed and grow. “Young chum salmon (fry) typically migrate directly to estuarine and marine waters soon after they are born. As they grow larger, they migrate offshore across the North Pacific Ocean. As they approach sexual maturity, they migrate back into coastal waters and return to the freshwater area where they were born to spawn. They spawn from late summer to March, with peak spawning concentrated in early winter when the river flows are high” (NOAA). People use chum salmon in many different ways. They use their eggs for caviar, they can use their skin/scales for salmon leather, and they can eat them, however, that being said most people believe that chum salmon is the worst tasting out of the five kinds of Pacific salmon. “Chum salmon are harvested primarily in commercial net fisheries and to a lesser extent by commercial troll fisheries, as well as sport, personal use, and subsistence fisheries” (Alaska Department of Fish and Game). Another important thing to note is that salmon die after they spawn which is why most of the photos I posted were of dead fish, because it’s part of their natural life cycle. This may be sad but it’s a great thing because even after death they are extremely important to the ecosystem, “salmon carcasses are a valuable source of energy and nutrients to the river ecosystem. Carcasses have been shown to improve newly hatched salmon growth and survival by contributing nitrogen and phosphorous compounds to streams” (NOAA). I hope you all have enjoyed learning about chum salmon!

Citations:
Fisheries, NOAA. “Chum Salmon.” NOAA, 22 Dec. 2023, www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/chum-salmon#:~:text=Young%20chum%20salmon%20(fry)%20typically,they%20were%20born%20to%20spawn. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.

“Commercial Salmon Fisheries Southeast Alaska & Yakutat Research: Chum Salmon.” Request Rejected, www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=commercialbyareasoutheast.salmon_research_chum. Accessed 6 Sept. 2024.