3.31.12 Trail of Shadows, Longmire, WA

Date: 3.31.12
Location: Trail of Shadows, Longmire, Washington
Weather: As we got higher in elevation, the sky cleared considerably. Most of the sky was clear except for a few puffy clouds.
Climate: Considering this area is high in elevation and that it is the end of March and there is about 2 feet of snow on the ground under the trees (when I stepped off the trail I sunk down quite a distance; it was hard to get out), I would deem it safe to conclude that snow covers the ground approximately 7-8 months a year.

Observations and things taught/learned:
Most of the canopy in the wooded area consisted of Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia), and Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata). However, we also saw Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia). The undergrowth, in comparison to Packwood Forest that we saw earlier the same day, was almost non-existent. Most of the ground was covered by 1-2 feet of snow. The snow could have hidden some of the lower growing understory.
The trail loops around a marshy area where beavers have built a multiple layered dam [on iNaturalist]. The mud is extremely red and bubbles issue in streams from under the water. The bubbles are CO2. [I do not know what Susan said was the cause of the Co2 forming? iNaturalist]. On the water in the middle of the marsh/pond I saw 2-4 Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) swimming on the water. There was definitely one male and one female. A reddish/grassy/sedge-like plant grew extensively in the water. It grew in clumps and spread from about 5-20ft into the beaver pond. In a different, slightly more shaded area (an area where the pond started forming streams) grew Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus). There were few other plants around it.

Other:
-A tree grew straight up, made a 90 degree angle, and then grew upward again. Why? Normally strange bends like that are caused by the earth the tree is growing on to be slanted against the sun, but I do not think this is the case in the scenario? [question asked on iNaturalist].
-Why do beavers build multiple layers of dams within the same marsh/pond?
-I saw a tree with Horizontal lines of small holes (about a cm wide or less) about 5-10 ft from the base of the tree, either a Hemlock or Douglass Fir (I didn't take note, but I think I have seen similar holes in both types of trees). Inside the holes there were collections of an unknown grayish/white material, perhaps bark (though the coloring looked different than that of the surrounding bark)? What could the material be? I would like to find out some day.

Species list mentioned in journal:
-Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
-Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia)
-Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata)
-Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia)
-Devil’s Club (Oplopanax horridus)
-Mallard Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos)
-White Beak-Rush (Rhynchospora alba)?

Other species:
-Lipstick Cladonia (Cladonia maccilenta)

Julkaistu huhtikuu 2, 2012 08:09 AP. käyttäjältä chimeravo chimeravo

Havainnot

Kuvat / Äänet

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Mahlatikat (Suku Sphyrapicus)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

Kuvaus

Horizontal lines of small holes (about a cm wide or less) about 5-10 ft from the base of the tree, either a Hemlock or Douglass Fir (I didn't take note, but I think I have seen similar holes in both types of trees). Inside the holes there were collections of an unknown grayish/white material, perhaps bark (though the coloring looked different than that of the surrounding bark)?

Kuvat / Äänet

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Lännenhemlokki (Tsuga heterophylla)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

Kuvaus

The Western Hemlock is one of the most numerous trees forming the canopy of the Packwood Forest (except for in the wetter marshy area that we walked through). The needles do not spiral like a Douglass Fir's, but splay out on either side of the branch in flat rows. The underside of the needles are lighter in color than the top. The needles are also much softer.

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Jättituija (Thuja plicata)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

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I believe this is a Douglas Fir (I cannot remember what the bark looked like, so I zoomed in on the needles to check). Most of the trees along the trail, like this Douglass Fir, were much older than the ones seen in Packwood Forest.

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

Kuvaus

The wooded area along the trail consisted mostly of Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylia), and Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata). This particular species of tree was not as common. The needles of the tree appear to be very similar to that of a Hemlock (flat and soft), but the bark is red torn.

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Lahko Poales

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

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I cannot figure out what this kind of plant this is. Is it a rush of some kind? It grew in clumps from about 5-20 feet into the beaver pond next to the trail.

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Pirunnuija (Oplopanax horridus)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

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Devil's Club grew in a shaded area where the pond started forming streams. There were few other plants around it. Some of the stalks came directly from out of the water. Other stalks grew from the soil next to it.

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Torvijäkälät (Suku Cladonia)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

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Lipstick Cladonia grew on the base of a Douglas Fir tree trunk that was a couple feet from the ponds edge.

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Amerikanmajava (Castor canadensis)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

Kuvaus

I have noticed that beavers often build multiple layers of dams. Why is this? Does it just help make the dam where they make their home more effective, or is there another reason?

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Elämä (Elämä)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

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What could be the cause of the formation of Co2 bubbles in the beaver pond/marshy area? (The color of the mud is very red/orange).

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Putkilokasvit (Pääjakso Tracheophyta)

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Maaliskuu 31, 2012

Kuvaus

Normally when a tree bends like this I think one of two things: 1) the ground the tree was planted on was sloped and the tree grew towards the sun, or 2) there were other branches that grew from one of the prominent angles, so the tree trunk we see was once just a branch. However, the ground around the tree does not appear to be sloped, and I felt for a branch entrance where the main clump of moss is and could not find one (though I could be mistaken). I also find it strange that the supporting limb is considerably smaller than the curving branch out.

Kommentit

Awesome observation of the holes on trees - sapsuckers! I will talk a bit about them in class

Lähettänyt tewksjj noin 12 vuotta sitten

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